The following words and phrases when used in this Part shall for the purpose of this Part have the meaning respectively prescribed to them in this Part, except in those instances where the context clearly indicates a different meaning:

(1)        “Abandoned vehicle” means a motor vehicle that has remained illegally on private or public property for a period of more than 10 days without the consent of the owner or person in control of the property.

(2)        “Demolisher” means any person, firm or corporation whose business is to convert a motor vehicle into processed scrap or scrap metal or otherwise to wreck, or dismantle, such a vehicle.

(3)        “Department” means the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

(4)        “Derelict vehicle” means a motor vehicle:

a.         Whose certificate of registration has expired and the registered and legal owner no longer resides at the address listed on the last certificate of registration on record with the North Carolina Department of Transportation; or

b.         Whose major parts have been removed so as to render the vehicle inoperable and incapable of passing inspection as required under existing standards; or

c.         Whose manufacturer’s serial plates, vehicle identification numbers, license number plates and any other means of identification have been removed so as to? nullify efforts to locate or identify the registered and? legal owner; or

d.         Whose registered and legal owner of record disclaims ownership or releases his rights thereto; or

e.         Which is more than 12 years old and does not bear a current license as required by the Department.

(5)        “Officer” means any law-enforcement officer of the State, of any county or of any municipality including county? sanitation officers.

(6)        “Salvage yard” means a business or a person who possesses five or more derelict vehicles, regularly engages in buying and selling used vehicle parts.

(7)        “Secretary” means the Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

(8)        “Tag” means any type of notice affixed to an abandoned or derelict motor vehicle advising the owner or the person in possession that the same has been declared an abandoned or derelict vehicle and will be treated as such, which tag shall be of sufficient size as to be easily discernible and contain such information as the Secretary deems necessary to enforce this Part.

(9)        “Vehicle” means every device in, upon, or by which any person or property is or may be transported or drawn upon a highway by mechanical means.

(10)      “Vehicle recycling” means the process whereby discarded vehicles (abandoned, derelict or wrecked) are collected and then processed by shredding, bailing or shearing to produce processed scrap iron and steel which is then remelted by steel mills and foundries to make raw materials which are subsequently used to manufacture new metal-based products for the consumer. (1973, c. 720, s. 1.)

Terms Used In North Carolina General Statutes 20-137.7

  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Department: means the Department of Health and Human Services. See North Carolina General Statutes 20-137.6
  • following: when used by way of reference to any section of a statute, shall be construed to mean the section next preceding or next following that in which such reference is made; unless when some other section is expressly designated in such reference. See North Carolina General Statutes 12-3
  • Person: means any individual, corporation, partnership, firm, association, trust, estate, public or private institution, group, agency, political subdivision of this State, any other state or political subdivision or agency thereof, and any legal successor, representative, agent, or agency of the foregoing, other than the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, or any successor thereto, and other than federal government agencies licensed by the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, or any successor thereto. See North Carolina General Statutes 20-137.6
  • property: shall include all property, both real and personal. See North Carolina General Statutes 12-3
  • Secretary: means the Secretary of Health and Human Services. See North Carolina General Statutes 20-137.6
  • state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, shall be construed to extend to and include the District of Columbia and the several territories, so called; and the words "United States" shall be construed to include the said district and territories and all dependencies. See North Carolina General Statutes 12-3