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Pondera County junk vehicle program explained |
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Wednesday, 27 August 2008 |
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Page 1 of 2 Special to the I-O By Corrine Rose, Pondera County Sanatarian
 HIDDEN JUNK – This junk vehicle on Front St. was in full view but now is partially obstructed by more junk. I-O Photo by Buck Traxler
If you have recently received a Notice of Violation (NOV) or a letter from me stating that I have received a complaint of junk vehicles on your property, you are not alone.
For some reason, I have recently received a large amount of junk vehicle complaints. These complaints are from across the county and include Brady, Ledger, Dupuyer, Conrad, and the rural areas. I believe the reason that Valier was not included in the complaints is because the town council initiated a successful junk vehicle clean-up back in 2006.
I am hoping that a timely article on the junk vehicle program will help answer questions and maybe prompt folks to take care of their junk vehicles before I have to get involved.
Montana was one of the leading states to enact junk vehicle legislation starting back in 1973. Its primary purpose is to control junk vehicles from being scattered throughout the countryside, thereby helping to preserve the beauty of our communities and our state. This program also provides for the recycling of the junk vehicles collected so that this valuable resource may be utilized again. This program is paid for from the small fee you are assessed when you license your vehicle. The benefits of this program are available to all Montanans and you are encouraged to use them.
A junk vehicle is defined as any “discarded, ruined, wrecked, or dismantled motor vehicle, including component parts, which is not lawfully and validly licensed, and remains inoperative or incapable of being driven”. A vehicle must meet all three parts of the definition to be classified as a junk vehicle. When the state began to offer the “permanent” licenses for older vehicles the law was changed to state that if a permanently licensed vehicle met the other two parts of the definition, it would be considered a junk vehicle.
If, for instance, a vehicle is missing a fender (dismantled) and is not currently licensed but can be started up and will move under its’ own power, it is not a junk vehicle. Similarly, if a vehicle is wrecked or dismantled and cannot move under its own power but is currently licensed (not a permanent license), it is not a junk vehicle.
I am often told that a vehicle is vintage and therefore not a junk vehicle. Even if the vehicle has the Pioneer or Historic plates, the plates are permanent plates and therefore, the vehicle is “permanently licensed”. Unfortunately, we do not treat these vehicles any differently, if they meet the definition of a junk vehicle they must be shielded from public view.
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