Mich. Comp. Laws § 257.252b — MI Code / Chapter 257 / Act Act-300-of-1949 / Section 257.252b
Registered and unregistered abandoned scrap vehicles; duties of police agency; release of vehicle; certificate of title or certificate of scrapping; release form; retention of records and photographs; taking registered abandoned scrap vehicle into custody; contest by registered owner; hearing; request; obtaining release of vehicle; fee.
Status: in_force

Sec. 252b.

(1) As used in this section:

(a) "Registered abandoned scrap vehicle" means a vehicle that meets all of the following requirements:

( i ) Is on public or private property.

( ii ) Is 7 or more years old.

( iii ) Is apparently inoperable or is extensively damaged, to the extent that the cost of repairing the vehicle so that it is operational and safe as required by section 683 would exceed the fair market value of that vehicle.

( iv ) Is currently registered or titled in the state of Michigan or displays current year registration plates from another state.

(b) "Unregistered abandoned scrap vehicle" means a vehicle that meets all of the following requirements:

( i ) Is on public or private property.

( ii ) Is 7 or more years old.

( iii ) Is apparently inoperable or is extensively damaged, to the extent that the cost of repairing the vehicle so that it is operational and safe as required by section 683 would exceed the fair market value of that vehicle.

( iv ) Is not currently registered in this state and does not display current year registration plates from another state.

(2) A police agency or the agency's designee or, if the vehicle is on private property, the property owner may have an unregistered abandoned scrap vehicle taken into custody, in which case the police agency shall do all of the following:

(a) Determine if the vehicle has been reported stolen.

(b) Take 2 photographs of the vehicle.

(c) Make a report to substantiate the vehicle as an unregistered abandoned scrap vehicle. The report shall contain the following information:

( i ) The year, make, and vehicle identification number if available.

( ii ) The date of abandonment.

( iii ) The location of abandonment.

( iv ) A detailed listing of the damage or the missing equipment.

( v ) The reporting officer's name and title.

( vi ) The location where the vehicle is being held.

(d) Within 24 hours after taking the vehicle into custody, enter the vehicle into the law enforcement information network.

(3) Within 24 hours, excluding Saturday, Sunday, and legal holidays, after taking the vehicle into custody, the police agency or the agency's designee shall complete a release form and release the vehicle to the towing service or a used vehicle parts dealer or vehicle scrap metal processor, who shall then transmit that release form to the secretary of state and apply for a certificate of scrapping. Upon receipt of the release form and application, the secretary of state shall issue a certificate of title or a certificate of scrapping.

(4) The release form described in subsection (3) shall be furnished by the secretary of state and shall include a certification executed by the applicable police agency or the agency's designee when the abandoned scrap vehicle is released. The certification shall state that the police agency has complied with all the requirements of subsection (2)(b) and (c).

(5) The secretary of state shall retain the records relating to an abandoned scrap vehicle for not less than 2 years. The 2 photographs taken under subsection (2)(b) shall be retained by the police agency or the agency's designee for not less than 2 years. After the certificate of scrapping has been issued, a certificate of title for the vehicle shall not be issued again.

(6) A police agency or the agency's designee or, if the vehicle is on private property, the property owner may have a registered abandoned scrap vehicle taken into custody, in which case the police agency or the towing service shall do all of the following:

(a) Determine if the vehicle has been reported stolen.

(b) Take 2 photographs of the vehicle.

(c) Make a report to substantiate the vehicle as a registered abandoned scrap vehicle. The report shall contain the following information:

( i ) The year, make, and vehicle identification number if available.

( ii ) The date of abandonment.

( iii ) The location of abandonment.

( iv ) A detailed listing of the damage or the missing equipment.

( v ) The reporting individual's name and title.

( vi ) The location where the vehicle is being held.

(d) Within 24 hours after taking the vehicle into custody, cause the vehicle to be entered into the law enforcement information network.

(7) Within 7 days after taking the vehicle into custody, the secretary of state shall send to the last titled owner and secured party, as shown by the records of the secretary of state, by first-class mail or personal service, notice that the vehicle is considered abandoned. The form for the notice shall be furnished by the secretary of state. Each notice form shall contain the following information:

(a) The year, make, and vehicle identification number of the vehicle if available.

(b) The address or approximate location from which the vehicle was taken into custody.

(c) The date on which the vehicle was taken into custody.

(d) The name and address of the police agency that had the vehicle taken into custody. If the vehicle was towed from private property, the notice shall contain the name and address of the custodian of the vehicle.

(e) The business address of the custodian of the vehicle.

(f) The procedure to redeem the vehicle.

(g) The name of the court that has jurisdiction of the case.

(h) The procedure to contest the fact that the vehicle is abandoned or the reasonableness of the towing fees and daily storage fees.

(i) A form petition that the owner may file in person or by mail with the specified court that requests a hearing on the custody of the vehicle.

(j) A warning that the failure to redeem the vehicle or to request a hearing within 20 days after the date of the notice may result in the termination of all rights of the owner and the secured party to the vehicle.

(8) The registered owner of a registered abandoned scrap vehicle may contest the fact that the vehicle is abandoned or the reasonableness of the towing fees and daily storage fees by requesting a hearing. A request for a hearing shall be made by filing a petition with the court specified in the notice in subsection (7) within 20 days after the date of the notice. If the owner requests a hearing, the matter shall be resolved after a hearing conducted under section 252f. An owner who requests a hearing may obtain release of the vehicle by posting a towing and storage bond equal to the $40.00 plus the accrued towing and storage fees with the court. The owner of a vehicle who requests a hearing may obtain release of the vehicle by paying a fee of $40.00 plus the towing and storage fees to the court instead of posting the towing and storage bond.

(9) If the owner does not request a hearing under subsection (7), he or she may obtain the release of the vehicle by paying a fee of $40.00 plus the accrued charges to the custodian of the vehicle. The custodian shall forward $25.00 of the fee collected under this subsection to the secretary of state within 30 days after receipt in a manner prescribed by the secretary of state, who shall deposit the fee into the abandoned vehicle fund created in section 252h.

(10) If the owner does not redeem the vehicle or request a hearing within 20 days after the date of the notice described in subsection (7), the secured party may obtain the release of the vehicle by paying a fee of $40.00 plus the accrued charges to the custodian of the vehicle. The custodian shall forward $25.00 of the fee collected under this subsection to the secretary of state within 30 days after receipt in a manner prescribed by the secretary of state, who shall deposit the fee into the abandoned vehicle fund created in section 252h.

(11) Not less than 20 days after the disposition of the hearing described in subsection (8), or if a hearing is not requested, not less than 20 days after the date of the notice described in subsection (7), the police agency or the agency's designee shall follow the procedures established in subsections (3) to (5).

History: Add. 1980, Act 249, Imd. Eff. July 28, 1980; Am. 1980, Act 398, Eff. Mar. 31, 1981; Am. 1981, Act 104, Eff. Oct. 1, 1981; Am. 2004, Act 495, Eff. Oct. 1, 2005