A. Except as provided in subsection B of this section, the owner of record of a vehicle at the time of abandonment of the vehicle is liable to the department for the transfer of ownership or disposal in an amount prescribed by the director by rule if the vehicle was:

Terms Used In Arizona Laws 28-4802

  • Abandoned vehicle: means a vehicle, trailer or semitrailer that is of a type subject to registration under this title whether lost, stolen, abandoned or otherwise unclaimed and that has been abandoned on a public highway, public property or elsewhere in this state, including private property. See Arizona Laws 28-4801
  • Department: means the department of transportation acting directly or through its duly authorized officers and agents. See Arizona Laws 28-101
  • Director: means the director of the department of transportation. See Arizona Laws 28-101
  • Driver: means a person who drives or is in actual physical control of a vehicle. See Arizona Laws 28-101
  • Driver license: means a license that is issued by a state to an individual and that authorizes the individual to drive a motor vehicle. See Arizona Laws 28-101
  • highway: means the entire width between the boundary lines of every way if a part of the way is open to the use of the public for purposes of vehicular travel. See Arizona Laws 28-101
  • Owner: means :

    (a) A person who holds the legal title of a vehicle. See Arizona Laws 28-101

  • Person: includes a corporation, company, partnership, firm, association or society, as well as a natural person. See Arizona Laws 1-215
  • Property: includes both real and personal property. See Arizona Laws 1-215
  • Right-of-way: when used within the context of the regulation of the movement of traffic on a highway means the privilege of the immediate use of the highway. See Arizona Laws 28-101
  • State: means a state of the United States and the District of Columbia. See Arizona Laws 28-101
  • State highway: means a state route or portion of a state route that is accepted and designated by the board as a state highway and that is maintained by the state. See Arizona Laws 28-101

1. Abandoned and junked pursuant to article 3 of this chapter on private property or public land or on or within the right-of-way of a street or highway.

2. Abandoned on private property or public land or on or within the right-of-way of a street or highway and the department issues a transfer of ownership pursuant to the procedures prescribed by this chapter.

3. Abandoned and junked pursuant to article 3 of this chapter and towed with the written permission of the state land commissioner from state trust land located within the boundaries of an incorporated city or town.

B. The owner of record of a vehicle at the time of abandonment is liable to the department for the transfer of ownership or disposal in an amount prescribed by the director by rule if the vehicle was:

1. Abandoned and junked pursuant to article 3 of this chapter and towed with the written permission of the governing authority off of national forest, state park, bureau of land management or state trust land located outside the boundaries of an incorporated city or town.

2. Abandoned and towed with the written permission of the governing authority off of national forest, state park, bureau of land management or state trust land located outside the boundaries of an incorporated city or town and the department issues a transfer of ownership pursuant to the procedures prescribed by this chapter.

3. Abandoned outside the right-of-way of a street or highway located outside the boundaries of an incorporated city or town.

C. In addition to the registration fee or driver license fee prescribed by sections 28-2003 and 28-3002, the department shall collect the fee prescribed in subsections A and B of this section as an additional registration fee at the time the owner of the vehicle subsequently registers another vehicle in this state or as an additional driver license fee at the time the owner of the vehicle subsequently applies for or renews a driver license issued by this state. The department shall deposit, pursuant to sections 35-146 and 35-147, the additional fee collected for the transfer of ownership or disposal in the abandoned vehicle administration fund established by section 28-4804, except that ninety per cent of the fees collected pursuant to subsection A of this section and sixty per cent of the fees collected pursuant to subsection B of this section shall be deposited in the state highway fund.

D. The department:

1. Shall notify the owner of an abandoned vehicle for which ownership has been transferred or of a junk vehicle that has been disposed of about the additional fee at the time of a subsequent vehicle registration or driver license application or renewal.

2. Shall provide a complete description of the abandoned or junked vehicle, the vehicle identification number of the vehicle and the date on which the vehicle was disposed of or ownership was transferred by the department.

3. May waive the additional fee if the person provides proof satisfactory to the director that the vehicle had been transferred or assigned to another person before the day of abandonment.

4. May prescribe by rule a fee of not more than ten dollars for processing an abandoned vehicle report.