To get free county disposal for a load of scrap tires in North Carolina, the NC Scrap Tire Certification Form (DEQ form 3733) has to travel with the load, filled out and signed in original ink by both the generator and the hauler. The form proves the tires were generated in North Carolina in the normal course of business, which is the condition counties use to waive the disposal fee under NCGS 130A-309.58(f).1NCGS 130A-309.58(f) Miss a field, skip a signature, or send a photocopy, and the receiving facility can charge its full disposal rate or turn the load away.
Where to Get the Form
The official form is a free download from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Scrap Tire Forms page, in English and Spanish. County solid waste departments also keep printed copies for local tire retailers. You can fill it in by hand on a printed copy, or type it on screen and print it for signature. The copy that rides with the tires must carry an original signature from the generator. Stamps and photocopies don’t count.
Part I: Generator Information
The generator is whoever the tires came off: a retail tire shop, auto repair garage, fleet maintenance operation, or salvage yard. Part I asks for the business name, physical address, city, state, zip code, and phone number. The point is to tie the load to a real North Carolina business the county can trace if a question comes up later.
One boundary worth knowing before you get this far: a retailer, repair shop, retreader, or collection point that keeps fewer than 1,000 scrap tires on site at any one time doesn’t need a scrap tire permit. Cross 1,000 and the site needs a state collection or disposal permit, which runs up to $250 per year.
Part II: Tire Details and Certification
Part II is where the load gets described and certified. Record:
- The total number of tires in the load.
- The North Carolina county where the tires originated.
- The time period during which the tires were collected.
Then sign and date the certification statement, which declares the tires were collected for disposal in the normal course of business. Original signature, actual date.
The form sorts tires by how they were generated, and the county may ask for backup documentation on any of these categories:
- Replacement tires removed from vehicles when new tires were sold in North Carolina. The county may request copies of sales documentation.
- Fleet vehicle tires removed from school buses, delivery trucks, or other fleet vehicles serviced in North Carolina. The county may require proof the tires were bought in-state and that the disposal tax was paid.
- Repair or salvage tires removed when vehicles were repaired or junked in North Carolina. Proof of eligibility for free disposal may be required.
If you’re a used tire dealer, wholesaler, broker, or retreader sorting or culling tires that another North Carolina dealer originally pulled off a vehicle, your own certification is not enough. You have to present the original certification from the person who first removed the tire from the vehicle.
Hauler Section
The hauler who picks up the tires signs a separate section certifying that the load being delivered is the same load received from the generator. Both signatures have to be on the form before the processor, collector, or disposal site operator will accept the tires. The hauler is the one who physically hands the completed form to the facility at delivery.1NCGS 130A-309.58(f)
Anyone hauling scrap tires in North Carolina also needs a scrap tire hauling identification certificate from DEQ, renewable every five years. That’s a separate credential from this form, but it’s a prerequisite for being the person who signs the hauler section.
What Qualifies the Load for Free Disposal
Counties are required to provide at least one scrap tire disposal site and cannot charge a fee when the tires were generated in North Carolina in the normal course of business and arrive with a completed certification form. The deal is simple: proper paperwork, no charge.
The county can charge a disposal fee when:
- The tires arrive without a completed certification form showing North Carolina origin.
- The tires are unsalable new tires being discarded by a manufacturer.
Some tires are flatly ineligible for free disposal no matter what paperwork is attached. Used tires and casings that retreaders or used tire dealers obtained from out of state don’t qualify. Neither do tires stockpiled before January 1, 1994.
Record Keeping After Delivery
The collector, processor, or disposal facility that accepts the load has to retain the completed certification form for three years from the date of the transaction. That requirement is printed on the form itself. The generator and the hauler should also keep their own copies as chain-of-custody documentation, because the form is the proof of compliance if a county audit or DEQ inspection raises questions later.
Penalties for False or Incomplete Forms
The penalties printed on the form are the ones that matter if you fill it out carelessly or dishonestly. Providing false or incomplete information carries a civil penalty of up to $15,000 per violation under NCGS 130A-22.2NCGS 130A-22 Knowingly falsifying the form is a Class 2 misdemeanor with a fine of up to $10,000 under NCGS 130A-26.2.3NCGS 130A-26.2
Separately, dumping scrap tires anywhere other than a permitted collection site, processing facility, or disposal site is illegal under NCGS 130A-309.57(b), and illegal dumping can rise to a Class I felony.4NCGS 130A-309.57(b) Landfilling whole pneumatic tires is also prohibited statewide. The certification form is the mechanism that keeps a legitimate load inside the legal disposal system from pickup through final destination.