§ 20-137.7. Definitions of words and phrases. - North Carolina Statutes

§ 20‑137.7.  Definitionsof words and phrases.

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

(1)        "Abandonedvehicle" means a motor vehicle that has remained illegally on private orpublic property for a period of more than 10 days without the consent of theowner or person in control of the property.

(2)        "Demolisher"means any person, firm or corporation whose business is to convert a motorvehicle into processed scrap or scrap metal or otherwise to wreck, ordismantle, such a vehicle.

(3)        "Department"means the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

(4)        "Derelict vehicle"means a motor vehicle:

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

b.         Whose major partshave been removed so as to render the vehicle inoperable and incapable ofpassing inspection as required under existing standards; or

c.         Whose manufacturer'sserial plates, vehicle identification numbers, license number plates and anyother means of identification have been removed so as to  nullify efforts tolocate or identify the registered and  legal owner; or

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

e.         Which is more than12 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 anymunicipality including county  sanitation officers.

(6)        "Salvageyard" means a business or a person who possesses five or more derelictvehicles, 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 vehicleadvising the owner or the person in possession that the same has been declaredan abandoned or derelict vehicle and will be treated as such, which tag shallbe of sufficient size as to be easily discernible and contain such informationas 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 betransported or drawn upon a highway by mechanical means.

(10)      "Vehiclerecycling" means the process whereby discarded vehicles (abandoned,derelict or wrecked) are collected and then processed by shredding, bailing orshearing to produce processed scrap iron and steel which is then remelted bysteel mills and foundries to make raw materials which are subsequently used tomanufacture new metal‑based products for the consumer. (1973,c. 720, s. 1.)