Connecticut General Statutes 14-65 – Auction permit. Exception. Regulations. Penalties. Right to void purchase at wholesale dealer auction
(a) No person, firm or corporation shall engage in the business of selling motor vehicles at auction unless such person, firm or corporation is licensed as a new or used car dealer and has obtained an auction permit from the commissioner. Such auction permit may be issued at the discretion of the commissioner. The fee for such auction permit shall be twenty dollars.
Attorney's Note
Under the Connecticut General Statutes, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:| Class | Prison | Fine |
|---|---|---|
| Class B misdemeanor | up to 6 months | up to $1,000 |
Terms Used In Connecticut General Statutes 14-65
- Commissioner: includes the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles and any assistant to the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles who is designated and authorized by, and who is acting for, the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles under a designation. See Connecticut General Statutes 14-1
- Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
- Dealer: includes any person actively engaged in buying, selling or exchanging motor vehicles or trailers who has an established place of business in this state and who may, incidental to such business, repair motor vehicles or trailers, or cause them to be repaired by persons in his or her employ. See Connecticut General Statutes 14-1
- Motor vehicle: means any vehicle propelled or drawn by any nonmuscular power, except aircraft, motor boats, road rollers, baggage trucks used about railroad stations or other mass transit facilities, electric battery-operated wheel chairs when operated by persons with physical disabilities at speeds not exceeding fifteen miles per hour, golf carts operated on highways solely for the purpose of crossing from one part of the golf course to another, golf-cart-type vehicles operated on roads or highways on the grounds of state institutions by state employees, agricultural tractors, farm implements, such vehicles as run only on rails or tracks, self-propelled snow plows, snow blowers and lawn mowers, when used for the purposes for which they were designed and operated at speeds not exceeding four miles per hour, whether or not the operator rides on or walks behind such equipment, motor-driven cycles, as defined in section 14-286, special mobile equipment, as defined in section 14-165, mini-motorcycles, as defined in section 14-289j, electric bicycles, electric foot scooters and any other vehicle not suitable for operation on a highway. See Connecticut General Statutes 14-1
- Person: includes any individual, corporation, limited liability company, association, copartnership, company, firm, business trust or other aggregation of individuals but does not include the state or any political subdivision thereof, unless the context clearly states or requires. See Connecticut General Statutes 14-1
- State: means any state of the United States and the District of Columbia unless the context indicates a more specific reference to the state of Connecticut. See Connecticut General Statutes 14-1
- Vehicle: includes any device suitable for the conveyance, drawing or other transportation of persons or property, whether operated on wheels, runners, a cushion of air or by any other means. See Connecticut General Statutes 14-1
(b) A totalled or salvaged motor vehicle with a certificate of title stamped “SALVAGE PARTS ONLY” shall be sold at auction in an area that is separate from any area in which other motor vehicles are being sold at auction.
(c) The provisions of this section shall not apply to a sale by a state marshal or to a private auction sale of motor vehicles, used by the seller, who is not a used car dealer as defined in section 14-51, in the operation of such seller’s business or for personal use.
(d) The provisions of this section shall not apply to any person, firm or corporation engaged primarily in the business of conducting auction sales of construction equipment and other special mobile equipment, as defined in subdivision (9) of section 14-165, and incidentally in auction sales of trailers and other motor vehicles, at a fixed location and place of business in this state, provided such person, firm or corporation was engaged in such business at such fixed location and place of business in this state on or before January 1, 2004. If such person, firm or corporation accepts motor vehicles on consignment from any licensed dealer, which motor vehicles are offered for sale to the public, such consigning dealer shall be required to obtain a permit in accordance with the provisions of subsection (a) of this section. Such consigning dealer shall be responsible for compliance with the provisions of sections 42-220 to 42-226a, inclusive.
(e) The commissioner shall adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, to implement the provisions of this section.
(f) A violation of subsection (a) of this section shall be a class B misdemeanor. Each person, firm or corporation that conducts an auction sale in accordance with any of the provisions of this section shall be subject to the provisions of sections 14-149 and 14-149a and to the penalties provided for violations of said sections. Each such person, firm or corporation that sells any motor vehicle with an odometer reading that has been turned back or changed on the most recent assignment of ownership prior to the auction sale shall be subject to the penalties provided in section 14-106b. The commissioner may, after notice and opportunity for a hearing, impose a civil penalty of two thousand dollars on any licensee who violates subsection (b) of this section or any regulation adopted pursuant to subsection (e) of this section.
(g) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (e) of section 14-62, a licensed new or used car dealer that has obtained an auction permit from the commissioner, in accordance with the provisions of this section, may sell a motor vehicle at a wholesale dealer auction on the condition that such dealer will present a duly assigned certificate of title to the purchaser of such motor vehicle not later than fourteen days following the date of such purchase. The failure of the dealer to present such certificate of title to the purchaser on or before such date shall, at the option of the purchaser, void the purchase of such motor vehicle. In order to void such purchase, the purchaser shall notify such dealer, within two business days following such fourteen-day period, that such purchaser is exercising the right to void such purchase. Upon such notification, the seller shall refund the purchase price and shall be responsible for the payment of the round-trip transportation costs incurred by the purchaser, as evidenced by a copy of invoices or payment receipts.