Connecticut Senate Bill SB00847

Connecticut 2025 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/21/25
• Refer: 1/21/25

Caption

An Act Protecting The Owners Of Towed Motor Vehicles.

Impact

If enacted, SB00847 could considerably impact existing laws governing the towing and selling of motor vehicles. The increase in notification time aims to give vehicle owners a fairer opportunity to recover their vehicles without the risk of losing their property due to a rushed towing process. This adjustment may necessitate revisions in standard operating procedures for towing companies to ensure compliance with the new requirements, potentially leading to operational changes in the industry.

Summary

SB00847, also known as the Act Protecting The Owners Of Towed Motor Vehicles, proposes an amendment to section 14-150 of the general statutes. This bill seeks to extend the notification period for vehicle owners from fifteen days to a minimum of sixty days before a towing company can sell a motor vehicle that has been towed and stored. The intention behind this legislation is to ensure that vehicle owners have adequate time to reclaim their property while holding towing companies accountable for making a good faith effort to locate and inform the owners before the sale of the vehicle.

Contention

While the bill is aimed at protecting the rights of vehicle owners, it may raise concerns among towing companies about the extended waiting period for selling unclaimed vehicles. Towing businesses might argue that the current fifteen-day period is already sufficient for notification and that extending it could lead to increased operational costs. Furthermore, there could be disagreements regarding what constitutes a 'good faith effort' to locate vehicle owners, which may complicate enforcement of the new provisions.