Found Property

The Ephrata Police Department takes in property found within city limits. Our department will hold the item for 60 days before disposing the item in a manner consistent with RCW 63.32.  Staff will do their best to keep this page current with active found property stored in safekeeping.

The Ephrata Police Department takes in found property into safekeeping. Any person who finds lost property within the City of Ephrata can turn the item into the Police Department. Officers and staff will search for an owner and hold the item for 60 days.

If you are interested in claiming the item you found, should no owner be found or item is not claimed, there are a few steps you must take. RCW 63.21.010 states that the finder:

• Within seven days,
  • Report the find of the property to the police department and surrender, if requested, the property 
  • Acquire a written appraisal of the property's current market value by a qualified person engaged in buying or selling like items (ie: a pawn shop) or by a district court judge, unless the found property is cash and turn it into the police department; 
  • Serve written notice to the police department that the finder intends to claim the property if the owner does not claim it. (See form listed below)
• Within thirty days,
  • Publish the property's description in a local newspaper, at least once a week for two successive weeks,
    • Unless the appraised value of the property is less than the cost of publishing notice.
      • If the value is less than the cost of publishing notice, the police department may post the find to its website or other social media.

Finder's Found Property Claim Form