44-1799.32. Prohibition of certain shopping cart activity; applicability; consent; presumption

A. A person shall not do any of the following with the intent to temporarily or permanently deprive the owner or retailer of possession of a shopping cart, if the shopping cart has a permanently affixed sign as provided in subsection B:

1. Remove a shopping cart from the premises or parking area of a retail establishment.

2. Be in possession of any shopping cart that has been removed from the premises or parking area of a retail establishment.

3. Be in possession of any shopping cart with the serial numbers removed, obliterated or altered.

4. Leave or abandon a shopping cart at a location other than the premises or parking area of the retail establishment.

5. Alter, convert or tamper with a shopping cart, remove any part or portion of a shopping cart or remove, obliterate or alter serial numbers on a shopping cart.

6. Be in possession of any shopping cart while that cart is not located on the premises or parking lot of a retail establishment.

B. Subsection A applies if a shopping cart has a sign permanently affixed to it that identifies the owner of the cart or retailer, or both, notifies the public of the procedure to be used for authorized removal of the cart from the premises, notifies the public that the unauthorized removal of the cart from the premises or parking area of the retail establishment or the unauthorized possession of the cart is a violation of law and lists a valid telephone number and address for returning the cart removed from the premises or parking area to the owner or retailer.

C. This section does not apply to the owner of a shopping cart or to a retailer or a retailer's agents or employees or to a customer of a retail establishment who has written consent from the owner of a shopping cart or a retailer to be in possession of the shopping cart or to remove the shopping cart from the premises or the parking area of the retail establishment or to do any of the acts specified in subsection A.

D. In any civil proceeding, any shopping cart that has a sign affixed to it pursuant to this section establishes a rebuttable presumption affecting the burden of producing evidence that the property is that of the person or business named in the sign and not abandoned by the person or business named in the sign.  In any criminal proceeding, it may be inferred that any shopping cart that has a sign affixed to it pursuant to this section is the property of the person or business named on the sign and has not been abandoned by the person or business named on the sign.