202. Sale to be advertised; exception. 1. Each sale of personal property of a value of one hundred dollars or more, or of any security, to satisfy a lien thereon shall be at public auction to the highest bidder, and shall be held in the city or town where the lien was acquired. After the time for the payment of the amount of the lien specified in the notice required to be served by section two hundred one or two hundred one-a of this article, notice of such sale shall be published once a week, for two consecutive weeks, in a newspaper published in the town or city where such sale is to be held, and such sale shall be held not less than fifteen days from the first publication; if there be no newspaper published in such town, such notice shall be posted at least ten days before such sale in not less than six conspicuous places therein. Such notice shall describe the property to be sold and shall state the name of the person for whose account the same is then held and the time and place of such sale, provided, that if the property to be sold is a security, the description in such notice shall consist of a statement of the name of the issuer or obligor, the state of incorporation or organization of the issuer or obligor, the amount and class of the security and the address of the issuer or obligor last known to the lienor. For the purpose of this article, the term "security" shall include common and preferred stocks and bonds, debentures, notes and other obligations, corporate or otherwise, for the payment of money.
2. Each sale of personal property of a value of less than one hundred dollars, other than a security, to satisfy a lien thereon, shall be made pursuant to the provisions of subdivision one hereof, or at a bona fide private sale in the city or town where the lien was acquired. A bona fide private sale pursuant to this section shall not be made until the expiration of six months after the time for the payment of the amount of the lien specified in the notice required to be served by section two hundred one or two hundred one-a of this article. Notice of the bona fide private sale shall be posted at least twenty days before such sale in a conspicuous place on the premises where the personal property was left or delivered by the owner. Such notice shall either (a) contain the name and address of the owner and a brief description of the property, or (b) provide that all property left on or before a specified date will be subject to sale, and shall also specify the time and place of sale.
3. Notwithstanding subdivisions one and two of this section, sale of a motor vehicle having a wholesale value, taking into consideration the condition of the vehicle, of less than five hundred dollars to satisfy a lien for towing and storage under section one hundred eighty-four of this chapter, may be made directly to a registered vehicle dismantler or licensed scrap processor, both as defined in section four hundred fifteen-a of the vehicle and traffic law, on the condition that the motor vehicle shall never be titled again and must be dismantled or scrapped. Such sale shall not occur prior to thirty days after notice is mailed pursuant to section two hundred one of this article or sixty days after the date of the initial tow, whichever is later.
Last modified: February 3, 2019