,t- .-
The Attorney General of Texas
kay 14. 1985
JIM MAnOX
i
Attorney Generrl
SupmIne court SUlldlng Ronorablc Jerry Cobb Opinion Ro. a-317
P. 0. sax 12545 Criminal Diotrlct Attoroey
Aurm lx 75711.2545 P. 0. Eox 2344 lb?: Whether a comissioners court
5cw752501 Denton. Texas 762C 1 my approve a plat and accept a
le*x Dlom7C1247
road for county maintenance under
lelecoplw 512J47s205
certain conditiona
714 Jwksm. Sull. 700 Dear l4r. Cobb:
OallW, 7x. 752024505
2w742a944
You have rcqueeted our opinion regarding two questions. First,
,ou ask:
.<.
1. Can a commissioners court approve a plat
and accept roade for county maintenance if three
landownercl have not signed tha plat dedicating the
1001 TWW. SIN* 700 .
road to tlro public?
Nausmn, lx 770023111
71Y222-58m It is afaa indiutol that .thrrc are more than three landowners of the
land in the plat. and that the three landovncr~, refusing to sign the
plat, ouu separate :Lots within the plat.
_~ A comisrionar:~~ court -uy. aerclme only ‘mch povers as the
coostitution or thwetatuter lmve opcclficall~ conferred upon them.
Cuulu v. ~Langhlzlu,-214 S.W.2d 451~. ,-453 (Tex.’ 1948). Section
~& l(-
d0
l
) %l87 5702-1 V.t.C.8:.
r tic , mth o r lsee l c o m h sio ner u court
of a m~,twa p p r ~rl:plar-of re ‘a eubdivirlon dadkatiug’roads to the
put&+ by:th;yi.af the ,land subdivIded in the~.pUt;. ‘V.T.C.S. ari.
6702-li~.~112AOl(a), (d). If the .uurmr’oi wnera’df the tract of land
a÷d :.,in the .plat follow the ~speclfied statutory procedure
outlined in seetim 2.401. of articlr.~:6702-1, V.T.C.S., the comic-
sionero court ir rot .authorizad to’-reject the filing of the plat.
Cashnera’ Court v. ?rank’Jester Development Co., 199 S.W.2d 1004.
.~1007 (Tu. civ. Am: - Dallas 19b7.;nit ref’d n.r.e.1 (arkoval of a
pkt &perly ill;4 ia a ninirter~l duty of the co&k&ers court).
Sactfon 2.bOl(b) of article 6702-l. V.T.C.S.. prwides:
(b) The owner of any tract of land . . . vho
may hereafter divide the (I- in tvo or mre parts
for the Inmpose of laying out any oubdiviaion of
any such tract of land . . . or for laying out
suburban lots or building lota, and for the
purpom of laying out rtreetr. rlley or parb, or
p. 1450
-.
Uoaorable Jerry Cobb - ?alr 2 (JM-317) ‘!
other portion8 intmded for public uee . . . ahall
cause a plat to ba_ude thereof. . . . (EmpE
added).
Thir prwfrion requires the %uner’ of the tract of land to be sub-
divided to cause a plat to \I(: made. Although this prwfslon uses the
teru “wrier” in the singular , it must be read in harmony vith the
entire ntatute. See Turnpike Authority v. Shepperd. 279 S.W.Zd 302
(Tu. 1955). -
Section 2.401(c) of article 6702-l provider ae follows:
(c) Every such plat shall be duly acknouledged
by ovnera or proprietor8 of the land, or by some
duly authorized egent of said ovoera or proprle-
tore, in the manner required for acknovledgemcnt
ofeeda . Subject to the provisions contained In
this section, suc’h plat shall be filed for record
and be recorded lo the office of the county clerk
of the county in *hich the land lien. (Emphasie
added)...
Bence, vben eectiorm 2&l(b) -and:.(c) are read together It can be
concluded that the legislature contemplated that there might be more
than one landomer of the tract of land to be subdivided. Therefore,
the comisaloners court is not authorlaed to apprwe a plat which has
been filed vithout all -~of ,the landovners’ rignatures. V.T.C.S art.
6702-l. S2.bOlk).
In addi+oo. you lk vhetber the conisslonem court uy accept
the.toad# on,+he.pkt -for txrun~ maintenance uhen ~the three landowners
baye not rigned &be plat dtxlicatiog thexo+s .tn.the. pablic. Approval
.of: a plat and&ecu tance. of K plat dedicating roada to the public are
. ‘.. wparate .@ lat net .,fmu:tima : of the mmhdner*~
b-9--- court. Cow
tirsiooers’ ,~Court mb Ramk. Jester Develovment .Co.) .s AttoG
General OoLuionSJn-200~.r