Copper Law Changes Taking Effect In December

South Carolina's new copper laws, implemented last year, will see some slight revisions put in place next month.

The revisions, which take effect Dec. 18, will no longer allow for a 48-hour permit - instead requiring a permit valid for two years.

A $10 fee will be assessed for any lost or destroyed permits required to buy, sell and transport nonferrous metals - or metals not containing much iron or steel.  

Under the law, any person who wants to transport or sell nonferrous metals, primarily copper, to a secondary metals recycler would have to buy a permit to transport and sell the metal.

A permit is valid statewide, and expires on the person’s birth date on the second calendar year after the permit is issued.

If a person is a resident of the state, he or she can get a permit from the local sheriff's office of the county in which the person resides.

The Sheriff may issue the permit if the person or entity has not been previously convicted of unlawfully damaging property for the purpose of obtaining nonferrous metals, and a permit may be denied, suspended or revoked at any time if a county law enforcement agency with jurisdiction discovers that the information on an application is inaccurate.