Alamance County Sheriff’s Office notifies owners of unclaimed property

The Alamance County Sheriff’s Office used the July 30 legal-notices page to alert owners that confiscated, seized and found property in its custody can move toward disposal if nobody claims it. Anyone missing a wallet, phone, tools or other personal belongings, or anyone whose property was taken during an arrest or investigation, should compare the notice with their own records and act before state deadlines run out.

North Carolina law sets the framework. G.S. 15-11 requires sheriffs and police departments to keep a register of confiscated, seized or found personal property, and G.S. 15-12 generally requires those items to stay unclaimed for 180 days after seizure, confiscation or receipt before a newspaper notice can be published in the county. Bicycles follow a shorter 60-day waiting period.

To verify whether an item is theirs, residents need to match the description in the notice, contact the agency and be ready to prove ownership. The North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association’s March 2022 guide on disposition of property by law enforcement sets out how agencies can publish notice and then proceed under state rules after the waiting period ends.

Once the notice period closes, agencies can move to sale, donation or another lawful disposition, and Alamance County has already used that route for unclaimed or seized items. A sheriff’s office auction is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 17, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Alamance County Maintenance building.