WA

Washington · Walk-in purchase

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Washington Catalytic Converter Purchase Rules

Who you can buy from, what you must record, hold periods, and the penalty if you get it wrong when walk-in purchase catalytic converters in Washington. Sourced from the ReMA / ISRI State Metals Theft Law Database.

Washington · Bottom line

LICENSE + HOLD

Sourced fromReMA / ISRI State Metals Theft Law Database·Verified

Washington · At a glance

WA moved catalytic converters to Ch. 46.79 RCW (effective Apr 1, 2025): only a LICENSED scrap processor may buy a detached cat — buying without a license is class C felony trafficking. No cash, no same-day pay: mail a nontransferable check no earlier than 3 business days out, record the source VIN, and hold 30 days before de-canning.

Seller must qualify

Seller must give a street address + government photo ID; cat must carry the source VIN; you must be a licensed scrap processor

Full rule + accepted documents

Under RCW 46.79.150 a licensed scrap processor may buy a removed catalytic converter from an individual seller, but no transaction may be made in cash or with any person who does not provide a street address and photographic identification. Payment may only be by nontransferable check mailed to the recorded street address no earlier than three business days after the transaction. Per RCW 9A.82.180 the converter must be permanently marked with the last eight digits of the originating vehicle's VIN before it is transported off-site; possessing/selling six or fewer unmarked detached cats by someone who is not a licensed scrap processor or vehicle wrecker is a gross misdemeanor. Purchasing a removed catalytic converter without holding a scrap processor (Ch. 46.79) or vehicle wrecker (Ch. 46.80) license is trafficking in the first degree, a class C felony (RCW 9A.82.190).

Accepted documents

  • Seller's government-issued photo identification (driver's license number recorded or copy retained)
  • Seller's verifiable street address (check is mailed there)
  • Year, make, model, and VIN of the source vehicle
  • Catalytic converter permanently marked with the last 8 digits of the source VIN

Counter checklist

  1. License

    Confirm you hold a WA scrap processor license

    Buying a detached catalytic converter without holding a scrap processor (Ch. 46.79 RCW) or vehicle wrecker (Ch. 46.80 RCW) license is trafficking in catalytic converters in the first degree — a class C felony (RCW 9A.82.190(1)). Only a licensed scrap processor may also disassemble or de-can a converter to extract metals (RCW 46.79.140(1)). Operating as a scrap processor without a current license is itself a gross misdemeanor (RCW 46.79.120).

    Statute

    RCW 9A.82.190(1); RCW 46.79.140(1); RCW 46.79.120

    Note
    There is no walk-in exception for unlicensed buyers — verify your license is current before buying any cat.

  2. Reporting

    Check seller against WASPC no-buy list before buying

    Before completing the transaction, determine whether the seller is listed in the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs no-buy list database established under RCW 43.43.885. Do not transact with a listed seller.

    Statute

    RCW 43.43.885

  3. Seller ID

    Get photo ID, street address, source VIN/year/make/model

    No transaction may be made with any person who does not provide a street address and government-issued photographic identification. Record the seller's name, street address, phone, driver's license / photo ID number (or retain a copy), the source vehicle's license plate + state, vehicle description, and the VIN of the vehicle the converter was removed from.

    Statute

    RCW 46.79.150(2)-(3)

  4. Vehicle

    Cat must be marked with last 8 digits of source VIN

    The detached converter must be permanently marked with the last eight digits of the originating vehicle's VIN, visible from at least one side, before it is transported off-site. An unmarked cat from an unlicensed seller is a red flag — knowingly possessing/selling six or fewer unmarked detached cats while unlicensed is a gross misdemeanor.

    Statute

    RCW 9A.82.180(1), (4)

  5. Recordkeeping

    Signed not-stolen declaration + photo of cat with VIN

    Obtain the seller's signed declaration affirming under penalty of law that the property is not, to the best of their knowledge, stolen, and take a photograph of the catalytic converter showing the VIN marking. Keep the full record for three years, open to law enforcement inspection during business hours.

    Statute

    RCW 46.79.150(3)

  6. Payment

    No cash, no same-day pay: mail check >=3 business days later

    Payment to an individual seller may NOT be made at the time of the transaction and may not be paid earlier than three business days after the transaction. No cat transaction may be made in cash. Pay only by nontransferable check mailed to the seller's recorded street address.

    Statute

    RCW 46.79.150(1)-(2)

  7. Hold

    Hold 30 days before disassembly / de-canning

    A licensed scrap processor must implement a 30-day waiting period between purchasing a catalytic converter and disassembling or de-canning it to extract platinum, palladium, rhodium, or other metals — unless the processor is also the registered owner of the originating vehicle.

    Statute

    RCW 46.79.140(3)

Statute citations

  • Wash. Rev. Code Ch. 46.79 (Hulk Haulers and Scrap Processors) § 46.79.140, § 46.79.150 (catalytic converters — effective Apr 1, 2025); Ch. 19.290 (Metal Property) for general scrap metal transactions
  • Wash. Rev. Code § 9A.82.180 (cat marking — last 8 digits of VIN); § 9A.82.190 (trafficking in catalytic converters, 1st degree — class C felony); § 9A.82.200 (trafficking, 2nd degree)
  • Wash. Rev. Code § 9A.56.410 (Metal property deception — gross misdemeanor + $1,000-per-converter fine; cat-transaction provisions recodified from former § 19.290.070)
  • Wash. Rev. Code § 43.43.885 (no-buy list database) + § 36.28A.240 (WASPC grants); § 43.43.888 (cat inspections, eff. Apr 1, 2025); Title 9A Ch. 9A.56 Theft and Robbery

Recent amendments

  • 2013 HB 1552: Amended Ch. 19.290 metal property recordkeeping/transaction rules
  • 2022 HB 1815 (2022 c 221): First catalytic-converter package — defined 'private metal property' (detached cats) under Ch. 19.290, $1,000-per-converter fines, and directed WASPC to build a metal-theft enforcement strategy/grant program (RCW 36.28A.240); signed March 30, 2022. (VIN marking and the trafficking offenses came later, in 2024 c 301 — see below.)
  • 2024 ESHB 2153 (2024 c 301): Created the VIN-marking duty (RCW 9A.82.180 s 23) and trafficking offenses (RCW 9A.82.190 s 24 / 9A.82.200), and consolidated catalytic-converter purchase, payment, 3-business-day mailed check, 3-year recordkeeping, 30-day disassembly hold, and the WSP inspection regime into Ch. 46.79 RCW; effective April 1, 2025 (current controlling law)

Source detail

Compliance data sourced from the Recycled Materials Association (ReMA / ISRI) State Metals Theft Law Database →

Last verified . ReMA updates the database periodically. Confirm against current statute before relying on this in compliance decisions.

Common questions

Can you buy a loose catalytic converter from a walk-in seller in Washington?
Yes — Washington permits this if you follow the state's recordkeeping, payment, and hold requirements. WA moved catalytic converters to Ch. 46.79 RCW (effective Apr 1, 2025): only a LICENSED scrap processor may buy a detached cat — buying without a license is class C felony trafficking. No cash, no same-day pay: mail a nontransferable check no earlier than 3 business days out, record the source VIN, and hold 30 days before de-canning. (Quick reference, not legal advice — verify against current statute and your state recycler association before relying on this.)
What's the penalty for buying a catalytic converter illegally in Washington?
Purchasing a removed catalytic converter without a scrap processor (Ch. 46.79) or vehicle wrecker (Ch. 46.80) license is trafficking in catalytic converters in the first degree — a class C felony under RCW 9A.82.190. Transaction/recordkeeping violations under RCW 9A.56.410 are a gross misdemeanor and each offense is punishable by a $1,000 fine per catalytic converter (10% to the no-buy list database under RCW 43.43.885, the remainder to the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs for grants under RCW 36.28A.240). Possessing/selling six or fewer unmarked detached cats while unlicensed is a gross misdemeanor (RCW 9A.82.180(4)); intentionally obliterating the VIN marking is a gross misdemeanor, escalating to a class C felony on a prior conviction (RCW 9A.82.180(3)). (Quick reference, not legal advice — verify against current statute and your state recycler association before relying on this.)
What records do you need to buy a catalytic converter in Washington?
Required at the counter: Confirm you hold a WA scrap processor license; Check seller against WASPC no-buy list before buying; Get photo ID, street address, source VIN/year/make/model; Cat must be marked with last 8 digits of source VIN; Signed not-stolen declaration + photo of cat with VIN; No cash, no same-day pay: mail check >=3 business days later; Hold 30 days before disassembly / de-canning. (Quick reference, not legal advice — verify against current statute and your state recycler association before relying on this.)