Section 4-2A-21

Disposal of lost money or property found on authority property.

All money or property found at an airport owned or controlled by the authority shall be reported or delivered by the finder to the airport lost and found, and when so delivered shall be held by the authority for 45 days or until claimed by some person who establishes title or right of custody thereto to the satisfaction of the authority. In the event of such establishment of title or right of custody, the money or property shall be delivered to the claimant by the authority. If within 45 days no claimant establishes a right to the money or property, the money or property shall be returned to the person who delivered it to the airport lost and found; provided that if the person who delivered it to the airport lost and found fails to claim the money or property within 30 days after being notified by the authority, the authority shall deposit the money into the authority's treasury to the credit of the authority or shall dispose of the property by public auction. At least once annually, the authority shall place a notice in a newspaper of general circulation giving details as to time and place of the auction and giving notice to all persons interested or claiming the property that unless claims are made by persons who can provide satisfactory proof of ownership before a specified date, the property will be sold at public auction to the highest bidder. On the day and at the place specified in the notice, all property for which no satisfactory proof of ownership is made shall be sold by auction by or under the direction of the authority.

If any property which is of a perishable nature or unreasonably expensive to keep or safeguard remains unclaimed at the airport, the authority may sell that property at public auction, at such time and after such notice as is reasonable under the circumstances. The authority shall immediately after the sale of any property deposit unto the authority's treasury all moneys received by the authority upon sale.

For the purpose of this section, notice by regular mail to the last known address of the person who delivered the money or property to the airport lost and found shall be deemed sufficient.

(Acts 1991, No. 91-667, p. 1275, §21.)