§261-17.7  Lost and found money or propertyat airports.  (a)  All money or property found at an airport owned orcontrolled by the department shall be reported or delivered by the finder tothe airport lost and found, and when so delivered shall be held by thedepartment for forty-five days or until claimed by some person who establishestitle or right of custody thereto to the satisfaction of the department.  Inthe event of the establishment of title or right of custody, the money orproperty shall be delivered to the claimant by the director or the director'sagent.  If within forty-five days no claimant establishes a right to the moneyor property, the money or property shall be returned to the person whodelivered it to the airport lost and found; provided that if the person whodelivered it to the airport lost and found fails to claim the money or propertywithin thirty days after being notified by the director, the director shalldeposit the money into the state treasury to the credit of the airport revenuefund or shall dispose of the property by public auction. 

(b)  At least once annually, the director shallgive public notice giving details as to time and place of the auction andgiving notice to all persons interested or claiming the property that unlessclaims are made by persons who can provide satisfactory proof of ownershipbefore a specified date, the property will be sold at public auction to thehighest bidder.  On the day and at the place specified in the notice, allproperty for which no satisfactory proof of ownership is made shall be sold byauction by or under the direction of the director.

If any property which is of a perishable natureor unreasonably expensive to keep or safeguard remains unclaimed at theairport, the director may sell that property at public auction, at a time andafter notice that is reasonable under the circumstances.  The director shallimmediately after the sale of any property pay to the airport revenue fund allmoneys received by the director upon sale. 

(c)  For the purpose of this section, notice byregular mail to the last known address of the person who delivered the money orproperty to the airport lost and found shall be deemed sufficient. [L 1980, c81, §1; gen ch 1985; am L 1998, c 2, §76]