Bill > H525

This bill aims to standardize and clarify the notification process for owners and lienholders (individuals or entities with a financial claim, like a bank, on a vehicle) when a motor vehicle is recovered, towed, and stored. It amends existing laws to ensure that when a vehicle is taken into storage, the officer or person responsible must provide the garage owner with the registered owner's name and address, often through information from the Registry of Motor Vehicles. The garage owner then has five days to notify the registered owner by certified mail about the vehicle's location, storage costs, and to confirm if they want to continue storing it. If the owner doesn't respond or claim the vehicle within fourteen days after receiving this notice, the garage owner must then notify any lienholder by certified mail about the vehicle's status and accumulated charges. The bill also establishes that the garage has a possessory lien, meaning they can hold onto the vehicle until their recovery, transportation, and storage charges are paid. If the vehicle remains unclaimed by the owner or lienholder for twenty-one days, the garage can sell the vehicle after providing proper public notice, and then deduct their costs from the sale proceeds, returning any remaining balance to the owner or lienholder, or depositing it with the court if their addresses are unknown.