West Virginia Code 17-24A-3 – Authority to take possession of abandoned motor vehicles, junked motor vehicles, and inoperative household appliances
Any enforcement agency which has knowledge of or discovers or finds any abandoned motor vehicle, junked motor vehicle or inoperative household appliance on either public or private property may take it into its custody and possession. For that purpose, the enforcement agency may employ its own personnel, equipment and facilities or hire persons, equipment and facilities for the purpose of removing, preserving and storing abandoned motor vehicles, junked motor vehicles or inoperative household appliances: Provided, That before taking any abandoned motor vehicle or junked motor vehicle into custody and possession from private property, the enforcement agency shall give the private property owner and the owner of the motor vehicle, if ascertainable, a thirty-day notice by registered or certified mail that the action will be taken unless the motor vehicle is restored to a functional use.
Terms Used In West Virginia Code 17-24A-3
- Abandoned motor vehicle: means any motor vehicle, or major part thereof, which is inoperative and which has been abandoned on public property for any period over five days, other than in an enclosed building or in a licensed salvage yard or at the business establishment of a demolisher. See West Virginia Code 17-24A-1
- Enforcement agency: means any of the following or any combination of the following:
(a) Public law-enforcement officers of this state, including natural resources police officers. See West Virginia Code 17-24A-1
- Inoperative household appliance: means a refrigerator, freezer, range, stove, automatic dishwasher, clothes washer, clothes dryer, trash compactor, television set, radio, air conditioning unit, commode, bed springs, mattress or other furniture, fixture or appliance which by reason of mechanical or physical defects can no longer be used for its intended purpose and which is either not serving a functional purpose or use or is not in an enclosed building, a licensed salvage yard or the actual possession of a demolisher. See West Virginia Code 17-24A-1
- Junked motor vehicle: means a motor vehicle, or any part thereof which: . See West Virginia Code 17-24A-1
- Motor vehicle: means a vehicle which is or was self-propelled, including, but not limited to, automobiles, trucks, buses and motorcycles. See West Virginia Code 17-24A-1