To amend sections 4513.61, 4737.10, 4737.99, and 4738.16 of the Revised Code to impose new requirements on licensed junk yard owners, to require scrap metal processors to maintain specified records regarding canceled motor vehicle titles, and to allow specified law enforcement officials to relinquish jurisdiction over towed vehicles to specified storage place owners.

Section 1. That sections 4513.61, 4737.10, 4737.99, and 4738.16 of the Revised Code be amended to read as follows:

Sec. 4513.61.  The sheriff of a county or chief of police of a municipal corporation, township, or township police district, within the sheriff's or chief's respective territorial jurisdiction, or a state highway patrol trooper, upon notification to the sheriff or chief of police of such action and of the location of the place of storage, may order into storage any motor vehicle, including an abandoned junk motor vehicle as defined in section 4513.63 of the Revised Code, that has come into the possession of the sheriff, chief of police, or state highway patrol trooper as a result of the performance of the sheriff's, chief's, or trooper's duties or that has been left on a public street or other property open to the public for purposes of vehicular travel, or upon or within the right-of-way of any road or highway, for forty-eight hours or longer without notification to the sheriff or chief of police of the reasons for leaving the motor vehicle in such place, except that when such a motor vehicle constitutes an obstruction to traffic it may be ordered into storage immediately. The sheriff or chief of police shall designate the place of storage of any motor vehicle so ordered removed. At the time a motor vehicle is ordered into storage, the sheriff, chief of police, or state highway patrol trooper may relinquish jurisdiction over the vehicle to the owner of the place of storage.

The sheriff or chief of police immediately shall cause a search to be made of the records of the bureau of motor vehicles to ascertain the owner and any lienholder of a motor vehicle ordered into storage by the sheriff or chief of police, or by a state highway patrol trooper, and, if known, shall send or cause to be sent notice to the owner or lienholder at the owner's or lienholder's last known address by certified mail with return receipt requested, that the motor vehicle will be declared a nuisance and disposed of if not claimed within ten days of the date of mailing of the notice. The owner or lienholder of the motor vehicle may reclaim it upon payment of any expenses or charges incurred in its removal and storage, and presentation of proof of ownership, which may be evidenced by a certificate of title or memorandum certificate of title to the motor vehicle. If the owner or lienholder of the motor vehicle reclaims it after a search of the records of the bureau has been conducted and after notice has been sent to the owner or lienholder as described in this section, and the search was conducted by the owner of the place of storage or the owner's employee, and the notice was sent to the motor vehicle owner by the owner of the place of storage or the owner's employee, the owner or lienholder shall pay to the place of storage a processing fee of twenty-five dollars, in addition to any expenses or charges incurred in the removal and storage of the vehicle.

If the owner or lienholder makes no claim to the motor vehicle within ten days of the date of mailing of the notice, and if the vehicle is to be disposed of at public auction as provided in section 4513.62 of the Revised Code, the sheriff or chief of police shall file with the clerk of courts of the county in which the place of storage is located an affidavit showing compliance with the requirements of this section. Upon presentation of the affidavit, the clerk, without charge, shall issue a salvage certificate of title, free and clear of all liens and encumbrances, to the sheriff or chief of police. If the vehicle is to be disposed of to a motor vehicle salvage dealer or other facility as provided in section 4513.62 of the Revised Code, the sheriff or chief of police shall execute in triplicate an affidavit, as prescribed by the registrar of motor vehicles, describing the motor vehicle and the manner in which it was disposed of, and that all requirements of this section have been complied with. The sheriff or chief of police shall retain the original of the affidavit for the sheriff's or chief's records, and shall furnish two copies to the motor vehicle salvage dealer or other facility. Upon presentation of a copy of the affidavit by the motor vehicle salvage dealer, the clerk of courts, within thirty days of the presentation, shall issue to such owner a salvage certificate of title, free and clear of all liens and encumbrances.

Whenever a motor vehicle salvage dealer or other facility receives an affidavit for the disposal of a motor vehicle as provided in this section, the dealer or facility shall not be required to obtain an Ohio certificate of title to the motor vehicle in the dealer's or facility's own name if the vehicle is dismantled or destroyed and both copies of the affidavit are delivered to the clerk of courts.

Sec. 4737.10. (A) Before a license is granted or renewed under sections 4737.05 to 4737.12 of the Revised Code, the sheriff of each county, or, if the sheriff so designates, a township policeman police officer or constable, and the chief of police of each municipal corporation shall inspect the junk yard within his the sheriff's, police officer's, constable's, or chief's respective jurisdiction to determine if it complies with sections 4737.05 to 4737.12 of the Revised Code. The sheriff, or a township policeman police officer or constable, or chief of police shall submit a written report of such examination to the county auditor of the county or the village solicitor or city director of law of the municipal corporation wherein such junk yard is located.

(B) In addition, twice annually the sheriff of each county, or, if the sheriff so designates, a township policeman police officer or constable, and the chief of police of each municipal corporation shall inspect every junk yard that is located within his the sheriff's, police officer's, constable's, or chief's jurisdiction and for which a license has been issued under sections 4737.05 to 4737.12 of the Revised Code, to obtain information with regard to whether the licensee's activity has been and is being conducted in accordance with sections 4737.01 to 4737.12 of the Revised Code. The sheriff, township policeman police officer or constable, or the chief of police shall submit a written report of each such examination to the county auditor of the county or the village solicitor or city director of law of the municipal corporation wherein such junk yard is located.

The sheriff, township policeman police officer or constable, or the chief of police shall, for the purpose of these examinations, have free access to the grounds and buildings used or proposed for use in the conduct of the junk yard activity by the applicant or the licensee.

Such inspections may be made at any time, at the option of the sheriff, township policeman police officer or constable, or the chief of police during the regular work hours of the licensee or within the hours of eight a.m. and five p.m. Monday through Friday.

The director of transportation may also inspect junk yards adjacent to state highways to obtain information with regard to whether the licensee's activity is being conducted in accordance with sections 4737.01 to 4737.12 of the Revised Code. If such inspection indicates that there is a violation of any of the provisions of such sections the director shall advise the attorney general of such alleged violations and request him the attorney general to take proper legal action.

(C) Whenever it is determined upon any semiannual inspection made under this section that a junk yard is not being conducted in accordance with the requirements of sections 4737.01 to 4737.12 of the Revised Code, the sheriff of the county, township policeman police officer or constable, or the chief of police of the municipal corporation within whose jurisdiction the junk yard is located, shall immediately notify the owner of the junk yard of such fact. The notice shall be sent to the owner by registered mail, and shall detail the areas which are not in conformity with the requirements of sections 4737.01 to 4737.12 of the Revised Code. A copy of the notice shall also be sent to the auditor of the county, or the village solicitor or city director of law of the municipal corporation within which the junk yard is located.

(D) Any owner of a junk yard who receives a notice as provided in this section shall, within sixty days after the mailing of the notice, undertake and complete such changes or improvements as are necessary to conform the junk yard to the requirements of sections 4737.01 to 4737.12 of the Revised Code. At the expiration of the sixty-day period, the sheriff, township policeman police officer or constable, or the chief of police shall make a further inspection of the junk yard, and if the required changes or improvements have not been made, the sheriff, township police officer or constable, or the chief of the police shall send notice of that noncompliance along with an order to suspend the owner's license to the chief executive officer of the municipality or the county auditor of the county in which the licensee's junk yard is located. After receiving that notice and order, the chief executive officer or county auditor, as appropriate, shall suspend the owner's license for ninety days. While the owner's license is suspended, the owner shall undertake and complete such changes or improvements necessary to conform the junk yard to the requirements of sections 4737.01 to 4737.12 of the Revised Code.

(E) An owner whose license is suspended pursuant to division (D) of this section may appeal the suspension in accordance with Chapter 2506. of the Revised Code.

At any time during the ninety days in which an owner's license is suspended, the owner may apply to the sheriff, township police officer or constable, or the chief of the police to have the junk yard inspected. If, after the inspection, the sheriff, township police officer or constable, or the chief of the police determines that the junk yard conforms to the requirements of sections 4737.01 to 4737.12 of the Revised Code, the sheriff, township police officer or constable, or the chief of the police, as appropriate, shall send notice of that compliance along with an order to remove the suspension and reinstate the owner's license to the chief executive officer of the municipality or the county auditor of the county in which the licensee's junk yard is located. After receiving that notice and order, the chief executive officer or the county auditor, as appropriate, shall remove the suspension and reinstate the owner's license.

(F)(1) An owner may sell junk while the owner's license is suspended.

(2) No licensee may accept junk for future resale during the time that the licensee's license is suspended under division (D) of this section.

(G) If an owner's license has not been reinstated under division (E) of this section prior to the end of a ninety-day suspension, the sheriff, township police officer or constable, or the chief of police shall make a further inspection of the junk yard. If the owner has not made the required changes or improvements, the sheriff, township police officer or constable, or chief of police shall send notice of that noncompliance along with an order to suspend the owner's license to the chief executive officer of the municipality or the county auditor of the county in which the licensee's junk yard is located. After receiving that notice and order, the chief executive officer or the county auditor shall revoke the owner's license in accordance with the procedures specified in section 4737.07 of the Revised Code. In addition to having the licensee's license revoked, the owner of the junk yard shall be subject to a tax of twenty one hundred dollars for each day after revocation that the violation continues.

The sheriff, township policeman police officer or constable, or the chief of police shall certify a return of the imposition of said tax thereon to the county auditor, who shall enter the same as a tax upon the property and against the persons upon which or whom the lien was imposed as and when other taxes are entered. The provisions of the laws relating to the collection of taxes in this state, the delinquency thereof, and sale of property for taxes shall govern in the collection of the tax prescribed in this section insofar as the same are applicable.

Sec. 4737.99.  (A) Whoever Except as specified in division (B) of this section, whoever violates sections 4737.01 to 4737.11, inclusive, of the Revised Code, shall be fined not less than twenty-five nor more than one thousand dollars and the costs of prosecution.

(B) Whoever violates division (F)(2) of section 4737.10 of the Revised Code is guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree.

Sec. 4738.16.  (A) Chapter 4738. of the Revised Code does not apply to a scrap metal processor engaged primarily in the acquisition, processing, and shipment of ferrous and nonferrous scrap, or who receives dismantled salvage motor vehicles, used motor vehicles, or motor vehicle parts as scrap metal for the purpose of recycling the motor vehicles or parts for their metallic content, the end product of which is the production of material for recycling and remelting purposes for mills, foundries, smelters, and refiners.

(B) A scrap metal processor who receives a motor vehicle from the owner described on the certificate of title shall within ten days mark the certificate "TO BE CANCELED," keep a record of the cancellation, and forward the certificate to the clerk of the court who issued it. The clerk shall notify the registrar of motor vehicles of such cancellation. The scrap metal processor shall keep the record of the cancellation for three years after creating the record. The record shall include a copy of the canceled title, and if the seller of the motor vehicle is not the titled owner, the record also shall include all of the following information about the seller:

(1) The seller's name and address;

(2) An identification number from the seller's driver's license, military identification, or other state issued license;

(3) A physical description of the seller;

(4) The seller's expenditures for the motor vehicle.

The scrap metal processor shall make a record of a cancellation available to any requesting law enforcement agency during the scrap metal processor's normal business hours.

Section 2. That existing sections 4513.61, 4737.10, 4737.99, and 4738.16 of the Revised Code are hereby repealed.