Last updated 2026-08-19
TL;DR
Florida issues no license titled cat converter desk. If you buy detached converters as scrap, you renew as a secondary metals recycler with the Florida Department of Revenue under chapter 538, plus your Sunbiz annual report and a local business tax receipt. Repair-shop registration under chapter 559 is a separate paper path. Fees and processing times change. Confirm both with the issuing board before you file.
Do you need a license for a cat converter desk in Florida?
You need state registration if you buy detached catalytic converters as scrap. Florida sells no permit with the words cat converter desk on it. The core paper is a secondary metals recycler registration from the Florida Department of Revenue under Fla. Stat. 538.25, plus a local business tax receipt and a living Sunbiz entity. [1]
"A person may not engage in business as a secondary metals recycler at any location without registering with the department." That line is in Fla. Stat. 538.25. For a public buy counter, it is the rule that matters. [1]
A repair-only shop that swaps converters and never runs a scrap window may sit under motor vehicle repair shop registration in chapter 559. That filing goes to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, not DOR. Mixing a buy desk into a shop without reading 860.147 is how people get surprised. [6][10]
Don't run a buy-out-of-a-van model and hope the statute blinks. Section 538.25 tells the department to take applications from a fixed business address. It also rules out a hotel room, a vehicle, or a post office box. [1]
Skip anyone selling a federal cat desk license. It does not replace Florida registration. If your fact pattern is scrap purchases of regulated metals, you are in chapter 538. Confirm the current packet on the DOR secondary metals recycler page before you mail a thing. [8]
What papers actually renew each year for a Florida cat converter desk?
A Florida cat converter desk renews three clocks. The DOR secondary metals recycler registration is annual. The Sunbiz annual report is annual. The local business tax receipt is annual in almost every county that still levies one. A fictitious name, if you use a trade style, is a five-year Division of Corporations filing. [1][9][14]
Start with the entity. If the corporation or LLC is dissolved, the rest of the stack gets messy. Florida profit corporations pay a $150 Sunbiz annual report fee. That figure is published by the Division of Corporations. [9]
Then the metals registration. It is per location. A second buy counter is not a free add-on. Read 538.25 for the location rule rather than assuming a statewide blanket. [1]
Local receipts are the wild card. Chapter 205 lets cities and counties levy a business tax. Rates are local. Miami-Dade is not Orange County. Print the tax collector's current schedule. Don't reuse last year's number from memory. [11]
| Paper | Issuer | Cycle | Where to confirm |
|---|---|---|---|
| DOR SMR registration | Florida Department of Revenue | Annual | DOR secondary metals page |
| Sunbiz annual report | Division of Corporations | Annual | Sunbiz annual report page |
| Local business tax receipt | City or county tax collector | Annual | Local collector |
| Fictitious name | Division of Corporations | 5 years | Sunbiz fictitious name page |
I treat "we never got a letter" as a non-defense. Put the three due dates on one card over the safe.
How much does a cat converter desk cost in Florida?
There is no single Florida price for a cat converter desk, and no single renewal invoice. Entity filings are the only dollars I will print with a source behind them. A Florida profit corporation annual report costs $150. An LLC annual report is listed at $138.75 by the Division of Corporations. A fictitious name filing is $50 for a five-year term. [9][14]
The secondary metals recycler registration fee is set in law and collected by DOR. I won't invent this year's number. Open the DOR secondary metals recycler page and confirm the fee on the current form before you write the check. [8]
Local business tax receipts range by city and county. Chapter 205 authorizes the tax. It publishes no statewide tariff. Call the collector for the street address of the desk. [11]
First-year cash is a different animal. You need a real premises, lockable storage, a way to capture seller ID that matches 538.19, and enough working capital that you're not tempted to buy dumb loads. Renewal year should be cheaper if you already built that. [4]
Waste of money: overnighted compliance certificates from a marketing site. A fixer who claims a private line into DOR. A new point-of-sale toy every spring when last year's photo log still matches the statute.
If someone quotes a packaged Florida desk renewal as one round number with no line items, walk.
How long does a cat converter desk renewal take in Florida?
I won't give you a day count. Processing time for DOR registration, Sunbiz reports, and county receipts moves. Confirm the current queue with the board that issues the paper. No article gets to promise you a buy-by date.
Sunbiz annual reports filed through the Division of Corporations website usually post without a counter visit. Mail is slower. That is as specific as I will get. [9]
DOR secondary metals files are not the same desk as a basic sales tax account. Don't assume the clerk who took your business tax application last year can quote an SMR renewal clock. Ask the secondary metals unit and keep the email. [8]
If the registration is not valid, treat purchases of regulated metals as off limits. Section 538.25 has no "receipt in the mail" exception I can point to. [1]
Build slack. Start the stack well before the earliest expiration you can find on the three papers, then confirm that window is even relevant with the issuers. That is a personal buffer, not a legal period.
Nobody has good public data on median DOR turnaround for these renewals. Anyone selling you a guaranteed date is selling comfort, not a statute.
What is a secondary metals recycler registration in Florida?
A secondary metals recycler is a defined term in Fla. Stat. 538.18. In plain speech: if you gather ferrous or nonferrous metals that have served their original purpose, and you buy them to resell as metals, you are in that definition. Detached converters are nonferrous parts with platinum-group metals. Read the current 538.18 text against your fact pattern. [2]
The issuer is the Florida Department of Revenue, not DHSMV and not the county sheriff. The sheriff may still inspect and may drop a hold notice. Registration is still DOR. [1][8]
Each location needs its own registration. That is why a second lot is not a verbal addendum. [1]
Print 538.18, 538.25, and 538.26 and keep them in the same binder as the registration. Deputies ask for the paper you have, not the story you tell. [3]
If you are not buying metals from the public and you only install new converters on customer cars, stop and reread chapter 559. Wrong stack. Wrong agency. [10]
Do catalytic converter purchases have extra Florida rules beyond scrap metal?
Yes. Florida added converter-specific rules on top of the old metals code. Section 860.142 is the Catalytic Converter Theft Deterrence Act. The statute says, "This section may be cited as the 'Catalytic Converter Theft Deterrence Act.'" Section 860.147 restricts who may purchase a detached catalytic converter. Section 538.26 already lists catalytic converters among restricted regulated metals property. You need all three open on the desk, not one. [3][5][6]
I won't turn 860.147 into a cute flowchart. The statute names the lawful purchaser classes. Registered secondary metals recyclers and licensed motor vehicle repair shops are the two you will hear about. Confirm the current text, because the legislature has been willing to retouch this area. [6]
Restricted metals rules in 538.26 are why a converter is more than another muffler. Ordinary regulated metals already carry ID and record duties. Restricted items add purchase limits. [3]
A seller walks in with a loose converter in a garbage bag and no proof they are a lawful source. You do not need a lawyer to know you should pass. The theft statutes exist because that load is common.
Keep the criminal statutes in the same binder as the renewal receipt. Renewal paper does not wash a bad buy.
What records do you have to keep if you buy converters in Florida?
Fla. Stat. 538.19 requires secondary metals recyclers to keep purchase records. The section lists the data elements. I won't reprint a stale checklist that might miss a later tweak. Open 538.19 and build your log to that list. [4]
Photo the seller ID. Photo the part. Tie the ticket to a payment method the statute allows. If electronic reporting to a law-enforcement portal applies to your county or to your registration class, do that the same day you buy, not on Sunday night.
Hold notices live in this chapter. If law enforcement drops a hold, you hold. Selling through a hold to make payroll is how desks die. Read 538.21 with your own counsel if a notice lands. I am not your counsel. [12]
A clean VIN log on converters that still carry stamps is cheap insurance. You can rule a notebook. You do not need software with a mascot. If you want that log pre-structured, CatConPath sells a $179 one-time VIN-Log + Theft-Compliance Kit at /start. Building the same fields straight from 538.19 works too. [4]
I would rather see a messy binder that matches the statute than a pretty app that drops the seller's address.
What happens if you let the Florida registration lapse?
If the DOR registration lapses, stop buying regulated metals. Section 538.25 is a "may not engage in business" rule, not a late-fee courtesy. [1]
Penalties live in 538.23. They scale. I won't invent the current felony ladder here because the legislature edits penalty subsections. Read 538.23 before you decide a lapse is a paperwork shrug. [7]
Local business tax receipts can carry their own operate-without-a-receipt fines. Those sit in county or city code, not chapter 538. [11]
Reinstatement is a DOR process. Confirm forms and any back fees with them. Do not buy while it processes unless the department tells you in writing that the registration is valid. [8]
A lapsed Sunbiz entity is a different mess. Administrative dissolution does not secretly keep your metals registration healthy. Fix the entity, then ask DOR whether the SMR file still attaches to it. [9]
Do you also need a local business tax receipt and a Sunbiz annual report?
Yes, if you are a normal Florida entity with a physical counter. The metals card does not eat those filings.
Sunbiz is the Division of Corporations. Florida profit corporations file an annual report and pay $150. File it in the window the Division publishes. Late filings cause administrative dissolution, which is a stupid way to pause a desk. [9]
Chapter 205 is the state hook for local business taxes. The municipality or county sets the receipt, the category, and the due month. [11]
If you trade under a name that is not the legal entity name, look at the Division's fictitious name filing. The published fee is $50 and the term is five years. [14]
I would not argue with a city inspector that the state metals card covers local tax. It does not.
Pay the county. Then file Sunbiz. Then check the DOR card again so the legal name matches all three.
Is a motor vehicle repair shop registration a substitute for the metals registration?
Sometimes, for the narrow act of purchasing a detached converter, 860.147 names a licensed motor vehicle repair shop as a lawful purchaser class. That is not the same thing as running a scrap desk, and it is not an SMR registration. [6][10]
Repair shop registration is chapter 559, issued through FDACS under Fla. Stat. 559.904. If you actually repair vehicles, you may need that paper anyway. If you do not repair vehicles and you buy junk converters all day, don't try to squeeze the whole model through a 559 certificate. Ask FDACS and DOR, in writing, if you think you have a hybrid. [10]
A shop that both repairs and runs a public buy window should expect both stacks. Cheap to ask. Expensive to guess.
I have no patience for the "we only buy from our own jobs" story when the camera shows walk-in sellers. Your fact pattern is what a deputy films, not what your website says.
What should you confirm with the board before you send money?
Before you send money, confirm five things with the issuer, not with a forum.
One, the current SMR registration or renewal fee and the form name on the DOR secondary metals recycler page. [8]
Two, whether your address type is acceptable under 538.25. [1]
Three, the exact local business tax category for a metals recycler or auto recycler at your street address, and the due date. [11]
Four, whether your county or city stacks an extra metals ordinance on top of chapter 538. Some do.
Five, whether your outbound sales need a separate Florida sales tax certificate, and whether that certificate is even eligible to renew if the SMR file is dirty.
Ask for names and dates on the emails. If a clerk says "should be fine," that is not a document.
I would rather delay a buy week than mail a fee I invented from a blog.
How does Florida cat converter desk renewal compare to nearby states?
Florida is a DOR registration state with converter-specific criminal statutes bolted on. That is not the same machine as every neighbor. Your Florida card does not travel.
If you also buy in Alabama, read cat converter desk renewal in Alabama before you assume the files stack. Georgia operators should start at cat converter desk renewal in Georgia. Arizona, Arkansas, and California each keep their own metals and converter paper. See cat converter desk renewal in Arizona, cat converter desk renewal in Arkansas, and cat converter desk renewal in California.
Illinois is another heavy statute state. Use cat converter desk renewal in Illinois rather than copying a Florida binder.
Keep one binder per state. Shared spreadsheets cause mixed ID rules and mixed hold clocks.
What is a waste of money on Florida cat converter desk renewal?
Year two is where people buy magic. You do not need a new camera system if last year's still writes dates. You do not need a framed seal. You do not need a national association plaque to satisfy 538.19. [4]
Spend on the boring things. Seller ID capture a deputy can read. A lock that actually locks. A lawyer who has opened chapter 538, once, if your fact pattern is weird.
EPA does not hand out a cat converter desk license that you renew in Tallahassee. Federal scrap metal exclusions live in 40 CFR 261.4. They are not a Florida permit and they do not renew your DOR file. [13]
CatConPath is an independent publisher. It is not a law firm and it does not process Florida renewals. The boards listed above still control every fee and every date.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a license for a cat converter desk in Florida?
Florida has no license titled cat converter desk. If you buy detached converters as scrap, you need a Department of Revenue secondary metals recycler registration under Fla. Stat. 538.25, plus local business tax and a current Sunbiz entity. A repair-only shop may instead need chapter 559 registration. Confirm your fact pattern with DOR and, if you repair cars, FDACS.
How much does a cat converter desk cost in Florida?
There is no one statewide desk price. Published entity fees include a $150 Sunbiz annual report for a Florida profit corporation, $138.75 for an LLC annual report, and $50 for a five-year fictitious name. The DOR metals registration fee and every county business tax must be confirmed with those issuers. First-year build-out is a separate, local number.
How long does a cat converter desk take in Florida?
There is no honest published statewide clock for DOR metals registration or county receipts. Sunbiz annual reports filed online usually post without a counter visit, but even that is not a guarantee. Confirm current turnaround with each issuer. Do not schedule public buys on a date you read on a blog.
Is the DOR secondary metals registration the same as a scrap yard license?
Florida's statutory name is secondary metals recycler registration, issued by the Department of Revenue under chapter 538. People say scrap yard license in conversation. The legal paper is the DOR registration, per location, at a fixed business address. A county may still use older occupational language on the local receipt.
Can I renew if I moved the cat converter desk?
Treat a move as a new location problem, not a sticker swap. Fla. Stat. 538.25 is built around a fixed address and rejects vehicle and post office box addresses. Ask DOR how to transfer or re-register before you buy at the new door. Update Sunbiz and the local business tax receipt to the same street.
Do I need a bond to renew a Florida cat converter desk?
Chapter 538 is built around registration, records, and restricted-metals rules. I won't invent a statewide surety amount that the current statute does not put in my hand. Ask DOR whether any bond rider applies to your file, and ask the county if a local metals ordinance adds one.
Can I buy converters if the renewal receipt is still in the mail?
I would not. Fla. Stat. 538.25 says a person may not engage in business as a secondary metals recycler without registering. I cannot point to a receipt in the mail exception. Wait for DOR to show the registration as valid, in writing or in their system, before you take another load.
Does a Florida sales tax certificate renew with the metals paper?
No. A sales tax account and an SMR registration are different DOR products. Outbound sales of parts or refined material can require the tax certificate even if the buy desk is already registered under chapter 538. Confirm both files. A dirty metals file can still haunt the tax file.
What if I only buy converters still attached to whole cars?
Buying a converter still bolted to a vehicle you lawfully purchased is a different fact pattern than a public loose-cat window. Restricted-metals and 860.147 rules target detached converters. Title, salvage, and dealer rules may then matter more than SMR. Do not guess. Match the actual load to 538.26, 860.147, and DHSMV title rules.
Are out-of-state sellers legal at a Florida desk?
The metals statutes still require lawful ownership, seller identification, and the 538.19 record set. An out-of-state driver license does not erase those duties. Some restricted items and theft rules get harder when you cannot verify the source. If you cannot document the seller to 538.19, pass on the load.
Do I file anything with FDLE when I renew?
The registration issuer for secondary metals recyclers is the Department of Revenue, not FDLE. Law enforcement still inspects records and can issue hold notices under chapter 538. Your county may also require electronic purchase reporting. Ask the local agency that actually walks your floor, and keep that instruction with the renewal card.
Can a second location ride on the first Florida registration?
No. Fla. Stat. 538.25 treats registration as a per-location duty at a fixed business address. A second counter needs its own DOR file, its own local receipt, and premises that can survive an inspection. Do not open the extra door on a handshake and a shared stamp.
Sources
- Florida Senate, Fla. Stat. 538.25 (2024) Registration: A person may not engage in business as a secondary metals recycler at any location without registering with the Department of Revenue, and applications must use a fixed business address.
- Florida Senate, Fla. Stat. 538.18 (2024) Definitions: Florida defines secondary metals recycler and related metals terms used to decide who must register.
- Florida Senate, Fla. Stat. 538.26 (2024) Restricted regulated metals property: Catalytic converters are treated as restricted regulated metals property with extra purchase limits.
- Florida Senate, Fla. Stat. 538.19 (2024) Records required: Secondary metals recyclers must keep purchase records with the data elements listed in the statute.
- Florida Senate, Fla. Stat. 860.142 (2024) Catalytic Converter Theft Deterrence: Section 860.142 may be cited as the Catalytic Converter Theft Deterrence Act.
- Florida Senate, Fla. Stat. 860.147 (2024) Purchase of catalytic converters: Florida restricts who may purchase a detached catalytic converter, including registered secondary metals recyclers and licensed motor vehicle repair shops.
- Florida Senate, Fla. Stat. 538.23 (2024) Violations and penalties: Chapter 538 sets scaled penalties for secondary metals recycler violations, including operating outside the registration rules.
- Florida Division of Corporations, Annual Report fees: Florida profit corporations pay a $150 annual report fee and LLCs pay $138.75, filed through Sunbiz.
- Florida Senate, Fla. Stat. 559.904 (2024) Motor vehicle repair shop registration: Motor vehicle repair shops register under chapter 559, a separate path from DOR metals registration.
- Florida Senate, Fla. Stat. 205.042 (2024) Levy of business tax by municipality: Florida cities and counties may levy a local business tax under chapter 205, so desk receipts are local and annual.
- Florida Senate, Fla. Stat. 538.21 (2024) Hold notice: Law enforcement may issue a hold notice on regulated metals, and the recycler must hold the property as the statute directs.
- eCFR, 40 CFR 261.4 Exclusions: Certain scrap metal being recycled is excluded from the federal solid waste definition, which is not a Florida desk license.
- Florida Division of Corporations, Fictitious Name Registration: A Florida fictitious name registration is a five-year filing and the Division lists a $50 fee.