Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

OFFICEOFTHEATTORNEY GENERALOF- AUSTIN Honorable Walker Carson county Attorney Hudspeth County Sierra Elanca, Tsar Dear Sir: Opinion Wo. C-3040 Ra: ~~~~~y.,Sunsyors- qualiflos- - license not required. "Can CoB4slrlonere'court legaUy.appoint to the oftice of Cougtp;$urveyora person who Is not llosnsad surveyor but has had twenty years experlenaeand holds asaoalate oon&ruc- tlon engineer rating with civil servles Artfole. 5299 Revised Civil .?ta%utes?" has bean recefvedand oarefully oonslderedby this depament. Section 44, OS Artiola 13 of our State Constitution provides: "See. 44. The Legislature shall prescribe the duties and povide for the eleation by the quallSiodvoters of eaoh oouhtp in this State, of a oounty treasurer and a county surveyor, who shall have an offlcs at the county seat, and bold their oSfice for two yeare, a& until their successorsare yaallfied;and shall have such cm:gmsation a8 may be provided by law.- It till be aoted that,the above quoted section OS the Constitutiondoes not require a lioense or any other par- ticular qualificationsfor a,County Surveyor. Secate sill 351 OS the 47th Legislatureof Texas is a conprehensivemenduent to Articles 5238 - 3232, inolu- HonorableWalker Carson, Page 2 sive, behling with *Lieenee~Land Surveyors". We quote from opinion No. O-3719 of this deptkrtaent which construes said senate,hill, ea ~0110w.9: "Senate Ml1 351 doee not operate to nuke urdawf’ulthe paatioe OS jurveying by LLose who have not obtained a license. It, and the ihatute it anends, si?tplydeny to tboee not having a license the gartlcular Trivilegesgrmted by the eat to lioensed land surveyore." Xe enclose herewith a copy of said opinion for your inforxatlon. Artioles 5288 - 5298, inoluaive,Section 2 oi Chap- ter 2, Title 86, Vernon'8 iugoteted Texas Civil Stetutee, deal with bounty 2urveyorm. These atatutes provUs for the sleo- tion, duties, eta. OS the County Surveyor but do not presarlbe any pextloularqualiSiaationsfor County Surveyors. Nor 60 the etetuteoprescribethat the ColintyDurveyolsmuatbe ll- tensed or nust be Uceneed land surveyors. Article 5299, Vernon.6 Annotated Texus Civil Stat- utes, grovidee: *All surveys oS public land shall be sade by authorityof law and by a surveyor duly appointed,cleated or liaenseff,en8 qualified." :%Ieeeume Sron your lettar that there 1s a vaaenQg in the o:Slce of County Surveyor and the CorUnisaionera~Court desires to Sill that vaoanoy by appointment. It is our opinion that-e County Surveyor 18 not req?iired to be lioensed nor is he required to be a licensed lend surveyor. Very truly youra ATTORNEY GZXRIIL OF TEXAS