To get a license, which costs $250, a person must apply to the commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Commerce.

Minnesota will be the first state to require a license for anyone buying or selling copper wire, starting Jan. 1.

The new law requires people selling scrap metal copper to obtain a $250 yearly license from the Department of Commerce.

The Copper Wire Theft ... require people selling copper to pay for a $250 license. The upper Midwest chapter of the Recycled Materials Association — or ReMA — represents scrap metal businesses ...