When developing a surplus property policy, a municipality must define the types of property that the policy regulates. Some municipal policies will include both personal and real property, and some municipalities may choose to adopt a policy for only surplus personal property. A municipality may define “surplus real property” as: “Any municipal-owned real property that is unused by the municipality, is likely to remain unused by the municipality for the foreseeable future and has been declared to be surplus to the municipality’s needs by a vote of the municipality’s governing board.” A municipality may define “surplus personal property” as: “Any municipal-owned vehicles, equipment, materials, or similar goods that are obsolete and/or unused by the municipality, are likely to remain obsolete and/or unused for the foreseeable future and have been declared to be surplus to the municipality’s needs by a vote of the municipality’s governing board.”

Items most commonly sold by municipalities as surplus personal property include:

Vehicles and Equipment

• Fire trucks that have been replaced by newer models
• Used automobiles
• Lawn mowers and tractors
• Old computers and related equipment
• Obsolete or inefficient hand tools
• Desks, chairs, and other office equipment
• Unclaimed goods. Items found on municipal properties and have not been claimed by their owners after a reasonable period of time – bicycles, for instance.

Materials

• Unusable remnants of bulk supplies (copper wire, water pipes, etc.)
• Items salvaged from building demolition or remodeling projects.