The Vermont Statutes Online

Title 27: Property

Chapter 011: Lost Property

• § 1101. Finder to give notice

  A person who finds money or goods, to the value of $3.00 or more, or takes up a stray beast, the owner of which is not known, shall, within six days thereafter, make two notices, describing such money, goods, or beast, with the natural or artificial marks, with the time and place of finding or taking up the same, and post them in two public places in the town in which such property was found.

• § 1102. Penalty for destroying notices

  A person who willfully takes down or destroys such a notice within 60 days from the time of posting the same shall be fined $7.00, unless the owner has appeared and claimed such property.

• § 1103. Publication of notice in newspaper

  If the value of such property exceeds $10.00, the person finding it shall immediately cause a copy of the notice to be published three weeks successively in some newspaper circulating in such town.

• § 1104. Recording copy of notice

  If the owner of such property does not appear and claim it within 20 days from the date of such notice, the person so finding it shall cause a copy of the notice to be recorded in the office of the clerk of such town.

• § 1105. Sale of property; disposition of proceeds

  If the owner of the property does not appear and prove his title within 90 days from the time of posting the first notice, the person finding the property may sell it at public auction. The avails of the sale, after paying the expenses of keeping the property, and of the proceedings relating to the same, shall be paid to the town treasurer, at the time of paying the avails of the sale.

• § 1106. Accounting for proceeds

  The account of the expenses shall be examined and allowed by a district judge of the county, and deposited with such treasurer, at the time of paying the avails of the sale. (Amended 1965, No. 194, § 10, operative Feb. 1, 1967; 1973, No. 249 (Adj. Sess.), § 90, eff. April 9, 1974.)

• § 1107. Owner may have property before sale

  If, previous to the sale, the owner appears and proves his or her title to the property, he or she shall be entitled to the same on paying the expenses of keeping, and of the proceedings required by this chapter.

• § 1108. Failure of finder to comply with chapter

  If a person finds money or goods, or takes up a stray beast and does not thus advertise or perform the duties required of him or her by this chapter, he or she shall not receive pay for keeping, or for other proceedings relating to such property, and shall forfeit to the use of the town in which the same is found, the value of such money, goods, or stray beast, to be recovered in an action on this statute.

• § 1109. Found beast may be worked

  A person who takes up a stray beast may put such beast to reasonable labor, and the magistrate, in allowing the account of the expenses, shall allow the owner a reasonable compensation therefor.

• § 1110. Liability of owner upon death of beast

  If the beast so taken up dies, the owner thereof shall be liable to pay to the person who took it up a reasonable compensation for the costs and expenses of keeping and other proceedings relating to such beast, unless its death was occasioned by the carelessness or negligence of such person.