A. No person shall establish, operate or maintain a junkyard, without first obtaining a junkyard license from the commission. The commission shall establish and collect uniform fees for the issuance of junkyard licenses. The fee shall not be more than the actual cost to the commission of enforcement and administration of the Highway Beautification Act, or ten dollars ($10.00) per year per junkyard, whichever is greater. The fees shall be paid to the state treasurer for credit to the state road fund.

B. No junkyard license shall be issued for the establishment, operation or maintenance of a junkyard except for junkyards:

(1) screened by natural objects, plantings, fences or other appropriate means so as not to be visible from the main-traveled way of the interstate or primary systems, or otherwise removed from sight, all in conformity with regulations relating thereto promulgated by the commission, if any; or

(2) located within areas zoned for industrial use under authority of law; or

(3) located within unzoned industrial areas as determined by actual land uses and defined by regulations promulgated by the commission; provided that no area shall be deemed to be an unzoned industrial area unless and until the commission has promulgated regulations defining same.

C. Nothing herein to the contrary withstanding, no junkyard lawfully in existence on the effective date of the Highway Beautification Act, which has continued to so exist and has had timely paid therefor all license fees required by the Highway Beautification Act shall be denied a junkyard license, if proper application is made and the requisite fee tendered therefor, until such junkyard has been screened or otherwise removed from sight by the commission at its expense.

D. Any fee for a junkyard license payable for the years 1966 through 1971 inclusive, shall be deemed timely paid if, but only if, the fee is received by the commission prior to July 1, 1971. For the year 1972 and every year thereafter, the license fee shall be deemed timely paid if, but only if, said fee is received by the commission on or before the first day of the year for which said fee is being paid. Failure of timely payment of said fee shall render the junkyard subject to removal, disposal and abatement by the commission without any compensation whatsoever, and at the cost of the owner thereof.

History: 1953 Comp., § 55-11-8, enacted by Laws 1966, ch. 65, § 8; 1971, ch. 108, § 5.