LOWELL -- Walking around Bay State Auto Sales, at the far left end of a strip mall along Chelmsford Street, you don't feel like you're at a used-car dealer.
Thursday evening, there were no cars with "for sale" signs in the parking lot.
"I went around that building on a couple of occasions, and I wasn't seeing anything that made me think I could go in and look for a second car," said Lowell License Commissioner Joseph Donahue.
"From what I've seen, there's no used-car lot there," he added of the property at 418 Chelmsford St.
The owner of Bay State Auto Sales, Charles Byrne, faced the License Commission for a "hearing on illegalities" on Thursday in the wake of the Massachusetts State Police conducting a spot-check at the business in August.
Two vehicles have been sold there per year since 2016. With such limited sales, Byrne does not merit two dealer plates, a trooper said in his report.
Trooper Charles Luise, of the State Police Vehicle Services Section, checked out Bay State Auto Sales on Aug. 21 in response to an anonymous complaint -- alleging Byrne and his wife were using dealer plates for personal use, and swapping them from vehicle-to-vehicle.
When Luise arrived, he quickly realized that the plates were in fact being misused, according to a police report. At the strip mall with a liquor store and Subway, the trooper did not see any permanent sign indicating Bay State Auto.
Luise said in a police report that he saw faded stickers on the left end of the building.
There was an old sign for posting hours; no hours were visible. The mailbox was stuffed, and weeds were overgrown. The location had not been in use for a long time, the trooper said.
The area that should be the auto office was a storage room for the liquor store, he added. The liquor store clerk told the trooper that he had seen the owner of Bay State about four times in 10 years, according to a police report.
As a result, the trooper recommended immediate revocation of the dealer registration and a hearing for several violations, including misuse of plates, not a dealer as defined by law, failure to have repair records, not substantially engaged as a dealer and more.
The hearing took place on Sept. 20 at the Lawrence RMV. Byrne signed a memorandum of understanding agreeing to follow all regulations, and approved a follow-up audit. Bay State Auto has since replaced the door sign.
However, when Luise returned to the business on Sept. 24, it was closed. The same happened on Sept. 27.
On Oct. 4, there was one vehicle in the lot for sale. Byrne arrived at the business after lunch in a car displaying a dealer plate, according to a police report. There was no used car warranty or lemon law sticker affixed to the windows, according to a police report.
The office was only 35 square feet, less than the required 100 square feet, according to a police report.
In 2016, four vehicles were sold at Bay State Auto. Two were sold there last year, and one has been sold there so far this year, according to a report.
With an average of two vehicles being sold each year, the business is not meeting the standard for being "principally and substantially" engaged in sales, the trooper said. Thirty hours per week are required.
Luise said he will return after Nov. 1 for a spot check. Office hours need to be increased to 30, and the office must be at least 100 square feet; that could require a new office or an office trailer.
The License Commission members have recently checked out the property.
"There are no cars there," said Commissioner Terry McCarthy. "We don't see a business there."
Byrne's attorney, Victor Forsley, said that Byrne has been distressed over this matter for a long time. He said they met with the RMV, signing a document to comply with the regulations.
The lawyer said his client has been running the business for 44 years, and there have been no customer complaints.
Byrne told the board that he's been dealing with health issues.
"I've bothered nobody," he said. "I have no idea why everybody's all over me.
"I want to be left alone," Byrne added.