Advocacy

West Virginia Bill to Allow Titles to be Issued for Abandoned Vehicles Signed Into Law

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

West Virginia
Governor Jim Justice signed into law legislation to create a special procedure for a person in possession of an abandoned antique vehicle to apply for and receive title to the vehicle.

Legislation to create a special procedure for a person in possession of an abandoned antique vehicle to apply for and receive title to the vehicle was signed into law by Governor Jim Justice. Under the new law, the state will search for the owner of the vehicle and provide notice that an application has been filed for title to the vehicle.

The law also creates a fair procedure for an owner to reclaim the vehicle within 30 days of notice of an application for title to the vehicle and creates a misdemeanor and imposes fines for interfering with an owner's attempt to reclaim a vehicle. Antique motor vehicles are those vehicles manufactured more than 25 years before the current date. 

For details, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.