INDIANAPOLIS -- Indianapolis officials said Monday that they would take action against scrap metal yards that did not have the proper licenses.

An investigation by 6News' Jack Rinehart revealed that more than half -- 13 out of 19 -- of the businesses had not obtained the yearly licenses.

"Until you had called me, I had no idea that the issue was even there, to the point of licensing," Rick Powers with the city's Code Enforcement Office told Rinehart.

The city adopted the salvage and scrap metal ordinance last year, requiring all dealers to obtain a $200 license annually.

The unlicensed businesses include OmniSource, the city's largest scrap yard, which had been instrumental in helping the city draft the ordinance to regulate scrap metal dealers.

The company has been has been at the center of a criminal and civil investigation since February after investigations said that some employees were knowingly accepting regulated metals without obtaining proof of ownership from the seller.

City officials said Monday that they intend to crack down on OmniSource and the other scrap metal yards that haven't obtained licenses.

"We are going to move forward as if they are in violation of the ordinance, that's exactly what I'm saying. And if they aren't licensed, they should be," Powers said. "We will take the appropriate steps."