NY Pers Prop L § 252 (2021)
2021 New York Laws PEP - Personal Property Article 7-B - Lost and Found Property 252 - Found Property and Found Instruments to Be Deposited With Police; Penalty for Failure to Deliver to Police; Delivery to Persons in Possession of Premi

§  252.  Found  property  and  found  instruments to be deposited with   police; penalty for failure to deliver to police; delivery to persons in   possession of premises where found. 1. Except as provided in subdivision   five of section two hundred fifty-six of this chapter  or  as  otherwise   prescribed  pursuant  to  section  two  hundred  fifty  of  the  general   municipal law, any person who finds lost property of the value of twenty   dollars or more or comes into possession of property  of  the  value  of   twenty  dollars or more with knowledge that it is lost property or found   property shall, within ten days after  the  finding  or  acquisition  of   possession thereof, either return it to the owner or report such finding   or  acquisition  of  possession  and  deposit  such property in a police   station or police headquarters of the city where the finding occurred or   possession was acquired, but if the finding occurred or  possession  was   acquired  in  buildings  or on grounds or premises under the control and   supervision of the commissioner of  general  services  as  described  in   article  two  of the public buildings law, then the property may also be   deposited in a station of the capital buildings police. If  the  finding   occurred  or  possession was acquired outside a city, then such property   shall be deposited in a station or substation of the state police or  in   a  police  station or police headquarters, including a sheriff's office,   of the county, town, or village where the finding occurred or possession   was acquired. If the finding occurred  or  possession  was  acquired  in   buildings  or on grounds or premises constituting a state park, parkway,   recreational facility or historic site under  the  jurisdiction  of  the   commissioner  of  parks, recreation and historic preservation, then such   property may also be deposited in a station of the regional  state  park   police.  If the finding occurred or possession was acquired in buildings   or on the grounds or premises of the state-operated institutions in  the   state  university  of New York, then such property may also be deposited   with a security  officer  or  police  officer  appointed  by  the  state   university.  Property  so deposited shall be retained and disposed of in   accordance with procedures set forth in sections two hundred fifty-three   through two hundred fifty-seven of this chapter except that  the  powers   and  duties  in  said  sections  mentioned to be performed by the police   shall be performed by security officers or police officers appointed  by   the state university.2.  Except  as  provided  in  subdivision  five of section two hundred   fifty-six of this chapter or as otherwise prescribed pursuant to section   two hundred fifty of the general municipal law, any person who finds  an   instrument or comes into possession of an instrument with knowledge that   it  has  been  found  shall,  within  ten  days  after  the  finding  or   acquisition of possession thereof, either return it to a person entitled   thereto or report the finding or acquisition of possession  and  deposit   the  instrument  in a police station or police headquarters, as provided   in subdivision one of this section, as  if  such  instrument  were  lost   property having a value of ten dollars or more.3.  Except as provided in subdivision four of this section, any person   who shall refuse or wilfully neglect to comply with  the  provisions  of   subdivision  one or subdivision two of this section shall be guilty of a   misdemeanor and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by a  fine  of   not  more  than  one  hundred  dollars or imprisonment not exceeding six   months or both.4. A person shall not be subject to criminal prosecution  for  failure   to report a finding or acquisition of possession of found property or of   a found instrument to the police and deposit such property or instrument   with  the  police  if,  in  lieu  thereof,  he  delivers the property or   instrument to the  person  in  possession  of  the  premises  where  the   property  or  instrument was found, provided he had no reason to believe    that such person would not comply with subdivision  one  or  subdivision   two of this section.A  person  who  delivers  found  property or a found instrument to the   person in possession of the premises where the  property  or  instrument   was found is not liable to the owner or person entitled thereto for such   delivery  if  he had no reason to believe that such person in possession   of the premises would not comply with subdivision one or subdivision two   of this section.