Breach of the rules on collecting, buying and selling scrap metal (Art. 179²)

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How much is the fine for breaching the scrap metal rules?

Under the first part of Article 179² the fine runs from 1,000 to 3,000 lari, accompanied by confiscation of the metals, the articles containing them, and their scrap and waste. If an administrative penalty was already imposed on you under that same first part within the preceding year, the bracket rises to 3,000 to 5,000 lari, again with confiscation.

Can I be fined without losing the metal?

Both parts of the article attach confiscation to the fine, so it forms part of the sanction rather than a discretionary addition. In practice the argument is usually about whether the breach occurred and whether the seized goods were the subject of the operation, not about separating the fine from the confiscation.

Does a penalty from three years ago count against me?

The second part applies only where the earlier administrative penalty falls within one year, so a penalty from three years back sits outside that window. The article does not spell out the mechanics of counting the year, which is why the documents from the earlier case should be checked rather than assumed either way.

I only drove the load — does the article still reach me?

Transport is one of the stages the article lists, alongside collection, purchase, sale and handing over. Whether liability actually attaches depends on what the case file records about your role, and that is one of the first things worth examining closely.

5 min·22 Aug 2026

What this offence covers

Ferrous and non-ferrous metals, articles containing them, and the scrap and waste of those metals are not freely circulating goods in Georgia. Collecting, buying, transporting, selling and handing them over is governed by an established set of rules, and Article 179² of the Code of Administrative Offences penalises breaching those rules. The article draws no line between a large commercial operation and a small one. What matters is whether the established rules were broken at one of the listed stages: collection, purchase, transport, sale, or handing over.

In practice the provision reaches a wide group: a scrap collection point and the person working in it, a driver moving a load, and a private individual who gathered or handed in metal items. If you take part in any operation involving scrap metal, this article applies to you as well — including in situations you regard as nothing more than a slip in the paperwork.

Breach of the rules on collecting, buying and selling scrap metal (Art. 179²)

How much is the fine for breaching the scrap metal rules?

Can I be fined without losing the metal?

Does a penalty from three years ago count against me?

I only drove the load — does the article still reach me?

5 min·22 Aug 2026

What this offence covers