(a) Except as herein provided, the provisions of this subpart (H) shall not apply to any scrap metal processor. “Scrap metal processor” shall include any place of business and any place of deposit which has facilities for preparing and processing iron, steel and nonferrous metals into a form suitable for remelting by a foundry, steel mill or other remelter, and which does not buy or receive motor vehicles from any person, firm or corporation, except the holder of a motor vehicle recycler's license pursuant to section 14-67l, or a public agency exempt from the provisions of said section pursuant to subsection (b) of section 14-67i, and which does not sell automobile parts for reuse as parts. Any scrap metal processor who retains on his premises for a period in excess of thirty days any motor vehicle junk which has not been processed into a form suitable for remelting as provided in this section shall be deemed to be operating or maintaining a motor vehicle recycler's business or motor vehicle recycler's yard, as defined in section 14-67g, and shall be subject to the provisions of section 14-67v.
(b) No scrap metal processor shall receive any motor vehicle unless such processor receives the following information: The make of the motor vehicle, the year the motor vehicle was manufactured, the engine number of the motor vehicle, if any, the identification number of the motor vehicle and the name and address of the person from whom such vehicle was received. If any sale of the motor vehicle occurred, the processor shall be given the date of the receipt and sale for the motor vehicle. The provisions of this subsection shall not apply to a licensed motor vehicle recycler's business or motor vehicle recycler's yard, as defined in section 14-67g, which is delivering a motor vehicle that has been dismantled, crushed or conditioned for scrap metal processing to a scrap metal processor.
(c) The premises of each scrap metal processor utilized for processing motor vehicle junk and the records provided to each such processor pursuant to the provisions of section 14-67m shall be available for inspection during regular business hours by one or more representatives of the Department of Motor Vehicles, the Division of State Police within the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection or any organized local police department. Each such record shall be retained by each scrap metal processor for a period of two years after receipt of such record.
(d) The Commissioner of Motor Vehicles may adopt regulations, in accordance with chapter 54, concerning the records required by this section and the processing of motor vehicle junk to prevent the removal of vehicle identification numbers.
(1967, P.A. 887, S. 2; 1969, P.A. 514, S. 2; 1971, P.A. 504, S. 2; P.A. 80-292, S. 9; P.A. 93-272, S. 4; May 25 Sp. Sess. P.A. 94-1, S. 71, 130; P.A. 96-167, S. 27; P.A. 11-51, S. 134; P.A. 12-81, S. 12, 22.)
History: 1969 act added provisions re consideration of processor who retains motor vehicle junk for more than 30 days without processing it into form suitable for remelting as operator of motor vehicle junk business or yard; 1971 act replaced “whole cars” with “motor vehicles” and excepted public agencies and intermediate processors from definition; P.A. 80-292 added Subsecs. (b) to (d); Sec. 21-26a transferred to Sec. 14-67w in 1981; P.A. 93-272 replaced former Subsec. (b) requiring processor to obtain records for each vehicle obtained as junk with a new Subsec. (b) specifying precise information to be received and providing exception to its provisions; May 25 Sp. Sess. P.A. 94-1 amended Subsec. (b) by making technical changes, effective July 1, 1994; P.A. 96-167 amended Subsec. (a) to substitute recycler's license for junk yard license and amended Subsecs. (a) and (b) to substitute recycler's business and recycler's yard for junk business and junk yard; (Revisor's note: In 2003 the reference in Subsec. (a) to “subdivision (H)” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “subpart (H)” for clarity of reference); pursuant to P.A. 11-51, “Department of Public Safety” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection” in Subsec. (c), effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 12-81 amended Subsec. (a) to delete reference to intermediate processor exempt pursuant to Sec. 14-67i(b) and amended Subsec. (c) to delete reference to Sec. 14-67j, effective July 1, 2012.