An Act To Require Timely Notification of Owners of Motor Vehicles That Have Been Towed
Maine Legislature, Session 128, LD 1251
Committee Amendment CA_A_H341 (House)
Amends: 29-A MRSA §1854, 29-A MRSA §1856, 29-A MRSA §1857

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT «A" to H.P. 874, L.D. 1251, Bill, "An Act To 
Require Timely Notification of Owners of Motor Vehicles That Have Been Towed" 
Amend the bill by striking out the title and substituting the following: 
'An Act Regarding Certain Abandoned Vehicles and Notice to the Secretary of State 
Regarding Those Vehicles' 
Amend the bill by striking out everything after the enacting clause and before the 
summary and inserting the following: 
1Sec. 1. 29-A MRSA §1854, sub-§1, as amended by PL 2007, c. 150, §3, is 
further amended to read: 
1. Notification in writing. +he Except as provided in subsection 1-A, the owner of 
the premises where an abandoned .!! vehicle described in section 1851 is located or the 
owner1s agent shall notify the Secretary of State that the owner or the owner1s agent is in 
possession of an abandoned that vehicle. The notification must be in writing and on a 
form provided by the Secretary of State. 
Sec. 2. 29-A MRSA §1854, sub-§1-A is enacted to read: 
1-A. Notification in writing; auto repair and storage facilities. The owner of the 
premises where a vehicle described in section 1851, subsection 5 or 7 is stored or the 
ownds agent shall notify the Secretary of State that the owner or the owner
1s agent is in 
possession of the vehicle within 14 days after the earliest date on which the vehicle owner 
is responsible for any unpaid charges for authorized repair or for storage and any related 
towing expenses incurred by the owner or the owner1s agent. The notification must be in 
writing and on a form provided by the Secretary of State. 
Sec. 3. 29-A MRSA §1854, sub-§2, as amended by PL 2007, c. 150, §4, is 
further amended to read: 
2. Contents of notification. +his A notification under this section must include the 
vehicle
1s make, model, year, body type, vehicle identification number and any registration 
and plates on the vehicle. This notification also must include the date the vehicle came 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT"A" to H.P. 874, L.D. 1251 
into possession of the owner, the owner's agent or person in charge of the premises where 
the vehicle is located, under what circumstances the vehicle came into that person's 
possession and whether the vehicle is salvage. 
Sec. 4. 29-A MRSA §1854, sub-§3, as amended by PL 2009, c. 435, §21, is 
further amended to read: 
3. Response. On receipt of the !! notification under this section, the Secretary of 
State shall inform the vehicle owner and lienholder, if any, by regular mail that the 
vehicle is being claimed under the abandoned vehicle law. The notice to the vehicle 
owner and lienholder, if any, must identify the vehicle by the year, make, model and 
vehicle identification number, give the name and address of the party claiming 
ownership, state the charges against the vehicle that the owner and lienholder, if any, 
must pay to retrieve the vehicle, and the date that the title or letter of ownership will pass 
to the new owner. If the party is claiming ownership of the vehicle pursuant to section 
603, subsection 6, the notice must inform the vehicle owner and lienholder that the owner 
must pay to the Secretary of State the fee required in section 603 to transfer the title. A 
copy of this letter must be provided to the person claiming ownership. 
Sec. 5. 29-A MRSA §1856, sub-§1, as amended by PL 2011, c. 46, §3, is further 
amended to read: 
1. 
Evidence of compliance. 
A person who has complied with section 1854, 
subsection 4 shall present evidence of compliance to the Secretary of State immediately 
after the 14-day notice period. The Secretary of State may not issue a letter of ownership 
or certificate of title until at least 21 days after the date on which the person who has 
possession of and control over the vehicle notified the Secretary of State by complying 
with section 1854, subsections subsection 1 or 1-A and section 1854, subsection 2. 
Sec. 6. 29-A MRSA §1857, as amended by PL 2011, c. 46, §4, is further amended 
to read: 
§1857. Limits 
If the notification to the Secretary of State required by section 1854 is made more 
than 14 days after receipt of a vehicle described in section 1851 or if notification is not 
submitted to the Secretary of State, the person holding the vehicle may not collect more 
than 14 days of storage fees. Daily storage charges must be reasonable and total storage 
charges may not exceed $900 for a 3 0-day period.' 
SUMMARY 
This amendment replaces the bill and changes the title. The amendment applies to a 
vehicle that is left at a storage facility, if the owner failed to pay storage or rental fees, 
and to a vehicle left at a place of business after being repaired pursuant to a written work 
order signed by the person requesting the repair work. 
The amendment provides that the owner of the premises where a vehicle is stored or 
the owner's agent is required to notify the Secretary of State that the owner or owner's 
agent is in possession of the vehicle. That notification must be submitted to the Secretary 
of State within 14 days after the date on which the vehicle owner is responsible for any 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
COMMITIEE AMENDMENT"~' to H.P. 874, L.D. 1251 
unpaid charges for authorized repair or for storage and any related towing expenses 
incurred by the owner or the owner's agent in possession of the vehicle. 
The amendment also clarifies that if notification is not submitted to the Secretary of 
State, the person holding the vehicle may not collect more than 14 days of storage fees. 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
(See attached) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
Approved: 05/26/17 feac 
LD 1251 
LR 2085(02) 
An Act To Require Timely Notification of Owners of Motor Vehicles That Have Been Towed 
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment fl' [ H '3LJ-'r 
Committee: Transportation 
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Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
Minor cost increase - Highway Fund 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
Additional costs to the Department of Secretary of State associated with receiving and processing notifications can be 
absorbed within existing budgeted resources. 
LR2085(02) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of 1