Marvin Mandel, Governor                        1269

vehicles left in garages may be taken into custody by the police
department and sold in accordance with the procedures set forth in
this section, unless the motor vehicle is reclaimed and garage keeper
is paid. The proceeds of the sale shall be applied first to the garage
keeper's charges for servicing, storage, or repair, and any surplus
proceeds shall be distributed in accordance with subsection (d) of
this section. Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to impair
any lien of a garage keeper under the laws of this State, or the right
of a lienholder to foreclose. For the purposes of this subsection
"garage keeper" means any operator of a parking place or estab-
lishment, motor vehicle storage facility, or establishment for the
servicing, repair, or maintenance of motor vehicles.

(f)   Disposition of vehicle to scrap processor or wrecker.—(1) Any
person, firm, corporation, or unit of government upon whose property
or in whose possession is found any abandoned motor vehicle, or any
person being the owner of a motor vehicle whose title certificate is
faulty, lost or destroyed, may apply to the police department of the
jurisdiction in which the vehicle is situated for authority to sell, give
away or dispose of the vehicle to a scrap processor or wrecker.

(2)  The application shall set out the name and address of the appli-
cant, the year, make, model, and serial number of the motor vehicle,
if ascertainable, together with any other identifying features, and
shall contain a concise statement of the facts surrounding the aban-
donment, or that the title of the motor vehicle is lost or destroyed, or
the reasons for the defect of title. The applicant shall execute an
affidavit stating that the facts alleged therein are true and that no
material fact has been withheld.

(3)  If the police department finds that the application is executed
in proper form and shows that the motor vehicle has been abandoned
upon the property of the applicant, or if it shows that the motor
vehicle is not abandoned but that the applicant appears to be the
rightful owner, the police department shall follow the notification
procedures set forth in [subsection (c)] subsections (a) and (b) of
this section.

(4)   If an abandoned motor vehicle is not reclaimed in accordance
with [subsection (c)] subsections (a) and (b), the police department
shall give the applicant a certificate of authority to sell the motor
vehicle to any wrecker or scrap processor for demolition, wrecking,
or dismantling. The wrecker or scrap processor shall accept such
certificate in lieu of the certificate of title to the motor vehicle.

(5)  Notwithstanding any other provisions of this section, any
person, firm, corporation, or unit of government upon whose prop-
erty or in whose possession any abandoned motor vehicle is found,
or any person being the owner of a motor vehicle whose title certif-
icate is faulty, or destroyed may dispose of the motor vehicle to a
wrecker or scrap processor without the title and without notification
procedures of [subsection (c)] subsections (a) and (b) of this sec-
tion, if the motor vehicle is over eight years old and has no engine or
is otherwise totally inoperable.

(g)  Definitions.—For the purposes of this section the following
shall apply:

(1) "Police department" means the Department of Maryland
State Police or any police department of a county, city or town and
in Baltimore City the agency designated by the board of estimates.