North Carolina § 20-28 - 9. Authority for the State Surplus Property Agency to administer a statewide or regional towing, storage, and sales program for vehicles forfeited.

§ 20-28. 9. Authority for the State Surplus Property Agency to administer a statewide or regional towing, storage, and sales program for vehicles forfeited.

The State Surplus Property Agency is authorized to enter into a contract for a statewide service or contracts for regional services to tow, store, process, maintain, and sell motor vehicles seized pursuant to G.S. 20-28.3. All motor vehicles seized under G.S. 20-28.3 shall be subject to contracts entered into pursuant to this section. Contracts shall be let by the State Surplus Property Agency in accordance with the provisions of Article 3 of Chapter 143 of the General Statutes. All contracts shall ensure the safety of the motor vehicles while held and any funds arising from the sale of any seized motor vehicle. The contract shall require the contractor to maintain and make available to the agency a computerized up-to-date inventory of all motor vehicles held under the contract, together with an accounting of all accrued charges, the status of the vehicle, and the county school fund to which the proceeds of sale are to be paid. The contract shall provide that the contractor shall pay the towing and storage charges owed on a seized vehicle to a commercial towing company at the time the seized vehicle is obtained from the commercial towing company, with the contractor being reimbursed this expense when the vehicle is released or sold. The State Surplus Property Agency shall not enter into any contract under this section under which the State will be obligated to pay a deficiency arising from the sale of any forfeited motor vehicle. The State Surplus Property Agency, through its contractor or contractors designated in accordance with subsection (a) of this section, may charge a reasonable fee for storage not to exceed ten dollars ($10.00) per calendar day for the storage of seized vehicles pursuant to G.S. 20-28.3. Repealed by Session Laws 2015-241, s. 27.3(d), effective July 1, 2015. History (1998-182, s. 8; 2014-115, s. 2.2; 2015-241, s. 27.3(d); 2015-264, s. 38.3(a).) Effect of Amendments. - Session Laws 2014-115, s. 2.2, effective August 11, 2014, deleted "driving while impaired" preceding "vehicles" in the section heading. Session Laws 2015-241, s. 27.3(d), effective July 1, 2015, twice substituted "State Surplus Property Agency" for "Department of Public Instruction" and twice substituted "State Surplus Property Agency" for "Department"; in subsection (a) added the fourth sentence; and deleted former subsection (c), relating to the collection of administrative fees. Session Laws 2015-264, s. 38.3(a), effective July 1, 2015, deleted the former fourth sentence of subsection (a), which read "Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit the State Surplus Property Agency from entering into contracts pursuant to this section for some regions of the State while performing the work of towing, storing, processing, maintaining, and selling motor vehicles seized pursuant to G.S. 20-28.3 itself in other regions of the State."