21-5835. Unlawful acts concerning odometers. (a) It is unlawful for any person:

(1) To knowingly tamper with, adjust, alter, change, set back, disconnect or fail to connect the odometer of any motor vehicle, or cause any of the foregoing to occur to an odometer of a motor vehicle, so as to reflect a lower mileage than the true mileage traveled by the motor vehicle;

(2) with the intent to defraud, to operate a motor vehicle on any street or highway knowing that the odometer of the motor vehicle is disconnected or nonfunctional;

(3) to advertise for sale, sell, use or install on any part of a motor vehicle or on any odometer in a motor vehicle any device which the person knows can cause the odometer to register any mileage other than the true mileage; or

(4) to sell or offer to sell, with the intent to defraud, a motor vehicle knowing that the odometer of such motor vehicle was tampered with, adjusted, altered, changed, set back, disconnected or failed to be connected so as to reflect a lower mileage than the true mileage of such motor vehicle.

(b) Nothing in this section shall prevent the service, repair or replacement of an odometer, provided the mileage indicated thereon remains the same as before the service, repair or replacement. If the odometer is incapable of registering the same mileage as before such service, repair or replacement, the odometer shall be adjusted to read zero and a notice shall be attached permanently to the left door frame of the vehicle by the owner or owner's agent specifying the mileage prior to repair or replacement of the odometer, the date on which it was repaired or replaced and the vehicle identification number except that it shall be unlawful for any person to:

(1) Fail to adjust an odometer or affix a notice regarding such adjustment, as required under this subsection; or

(2) remove or alter any notice affixed to a vehicle pursuant to the provisions of this subsection.

(c) Violation of this section is a severity level 9, nonperson felony.

(d) The provisions of this section shall not apply to antique motor vehicles which could be registered under the provisions of K.S.A. 8-166 et seq., and amendments thereto, or to special interest vehicles which could be registered under the provisions of K.S.A. 8-194 et seq., and amendments thereto.

(e) As used in this section:

(1) "Motor vehicle" means any vehicle other than a motorized bicycle which is self-propelled and is required to be registered under the provisions of article 1 of chapter 8 of Kansas Statutes Annotated, and amendments thereto;

(2) "vehicle" means every device in, upon or by which any person or property is or may be transported or drawn upon a public highway, and is required to be registered under the provisions of article 1 of chapter 8 of Kansas Statutes Annotated, and amendments thereto, except that such term shall not include motorized bicycles or mobile homes;

(3) "true mileage" means the actual mileage the motor vehicle has been driven;

(4) "person" means an individual, partnership, corporation or association; and

(5) "odometer" means an instrument for measuring and recording the actual distance a motor vehicle travels while in operation, but shall not include any auxiliary odometer designed to be reset by the operator of the motor vehicle for the purpose of recording mileage on trips.

(f) Every action pursuant to this section shall be brought in the district court of any county in which there occurred any act or practice declared to be a violation of this section, or in which the defendant resides or has such person's principal place of business.

History: L. 2010, ch. 136, § 121; July 1, 2011.