Salvage yard reporting law netting stolen vehicles
Forty-one stolen vehicles have been recovered in North Carolina since a new reporting requirement for salvage yards went into effect a month ago, the state Division of Motor Vehicles said Thursday.
Posted — UpdatedThe North Carolina Scrap Vehicle Reporting System requires metals recyclers and salvage yards to verify whether a vehicle brought to them without a title and more than 10 model years old has been reported stolen prior to purchase. With access to the system, the recyclers can cross-reference DMV files.
If a vehicle is reported stolen, the system notifies the salvage yard or recycling business to stop the purchase of the vehicle and to notify local law enforcement. If the vehicle isn't reported stolen, the system allows the sale to continue, requiring a copy or scanned image of the seller’s driver license and identifying information about the vehicles to be maintained by the business.
The system continues to check each vehicle’s status for up to 30 days. The salvage yard won't be held liable if the motor vehicle later turns out to be stolen.
The DMV's License and Theft Bureau has already received 41 reports of stolen vehicles, stopping 22 from being sold to salvage yards and confiscating 19 following sales, officials said.
There were almost 15,900 stolen vehicles in North Carolina in 2012.
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