The Vermont Statutes Online
The Statutes below include the actions of the 2025 session of the General Assembly.
NOTE: The Vermont Statutes Online is an unofficial copy of the Vermont Statutes Annotated that is provided as a convenience.
Subchapter
007
:
ABANDONED MOTOR VEHICLES
(Cite as: 23 V.S.A. § 2154)
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§ 2154. Identification and reclamation of abandoned motor vehicles
(a) The Department shall make a reasonable attempt to locate an owner of an abandoned
motor vehicle.
(1) If the abandoned motor vehicle is not identifiable by its registration plates or public
vehicle identification number, and if no owner can be determined within 21 days after
the date of receipt of the abandoned motor vehicle certification form, the Commissioner
shall issue a certificate of abandoned motor vehicle with an appropriate title or
salvage title.
(2) If the abandoned motor vehicle is identifiable by its registration plates or public
vehicle identification number, the Department shall, within three business days after
receipt of the form for certification of abandoned motor vehicle, send notice to the
last known registered owner and lienholder of the vehicle. The notice shall be sent
by certified mail, return receipt requested, and shall advise the last known registered
owner of the motor vehicle’s location and a telephone number where additional information
about the motor vehicle may be obtained. If the receipt is not returned to the Department
within seven business days, the Commissioner shall, by first-class mail, send a second
notice. Within 21 days after sending the second notice, the last known registered
owner or lienholder may reclaim and retrieve the motor vehicle by presenting to the
Department satisfactory evidence of ownership and paying or arranging to pay any fees
or charges authorized by section 2155 of this title. If the last known registered owner or lienholder fails or refuses to reclaim the
motor vehicle within 21 days after the second mailing, the Commissioner shall issue
a certificate of abandoned motor vehicle with appropriate title or salvage title.
(b) An owner or lienholder may reclaim an abandoned motor vehicle by presenting to the
Department satisfactory evidence of ownership, and paying or reimbursing, or making
arrangements to pay or reimburse, the towing agency, the Department, or the landowner,
as the case may be, any towing fee or storage charges permitted under section 2155 of this title. (Added 2003, No. 101 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; amended 2015, No. 158 (Adj. Sess.), § 77; 2023, No. 85 (Adj. Sess.), § 304, eff. July 1, 2024.)