A. Any person or firm that, at the request of the owner or person lawfully in possession, launders, dry cleans, presses, mends or renovates clothing, hats, furs, shoes, rugs, curtains, household linens, window shades or blinds and other similar articles shall have a lien, for unpaid charges arising from such work, by retaining the articles on which the work was done.

B. To qualify under this section, a person or firm shall have posted a notice conspicuously in each place of business at the time such work is authorized, which reads:

"All articles left for (state the type of work) and not called for within 30 days will be sold for charges pursuant to Section 48-3-28 NMSA 1978. Please leave your name and address."

C. The provisions of this section do not extend to any person or firm that performs the work specified in Subsection A of this section wholesale or as a subcontractor.

D. The possession required by this act [section] consists of physical custody. No lien exists if:

(1) the article has not been delivered into the physical custody of the person or firm doing the work; or

(2) collateral security for payment of the amount due has been accepted by the person or firm doing the work.

E. The lien claimant may enforce the lien by a sale:

(1) thirty days after the debt for which the lien is claimed becomes due, the lien claimant may serve written notice upon the person against whom the lien is sought to be enforced. The notice shall itemize the amount of indebtedness and demand its payment. Notice sent by registered or certified mail to the address given when the work was authorized is sufficient notice under this subsection. If no address was given at the time the work was authorized, notice of sale shall be given by publication once in a newspaper of general circulation in the community where the work was authorized or by posting one notice at the place of business where the work was authorized and another notice at the county courthouse or municipal building. The notice shall state the time and place of the sale, describe the property to be sold and state the amount of indebtedness claimed under the lien. This notice may include the sale of more than one lien debtor's property, but each debtor's property and the amount due for work on it shall be listed in separate paragraphs;

(2) if payment is not made prior thereto, the lien claimant may sell the property at public sale for cash after twenty days have elapsed following the giving notice of the sale;

(3) costs of serving notice on the person authorizing the work and of advertising the sale become part of the lien;

(4) the lien claimant may bid and be a purchaser at the sale;

(5) the proceeds of the sale shall be applied first to the payment of costs of giving notice of and conducting the sale, and second to the indebtedness claimed under the lien. Any remaining proceeds shall be paid to the lien debtor after first deducting any other of his indebtedness to the lien claimant. If the lien debtor cannot be found after reasonably diligent search within three months after the sale, any remaining proceeds due him shall be subject to the Uniform Disposition of the Unclaimed Property Act [repealed].

History: 1953 Comp., § 61-3-26, enacted by Laws 1971, ch. 157, § 2.

Bracketed material. — The bracketed material was inserted by the compiler and is not part of the law. Laws 1997, ch. 25, § 33 repealed the Uniform Disposition of Unclaimed Property Act (7-8-1 to 7-8-40 NMSA 1978), referred to in Paragraph E(5), effective July 1, 1997. For present comparable provisions, see Chapter 7, Article 8A NMSA 1978.

Am. Jur. 2d, A.L.R. and C.J.S. references. — 8 C.J.S. Bailments §§ 80 to 85.