A. A museum may acquire title to undocumented property held by a museum for seven years or longer, verifiable through written records, with no valid claim or contact by any person in the following manner:

Terms Used In Arizona Laws 44-353

  • Lender: means a person whose name appears on the records of the museum as the person legally entitled to property held or owing by the museum. See Arizona Laws 44-351
  • Museum: means an organized and permanent nonprofit or public institution which is primarily educational, scientific, historic or aesthetic in purpose and which owns, borrows, cares for, studies, archives or exhibits property. See Arizona Laws 44-351
  • Person: means an individual, association, trust partnership, corporation or similar organization having a legal interest in property in the possession of a museum. See Arizona Laws 44-351
  • Property: means all tangible objects, animate and inanimate, under a museum's care which have intrinsic scientific, historic, artistic or cultural value. See Arizona Laws 44-351

1. The museum shall publish a notice once a week for two consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the county in which the museum is located and in the county in which the lender‘s last known address is located, if applicable. This notice shall include:

(a) A brief and general description of the property.

(b) The date or approximate date of the loan or acquisition by the museum, if known.

(c) Notice of the intent of the museum to claim title if no valid claims are made within sixty-five days from the date of the first notice, if no publication in a newspaper is required, or publication under this section.

(d) The name and address of the museum representative to contact for more information or to make a claim.

(e) The lender’s name and last known address, if known.

2. If no valid claims have been made by the end of sixty-five days, the museum shall publish a second notice once a week for two consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the county in which the museum is located and in the county in which the lender’s last known address is located, if applicable. This second notice shall include:

(a) A brief and general description of the property.

(b) The date or approximate date of the loan or acquisition by the museum, if known.

(c) Notice that the museum claims title to the property as of the date described in paragraph 1, subdivision (c) of this subsection.

(d) The lender’s name and last known address, if known.

B. On compliance with subsection A of this section clear and unrestricted title is transferred to the museum as of the date described in subsection A, paragraph 1, subdivision (c) of this section.