ISRI State Metals Theft Law Database

All 50 state legislatures have passed laws intended to combat the growth in metals theft over recent years. These laws impose varying requirements on purchasers, sellers, law enforcement, and other parties, with little uniformity between the states. In addition, states are frequently amending their laws to better address the problems they face.

These changes can make it increasingly challenging for citizens, law enforcement, lawmakers, and recyclers to stay on top of current requirements. This database is a public resource to help understand the laws by allowing visitors to view and download pre-made or custom reports on the provisions and states that interest them.

Please pay careful attention to the Materials Covered and Exemptions for each state! States may define the same term (such as "regulated metal") to cover entirely different types of metals or transactions and give different exemptions for particular materials and entities. ISRI has attempted to present the definitions and materials covered as clearly as possible; unfortunately, this means that we've occasionally had to edit the definitions from how they are presented in the state law.

The database has been updated for 2023 with amendments in 23 states. ISRI provides a public compilation of the State Metals Theft Statutes (last updated October 31, 2023) that includes all of our individual state metals theft law summaries; members can also access the individual summaries from ISRI's State Resources and Tracking pages.

Commonly Requested Metals Theft Law Reports

These reports allow you to quickly compare key provisions of laws between states. Just select the report you'd like to view, check the states that you'd like to compare, and select whether you'd like to view the report in your web browser or download it as a spreadsheet or PDF.

Learn More and Access Our Most Common Reports

Custom Metals Theft Law Reports

Want to compare several provisions at once, or can't find the provisions you're interested in with the Commonly Requested Reports? Use the Custom Reports to select any number of provisions and states, up to and including the entire ISRI State Metals Theft Law Database. You can then view the report in your web browser or download it as a spreadsheet.

Learn More and Access Our Custom Reports

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Have Questions?

 
Justin Short
Manager, Gov't Relations
JShort@isri.org
(202) 662-8508

Abby Blocker
VP of State & Local Government Affairs
ablocker@isri.org
(202) 662-8511