§261-17.7  Lost and found money or property

at airports.  (a)  All money or property found at an airport owned or

controlled by the department shall be reported or delivered by the finder to

the airport lost and found, and when so delivered shall be held by the

department for forty-five days or until claimed by some person who establishes

title or right of custody thereto to the satisfaction of the department.  In

the event of the establishment of title or right of custody, the money or

property shall be delivered to the claimant by the director or the director's

agent.  If within forty-five days no claimant establishes a right to the money

or property, the money or property shall be returned to the person who

delivered it to the airport lost and found; provided that if the person who

delivered it to the airport lost and found fails to claim the money or property

within thirty days after being notified by the director, the director shall

deposit the money into the state treasury to the credit of the airport revenue

fund or shall dispose of the property by public auction. 

     (b)  At least once annually, the director shall

give public notice giving details as to time and place of the auction and

giving notice to all persons interested or claiming the property that unless

claims are made by persons who can provide satisfactory proof of ownership

before a specified date, the property will be sold at public auction to the

highest bidder.  On the day and at the place specified in the notice, all

property for which no satisfactory proof of ownership is made shall be sold by

auction by or under the direction of the director.

     If any property which is of a perishable nature

or unreasonably expensive to keep or safeguard remains unclaimed at the

airport, the director may sell that property at public auction, at a time and

after notice that is reasonable under the circumstances.  The director shall

immediately after the sale of any property pay to the airport revenue fund all

moneys received by the director upon sale. 

     (c)  For the purpose of this section, notice by

regular mail to the last known address of the person who delivered the money or

property to the airport lost and found shall be deemed sufficient. [L 1980, c

81, §1; gen ch 1985; am L 1998, c 2, §76]