1268                             Laws of Maryland                      [Ch. 396

pursuant to this section. The notice by publication may contain mul-
tiple listings of abandoned vehicles. Such notice shall have the same
contents as those required by registered mail, and shall be published
within fifteen days of the taking into custody of the motor vehicle
except that in the case of said notice by reason of the return as
undeliverable of notice by registered mail the notice shall be pub-
lished within seven days of such return.

(c)  Effect of failure to reclaim vehicle.—The consequences and
effect of failure to reclaim an abandoned motor vehicle shall be as
set forth in a valid notice given pursuant to [this subsection] sub-
sections (a) and (b).

(d)  Sale; disposition of proceeds.—If an abandoned motor vehicle
has not been reclaimed as provided for in [subsection (c)] sub-
sections (a) and (b), the police department shall sell it at public
auction. The purchaser of the motor vehicle shall take title to the
motor vehicle free and clear of all liens and claims of ownership,
shall receive a sales receipt from the police department, and shall
be entitled to register the purchased vehicle and receive a certificate
of title. The sales receipt at such a sale shall be sufficient title only
for purposes of transferring the vehicle to a scrap processor for
demolition, wrecking, or dismantling, and in such case, no further
titling of the vehicle is necessary. From the proceeds of the sale of
an abandoned motor vehicle the police department shall reimburse
itself for the expenses of the auction, the costs of towing, preserv-
ing, and storing the vehicle which resulted from placing the aban-
doned motor vehicle in custody, and all notice and publication costs
incurred pursuant to ([subsection (c)] subsections (a) and (b), of
this section. Any remainder from the proceeds of a sale shall be held
for the owner of the vehicle or entitled lienholder for ninety days,
and then shall be deposited with the State Treasurer in a special
fund which shall remain available for the payment of auction, tow-
ing, preservation, storage, and all notice and publication costs which
result from placing other abandoned vehicles in custody, whenever
the proceeds from a sale of such other abandoned motor vehicles
are insufficient to meet these expenses and costs. Whenever the State
Treasurer finds that moneys in the special funds are in excess of
reserves likely to be needed for the purposes thereof, he may trans-
fer the excess to the general fund, but in such event claims against
the special fund, if the special fund is temporarily exhausted, shall
be met from the general fund to the limit of any transfers previously
made thereto pursuant to this subsection.

(e)   Vehicles abandoned in garages, etc.—Any motor vehicle left
for more than ten days in a garage operated for commercial pur-
poses after notice by registered mail, return receipt requested from
the addressee, to the owner to pick up the vehicle, or for more than
ten days after the period when, pursuant to contract, the vehicle
was to remain on the premises, and any motor vehicle left for more
than ten days in the garage by someone other than the registered
owner or left by a person authorized to have possession of the
motor vehicle under a contract of use, service, storage, or repair,
shall be deemed an abandoned vehicle and reported by the garage
keeper to the police department. Any garage keeper who fails to
report the possession of the vehicle within ten days after it becomes
abandoned within the meaning of this subsection, no longer has any
claim for servicing, storage or repair of the vehicle. All abandoned