Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

3 OFFICE OF THE Al-l-ORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN port mvaca, Texas D-a lsfrt row reqwrt for 0 en r&eived and camlall~ consider6 we Quote Iron TOor rqusrt a8 fol uttlncorponted alhoun couttty, lt aa followst 969, the ovaert, in tee 68t&t4l, r ~olmrlto0.0.had pl8ced of au rqaOrd#of Cahoun CoUe~ b s-2 8 a8p Or~plat, thd pertt- ertiticatr of a&id a~ bow h 08dt q ttwd l8 r0ii0r~t - Hon. R. A.IIIrton - Page 2 ATT~~?IATASl3NA?FORCOllWWlUlCBO? DBSOOMPT1on In 00lmYAnc P Am SALRS OF PRoPRm, on tb town traot of the City of port OIOomor, tha l'afiD'W~OF ‘fomsit~ Co, hereby plsoea of raaord tha analoaed up.' That on or about tha 24th. day of “2. JaItUW~, A. D. 1910 usd aa rOOOrde@l IIIYo&. 2 pyb fb. 3 of the deed raoorda, appeara a sooond map or plrt oovorw addz$tlonalpromsty, the xmUmttt psrt of aald~oertlfiortabeing as follov8, "'Hnov sllnan we there prYaa8ta,~that tha Port O'Qonnor Tomilt. 00. @otlng borain by itr rrraldaat H, 0. Hart&, therounder duly authorlaed br the Board of Dlraotors of said Oorporstlon, h m itq lubdlvldad cortainlandabaloq~ to raid Corporation,vhioh ara lh~vn on the asp hereto sttauhed, Into outlota ad$olning tha tovnaite of Port OIOonttorheretofore dealgnated does hereby aoknowladgeand daolare t&&t the msp snd plrt of suoh lubdlvlalon hereto attrohed to be a aare 8M oorraot map and plat of luo hsubdlvlsloa~snd does here~mSxQlqATEAuDDEDIo~~TImRvA?SAmD STRRRTS TImRon SHOWS To THR usibAl& mainFIf~QP THOSH PDRCIHASMQ MUDS IS SAID SDBDIVISIOII.' (Rmphsiaed aeotiona lra those of the vrlter) ‘j. That port blootmor is not and &s aaver bwtt lnaorporatsd. "4. That tha tvo tmmad plats vara never prorented to the ocmmlrlonar~oourt ror ii- 8pproval u&d hwa nevar been qqwwed. 95. met the .**otlotia or 'thatvo pldi nova0 bau lodaptod b stnets %a dlsputo~lirvo 9ahoun Qount~. “6. That other rootlona under plat or rp number one have bean vorkad to soma l%tutt br Qalhoue oouttt~. '7. That no j'u't .of the ts~pped 8tr..t8 wulor plat lo. tvo haa avor be&n looeptod 01 VOPkd. % mat the only improvements0r the tvo A. 5 lion.R. A. Barton - Page 3 streota in dlapute ooourred on OF about the time ot the original dadlaatlon, by vork dona and periopned w the ?ort OIOoaaor Townalte Co. at its ovx oost and lx p M s0. "9. T h a tth e r ea r eno lotml house8 vltbln the bouada ot the property in question. '10. That there -aN va~lotu lsndovnorsvithln the bounds of tha property in dispute, "11. Thrt ooaplalnt 18 not being msds by property ovnera vlthio the oonf%aoa o? the dir- Puted ProPerty. : l l2; That Owlrint la being rrda to ths Court by other realdant Oltlians of tho Tovnslta of port o%xtnor. *13. mat them hav* booa no 0rri0iai or othervlsa rcceptmaa of tha platted streets br Oalhoun Oounty, that there hss been no designation 88 to OUSS, by oomlsslonors Court. '14. That the general publlo lava uaod to a oonaiderabloextant, ona, and tho aoooad to loaa extent of thst seotlon of the two atreata in dlsputo. y1.s. mst 0Tlalat is bow msdo by osrtaln oltiaexs of port 0 Ooaaor, ss to the lreotlon ot oattle guard8 pn the tvo ltreats in quertlon. *Ia ordar to proront a alight plature of the tovnalts of fort O~tJoaaoP,~it might be at&ted that the msln reotl@tt 08 the town la sitwta,upon l allght llorrted ridge, vlth Nan(lorda Bay to tha 'uat and northasat, rith the Intoreorstti Oural to the routheart aud south, and vlth what ia knovn aa Ijo= B~JOU to tha northvoat. The two atreats upon which oattlo guarda have boa plroed, axtand tovaids the moth of boggy w&r00 ud to the UP&U Oi atid IMJOO. . %i~& tb SUP ig45, l 0itfWtt 0r 01 fsunur County, purohaed from the Suooaaaors of the port O~Oonao~ Tovnslte Tansite 00. s put of the lota sndhlooks i ‘, 6 ahovn ia plats Noa. Qa Ithro, and bra built and ' ereote&a fMa8 to tha shutting roadvaya of the tvo atmota, connaat~ tho enda vith tvo built and lreotad aattle guarda In the mlddla, vlth vim geto along aide of arch snd la us* the in- oloaad pu't $or atook sad oattle rala- purpoaea. The eo8plUnt extends, not to any dofsotlva or ltta tU?io irlraatioa, nt but,to their oxlatutge, "QIJlWTIO118 1 "1 ~Wouldthe tvo streota aa upped w the Mrt Obtnor itovaalta Co. qd uae4 br t& ganarul pttbllo, be publio madvaya of O&mua oounty? .“P. In th elvent t&a tvo stmots 8rv pub110 roadva~s of Oalhoua Oouutf, would the jvlsdiotlou of the Oomufaaionara Oourt attaoh therato, vlthout aocoptsnooby ofilolrl ordsr, vork, or vlthout cl8aalflartlon~ “3. Would the plso&ng and mdttteaonoa of oattlo guamla~oa tti,tvo mapped atra6ta oonstltuto an obstnrot$o+ ot l8ldroadvajla?” pp. 59-5-6-7-9, We quote froaw21 Ta%aa Jurlspmtdenaa 540 ~6 546, *a tollovsr “i 7. bktutory Tama - 'Nblio roads' f 'H&a- wry.' The statute reletlag to oountr road8 r&or8 to all publla roads rpd hQhvsy8 not dlaoontlyed utd oatabUrhe6 agreoablr to lav. Thi8 hss been coastrued to mean a mad eatabliahadby the 00r-. '4lsslon*rs' oourt. The exprosslonwpubllo rood' ia othes statute8 i8 ganarallj aonstrued to inoluddi aonstatuto~ aa roll as 8tbtutoq roads] . . . I( . . . a .9., Oountq noada ‘- gl~aaiflutian. Wnder stbtu!0~ dlrootlonaomla810nap8w courtsolual~ rosds as 0r th0 flrat,,saoond or t-birdol888. Tha pmpoai ot al~aalfioationla ia ardor thst a ridi-. mum width. uy~ba pmkoribot! soeoNlng ta olua,~The preaaplbad vidtha arat not 1888 than fortr nor nora thu iiu hnrrdrsdSect for rlrst and sooond alas8 roads utd not 1088 than tventy feet for third-olrss roads, vlth asusova~s llxtaen foot la vldth Sor first and seoond class rosds snd tvelva feat flf& third-olus bouta. ISOn. IL A. B4PtUU - P4tO 5 “j.18. 8tatutory and nonatstutoryIIoads. Another olasalilestlonof hlghvays points to their o~igln aa be- statutory or nonatstutory, ?rlor to 4 ltatutorf prooedure for the ea- tablishmant OS hlghvaya, dedlaatlon and preaerlptlon ware the mode8 of roqulaltlon kuovn to the common law. 'Phesomodes have not bean abolished by the statute t&t pnrorlbea a prooeduro for the ea- tabllshment of rind8 by oounty offlclala. . , . ”. . . ") .15. In osneml. A8 slready notimd, a rlght'ot publla trav61 over land may be acquired rithout any es~ablliiment0r a hlghvsy by pPo- oaedfnga under the atrtuta. Alao, aa noticed here&ter, 0rri0ial adoption or evan reoognltion la not essential. one nonstatutory mode 0r +c- qulaitlon 1s by dedloatlon. DetUoatY.onmay be by overt tot OS the owner slgnifylng &Is in- tention, the dedication being accepted by publio use. dso, vlthout any ovart act on the ovner*s part,,the publlouy ln faot trsvel over his land in such alreumatanceathat Intent to dedicata it to the publio uaa for h%ghvay purpoaea msy ba inferred. a&othar mode of r&Saltion is by preaorlptivo right voatiag br vlrtao;oi long-oontinued3ae. Thue publla uao may be lvldenue of the rodeppttioo, or~r.dedicrtion,or 0s the ovnerwa intent to dedi- or of a pre- cate and $ha publiols aoaepta.noe,- aorfptivo right of uaa. (I . . . “1 20. rraacr~ptlott. ‘ . . ‘Period 0s uaa. - B&SOW 8dOptlOtt Of th0 et&ate of Umltatlons aa prasorlbing the perlo of public Pas, tventy yeor8 v&a ngsrded 88 tho ‘xl ,period. The longest statutory tom (ten years T is new sooepted &a the ml&mum period. TO m4k0.up the ltatutovy time, tha tons 0s 018 under fewer canter8 ry be tsoked on to .th& tima of -088 under the present ovnar.’ . Hoa R. A. Barton - r’rso 6 oplaion HO. o-4965 of thlr departaent holdr that cattle guards are obstruotlonsto public roads, re~ardlesa of whetbar such pub110 roads are ststutoq road8 ertabllshed br the Com- miaslonecr~ Court or whether same am non-statutoryroads eatab- llahed by dedloatloa or pnsorlptloa. This oplnlon discusses fully rtatutory aad awn-rut&or7 publlo road8 8ad various 06868 dealing rith road obstruotionr a&d a aopf a? s&es ir enclosed _ herevlth. .YOU8t8te in -mph 14 0s 7~ st~t~0ui 0r fr0t8 tbrt gomoral p&l10 bar wed to l oonsldembla ~extent ano the 0r th8 rtrqotr and to 8ama aa8t tru other 8tro.t. If the full hot8 diroloio.that th. gmerti psbllo, by lbm ~88 Of the strretr ror many rear8 rad fs~rxorrr 61 the rtatotory limitation psrlod of ten ye&m, brs roqufred by prmorlptioa the right to travel over one or both of aaid 8tmet8, then in 8uoh etent such 8trset or rtrsats would bo “a pub110 road or mpoBd8" of the oounty. This, Ve think, di8p8e8 Of your first QU88tiOn. Your second qusrtlon in rabhee general and we desm it UTUMOe88aS7 b0 8tt6apt t0 atWbr 8-0 in ti8W Of Our 8UdWerS t0 YOllF til'8t ud third qUO8tiOlU. fn UlllWOC t0 JOUP third qUO8tlOn, It 18 OtW OpiniOIi that 8amem8boUld ba anpered in ths aftlmative, ii the said rtreeta yen pub110 robdr ao outlined ia the awver to the first ques- Arti 784, ?ti QOde Of TBXa8, Rake8 the obstruotllng 0r &Ublio wad or 8tHd a orimi8al OffSSI8r and prerorlbes a penalty tbmfor. Your8 tory t,puly