The commissioner may grant a permit to search upon lands, highways, or in buildings owned by the state for lost or abandoned property. Conditions of a permit may include a formula for dividing between the state and the finder the proceeds of any property found and unclaimed.
Lost or abandoned property found on state lands is placed in the custody of the commissioner. If the rightful owner is known, the owner must be notified by certified mail and may reclaim the property on paying the expenses of the search.
Unclaimed property may be sold at public sale, disposed of as state surplus property, or destroyed, based on the commissioner's judgment of its value.
All lost or abandoned money found under a permit granted pursuant to this section, and the proceeds from the sale of other abandoned or lost property found under a permit, must be deposited in the general fund.
Minn. Stat. § 16B.25
1984 c 544 s 30; 1Sp2001 c 10 art 2 s 25