2007 Minnesota Statutes

471.195 UNCLAIMED PROPERTY; DISPOSAL.
(1) Any city may by ordinance provide for the custody and disposal of property lawfully
coming into its possession in the course of municipal operations and remaining unclaimed by
the owner. Such ordinance may provide for the sale of such property to the highest bidder at
public auction or sale or by a private sale through a nonprofit organization that has a significant
mission of community service, after the property has been in the possession of the municipality
for a period of at least 60 days. If the sale is to be by public auction, the city shall give ten days'
published notice describing the property found or recovered and to be sold, and specifying the
time and place of the sale. The notice must be published at least once in a legal newspaper
published in the city or, if there is none in the city, published in the county. Consistent with other
applicable statutory or charter provision, the ordinance shall designate the fund into which the
proceeds of any such sale shall be placed, subject to the right of the former owner to payment
of the sale price from the fund upon application and satisfactory proof of ownership within six
months of the sale or such longer period as provided by ordinance.
(2) This section does not limit the power of any municipality under any other statutory
or charter authority.
History: 1957 c 382 s 1,2; 1967 c 295 s 2; 1971 c 923 s 1; 1973 c 123 art 5 s 7; 1995 c 79 s 1