(A) When any vehicle is left unattended on a highway or on other public or private property without the consent of the owner or person in control of the property, an officer may place a colored tag on the vehicle which is notice to the owner, the person in possession of the vehicle, or any lienholder that it may be considered to be derelict or abandoned and is subject to forfeiture to the State.
(B) The colored tag serves as the only legal notice that the vehicle will be moved to a designated place to be sold if the vehicle is not removed by the owner or person in control of the vehicle. The vehicle must be removed within the following times from the date the tag is placed on the vehicle:
(1) forty-eight hours if it is located on a highway, or
(2) seven days if it is located on other public or private property.
(C) A vehicle that has had at least two colored tags previously placed on it is an abandoned vehicle for purposes of this article and may be removed immediately by a law enforcement agency to a designated place to be sold.
(D) Abandoned or derelict vehicles must be disposed of pursuant to Sections 29-15-10 and 56-5-5635.
HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 46-490.25; 1974 (58) 2103; 1993 Act No. 181, Section 1464; 1996 Act No. 459, Section 203; 2004 Act No. 269, Section 8; 2009 Act No. 26, Section 8, eff June 2, 2009.