Hold period; exceptions.
Houston Code of Ordinances § 7-60
in effectSec. 7-60. - Hold period; exceptions.
(a) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section and the administrative rules and regulations promulgated pursuant to section 7-53 of this Code, it is unlawful for a metal recycler to sell, dismantle, deface or in any manner alter or dispose of any material purchased or otherwise received at the metal recycler's licensed place of business for 72 hours after receipt, excluding weekends and holidays, provided that the metal recycler shall not be required to keep aluminum cans for more than 24 hours. During the 72-hour period, all items shall be stored or displayed at the metal recycler's business location, in the exact form received, and in a manner so as to be identifiable from the description entered in the real-time electronic web-based database described in section 7-58 of this Code. Such property shall not be kept in such a manner so as to prevent or impede its examination.
(b) A metal recycler is not required to comply with subsection (a) of this section if:
(1) The transaction by which the material was acquired is a business to business transaction properly recorded as required by section 7-58 of this Code;
(2) The metal recycler verifies that the person seeking to sell or otherwise transfer the items has one of the following licenses or permits to establish that he is a manufacturing, industrial, commercial, retail, or other seller that sells the items in the ordinary course of its business:
a. A valid city-issued or state-issued metal recycler license, which the metal recycler shall record by photocopying the license or recording the license number in connection with the sale and maintain for a period of not less than two years from the date of the transaction; or
b. A valid city-issued or state-issued construction, demolition, electrical, plumbing or heating, ventilation, or air conditioning (HVAC) permit or license, which the metal recycler shall record by photocopying the permit or license or recording the project number located on the permit or license in connection with the sale and maintain for a period of not less than two years from the date of the transaction; or
(3) The material received by the metal recycler is tin or household appliances.
(c) Notwithstanding any provisions of this section, a peace officer who has reasonable suspicion to believe that an item or material in the possession of a metal recycler is stolen may place the item on hold in the manner provided by section 7-63 of this Code or Section 1956.037 of the Texas Occupations Code or any amendment thereof.
(Ord. No. 2016-964, § 4(Exh. A), 12-7-2016)
Source: City of Houston, Code of Ordinances and City Charter (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/tx/houston/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=COOR_CH7ANDECOMASCMEPRSEREREBU_ARTIIIMERE_DIV3OPRURE_S7-60HOPEEXFetched: 10/26/2026