Michigan Laws 434.22 – Duty of person finding lost property; procedure for receiving property if not claimed; inspection and classification of property; storage
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(1) A person who finds lost property shall report the finding or deliver the property to a law enforcement agency in the jurisdiction where the property is found. This shall include all property found in an abandoned vehicle. If the person wishes to receive the property if it is not claimed by the legal owner as provided in this act, the person shall provide his or her name and current address to the law enforcement agency and shall inform the agency of any change in his or her address.
(2) The property described under subsection (1) shall be inspected by the law enforcement agency to determine the type of property that has been found. The property shall be classified into 1 of the following categories:
Terms Used In Michigan Laws 434.22
- Collectible currency: means a medium of exchange including coins, bank notes, government notes, and paper money that has a value greater than face value. See Michigan Laws 434.21
- Contraband: means any property that is prohibited by any law to be owned, carried, concealed, or possessed. See Michigan Laws 434.21
- Currency: means a medium of exchange including coins, bank notes, government notes, and paper money that has a value not greater than face value. See Michigan Laws 434.21
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- Evidence: means any property that furnishes or tends to furnish proof in a legal matter. See Michigan Laws 434.21
- Fair market value: The price at which an asset would change hands in a transaction between a willing, informed buyer and a willing, informed seller.
- Hazardous material: means explosives, pyrotechnics, flammable gas, flammable compressed gas, nonflammable compressed gas, flammable liquid, oxidizing material, poisonous gas, poisonous liquid, irritating material, etiologic material, radioactive material, corrosive material, or liquefied petroleum gas. See Michigan Laws 434.21
- Junk: means any property that does not have any fair market value or worth. See Michigan Laws 434.21
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Legal owner: means any individual, organization, partnership, company, corporation, or governmental agency who had care, custody, or control over the property and can establish ownership to the satisfaction of the law enforcement agency by description, title, sales receipt, bill of goods, or other means. See Michigan Laws 434.21
- Perishable property: means any property subject to quick deterioration or spoilage except when maintained under proper conditions. See Michigan Laws 434.21
- person: may extend and be applied to bodies politic and corporate, as well as to individuals. See Michigan Laws 8.3l
- Property: means anything which is the subject of ownership and is corporeal, tangible, visible, or personal, or that has an exchange value. See Michigan Laws 434.21
- Property of minor value: means any property whose fair market value is less than the total cost of preparing a property report, plus the costs of storage and disposition, and which is not collectible currency, contraband, currency, evidence, hazardous material, junk, perishable property, or property of major value. See Michigan Laws 434.21
(a) Collectible currency.
(b) Contraband.
(c) Currency.
(d) Evidence.
(e) Hazardous material.
(f) Junk.
(g) Perishable property.
(h) Property of major value.
(i) Property of minor value.
(3) The law enforcement agency shall use the following method to determine the classification of property under subsection (2):
(a) Currency may be appraised to determine whether the currency, because of age, origin, metal content, or value as a collector’s item, has a value other than its face value. Currency may be inspected by a person who has the expertise to determine if the currency is collectible currency.
(b) Property that is suspected of being contraband may be subjected to scientific evaluation or inspected by a qualified person.
(c) Property shall be considered evidence if the property is reasonably believed by the law enforcement agency or a governmental attorney to be evidence that could be used in a legal action.
(d) Whether property is hazardous material shall be determined by a qualified person who has expertise regarding hazardous material.
(e) Property that may be junk may be inspected to determine if it has any fair market value or worth.
(f) Perishable property may be inspected to determine if the property requires special storage.
(g) Whether property is of major or minor value shall be determined by a person who has expertise regarding the valuation of the property.
(4) Property that is reported or delivered pursuant to subsection (1) shall be stored in a location as determined by the law enforcement agency.