Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

OFFICE OFTHEA'ITORNEYGENERAL OFTEXAS AUSTIN Your lrrouert fez oawfully oawfully aontd.A~oA aft&i you8 request a8.fol&xm* Of th0 8DW ha IPablO van HImileNolrrrlaad, -0 e s$raos over thir read to sad frcm tho ehaok. t!h18 lW3.S OYfJC 8 dWStiOB, Of' pfb:hapP f&O e8 or nore jrOFaw, nnd the road thu8 USSdvao aim used for going thrcugh and beyond tha Ribla J%ast~ure to the Paloma* “hbout two year8 ago Colonel Johnson 3UY~ha8et? tha Fable paoture and ha6 il&Oad a lock on the gfita aerosl t&Is roab, At iirst Colonel Johneon pemitted tm lo&s on the chain whioh boudl thr eata, ona ct the lack8 bring his own ta ahigh ha kept the In , and t&o cthor being that of tha Rob3edar g ot4l-6 tc rhiah they kept the key8. Weeontlp Col- onel tohason he8 zwaeved tha l.oek bolcmglng to tha Rohladcr Nothera and plmad hi8 cm loak than 88 th0 Otiy 0~0, SB$ f'WBhh%d tit+ PohloA%rBrot4rlB ta k%Ysto- lb, The RohleAn Baxitbsra hare roqusstd t&O C~801~3iW8 COW’t t0t& OlCStI%‘a OtiOa in rygucd to thle-rood tlwu& t4 Fabln we- tars to the ahaak, barlllg! tihslr raptmt q$WOBtly, 00 th. tha0~ that 8UOh ii'd 18 a&blio thfimr$ by xaoa5eend presorip . *I have attoaptM tc dl8oovmr tha law ~ovemlag such 0809, and have not b-n able to deterinine whntrhor thtJ fa0h 8tk%t%d eon- otlfuta said road l public thorsughfara. will you kindly 5fve ma ymr optilonr Tlrst,, ns to Whether thb road is e publie thft#ou5hfan by rirtua of the usage abwe mntionad$ Wysannd, a# to uhether, if the ro86 ir a publie thoro~am by ueq6, the C&Y eimera court oaa take motion and for00 Colonel Johnson Co raowa the look rram aai& ~@Ab.ter" on mmwy eo 1941, thio aepartmentwr0to to u 8tati~ that wo oouli not answer your first question r acause it wae a quusstion oi faotr On June 13, 194$, you roquwted that we finsw~~r,'mr8aaOnd queet~onr Article 784, Vernon'8 hmotated Team I'mal Code, rostl8am follows: Whoever shall ullfully obrtruot or in- jure or eauee to b, obrtruoted or InJuroQ in any-or whatsower Amy public road or high-. stay or any otrs*t or alley In any town or oity, or car&v publio bridge or eauswm~y nithln thir Jt?te. dd.l bs fined not rxared$g two hun&reA a0li856 .* 8ootlomJ 15, 3.0 aau Aa, 540-1-a, 549-509 Volume Al, Purr f011ons~ "I ls. IllOeneral. - Ao already totioed e right et publio trarrl war land asty br ao- quired aithcmt any satablldment o? a highmy by prmmdlngo under tho oktut@. Also, al notfood haruitar otfloial lboptlon or loli rof3ogBltion i8 di w8mttilr One nOnstatUtOry mdo of ao0ul8itioo 10 by d*Aioation. hdio*- tlon my bo by wert aat of the owner oiigaify- ing hi8 intention, the dml.ioation being MB- +septaQby publle WOD Al.m, without any ov& aat on the owner’8 p.rt, t4 public mey 15 fact trimel over hi8 land &a ruoh airoumsknoeo that intent to dadloato it to the gublio uoe for highway r3x~.w8er may bo 1IIfOr~~ "Another tsodeof aaquai8itloni8 by pm- eoriptive right vmtin& b virtue of 10~0 ocntiaued use. Thus zubl I6 yes may be sridoeo of t.30acce~ttancsof.& A%dicstlim, or of the owner% intent to dmlioato aad the ;:ubllo*r acooptanor, or of a prwvmiptivs right o? use. -dealoat.lonand preroriptfon having~been aoneiaerea ~emrally llsewhem, in the prOWIt ehegtsr, starting from the fast of publio travel over land whereon no highway h@taas boaa statutorily eatablishetl,wa inquire 88 to the ; ~bloYur~le~lanU;~a 4 * ll&floaaos -oh that UIO bar to wtabllrh 1 logs1 right. i& llwt, wh llalo nor o r o r - lnom to theory 10 lndla~onubl~,we are hero aoro ~cmoorned with applioatlono of tho doo- trim.8 of dodleatlonand prroriptlon to partioular fact llttmtlonr. "I 16. Theory of AoQulrition- Apart iromin@twlO~otpablLo MO Whsrothslana ownor ho8 othetisr manlfooto6 an lntont to &MiiWt~, PUbliOMO OOMtttO8afiftJW$ theoziu in dlifomt $uriedlstloas.XZJ la&and aopulsltion of a U&thy eamoraont by publla uao ~JIdoro@loa of the ownonhlp oi tho iea 18 baa& oa inpUti 4o4foatloal n Bootland on pn~orlptlon whllo in 'kne t II in otlmr crtatu or th@ ini o n) llthos thmtx'y Ia r p u0a a stlm IWta lp p r *r to wa s- rant* A0 04 0IJtg to o lr wa mtr ruwr a the attitub eftlm o wnerp u b llo ummr r a rb y e w$doaoo that 8 road fmlar baa&* wtablirhe4 by aMle8tlon os~by prsmriptioa, a@ b;r both mothoQ0. A jud@unt Ioareoios that tho ra8wmnt har boea aoqulrod dll bo afmmd if aoquisltlon b yllther do b i6 or pro- 8tlo n ~0ripti011 I8 ftUPPOtiOt%br tb0 lVidO~O~~ Vho oloeo relatlonrhlp bema preaorlp- tfon and 8odlsatlon 10 lll~tntd by the fistlon02 a ltmt pmt - or ntkw laoA of &e&l- oatitwh W*Pr6s*rl~tlont ml&mlly al@fi*d that thorlght*n8oiunknornrlnQ pr&mblyundf*- owsreblm orl(gia, end tint the rl&t vfas anterior tc the zmaory of &ay6nor Thlr ob- aourity of origin '~1s fllrguiadl b7 the flotlon that the rL;ht bad lto ori& in &mnt, *nd sbt the Grant ha4 barn loot. A f&gnsd allegation OS TVloet.grud oould not be txm- rersod by plw, but nolrthat the Hatut. Of limitationahas been adopted by umlo~(lr, *ho flatlon 10 regarded a8 a Y&B- tobuttable prrrruaption. -. . . "I ea. Mvc)ru us0 u BrBontial - under the general 1.~ ot title by llnltatlaa, pea- eemsicn mast ~bo hostile to t& trus owner in the simsa of an Intent on tho pwt of'tlm poammror to hold the lurd a# his own, the statutory expre8sl.on ~el.aln ai right' being ocastrud to signify the rogui8ito that the alainmnt muat not bnro ontoredupon the land in rubord&mtioa~bo the O*A.E* Claim OS right adversely to tho'qnor ir alaa lmontlal to pe~ari tiv0 tith t0 anyw-t, s.wua- lng a hi&m, tua8aunt. “?Ctmgenornlrub SDthnt, boforo a hl@mmy oan bo lmtabliehed by ppn8orlptloti It murtappear that tW goawal publis u&r 8 olnlm ot right, aad net by mere puart- aon OS the awller ur.4 maI cL0PlJL.drq, ’ dtaeut lnterruptlon ar rulrrtanti8l o-4, for at least the Xoagerl: psrlod of ltaik tioa prerorlbed br etatut.in aa aotlon ia- volvlng the tit10 to 18x&~ *Obvlously,~ths use onnnot be advrrme whsrait is, and almys haa bun, by oxprom pomeis8ion tvftha cmnor in tanks fadloat~ thet he b to be ltn0 to dtbanr ~X#kWiO~, T&e same ia arlolo true wberr * trait per;a&' mm (tJQ0azs* If the rule wore othwwlu, lvwy lloonae would mature into a lea1 rl&t, and unnol$hborl~ londuot mmld be omcuraged - whidh is OOBtrOrJ %o tha pOllOp of thr law." Section 218, E.ighway~ El Tons ~lIprudano0, p690 7% aad 753, reed8 BS sO&W8$ 'I ale. Proof by 3'ubli.o Use and bftioiol ~oaogaltion - The atatutom tena *pub118 roaQ* oannot bs read as excluding a way to whloh the g+ubllc have eoqulrod a right of use dt&%t the statutory promsding. hitbOugh the28 may be no ~vldunor ot statutorye8tabliahmmt, ths road may be none the lea8 s.lep3alon# 0th struotlon whttrmf is a penal orfanee. ml tlwwo 389 Honorable Van Belle Morarland,Pago 6 thct the road 3.min lau l h i& my ~67 be ahown by long-6ontlnusd YI@ aad rmognltlon by the ,oountytiuthoritlrr worklnstZU mad. An order of the ecmmlsaldnor8~ o6urt deolar- in& a soad oi nonstatutory ox&gin to be II Public road of a darignated older is llkwire aufilolent. “I 86. Ei& h ?a Vojr l lio nl8 QnBtfon of -F b r th u l pub110 d&hlr of v&y Ima bout : raot ~aquim4 by b6loation or by pruotiptfoa la genernlly a Quortlon of raot. In orblr to authorlz* the withdrawal from the jury of an i68ua a8 tG the orutlon O? 8 -right of high- my bfddlontloa or ~reaorlptlon, the o-i- demo &ast be of auoh E ohunotor a~) to 14sara no room for ortliiiary nrinU8to 4lfimr 88 to t&i omolusion to be drami from it. LeavLnc; a etrlp of land open for yublio WBO,ukd ssll- l.uglanda adjoin1 under deeds calling for it acta botiarp, 7 IIoogimt but not oonolu- aive wldenoo of a dsdieation - at loaot where the land 18 not de8lgnabed in the daoda 08 a publlo road, Tha intent my be to permit the publfo to um the land under rwoczble llees~e, and theroforr the ohargo e~ould ll*rveit open to the jury to Sind uhat ‘the intention wa8 in mot. Conversely, in the aorni:lete abesnoe of crvldenoeindicaticg tbt:tthe pubUo UB~ la not merely pemde8ivo, It swam that.a dlrooted verdlot for the cwmr ie in order. On the other hand, a dimeted verdiat for olnimnnt of the eassesnt is cot justified where tho teatiznonyir lnconolusive as tc,whkther tha use wcm pormiselve or ad- west3 .I) / 390 sotwrablo Van Halle MoFarland, Page I In an netion for inJuries rssultin&.frcm a itid- omer’s obstruatlon of a road on his premlses, eviaonoe thet the ,nubllchaa uf80a road from ti-e irnmorlal ttnaha& worked ano maiminea it without objection, was haa tomraise aa iDsue for the jury ns to whether the road wan a publio road. &sðe case or fIofr%anV. Bynulu,101 8. 1. (fzd)600. The fncts given us ere rather wager. No faot8 41% given us as to the natun of the use of the road,-+r to vhfltherIt was adreno or ~extiisrive. Nor are thsro any $aots given ue an to whether or not the road has ever beea worked by the,county or the publlo. we w0riLa rssgrotrully aavlos that you a00ure the complete raate relatlva to th8 use Of the road. When wpo. have done this you will than be in a position to dmtanaltia for youreel?, under the prlnolplerronunelated above, a8 to whethar or not the evidence WOUM be suffioient to rli#o an iesur for tha jury aa to whether or not the roid wu a publio road + very truly your8 JUL A’R’CNNIPY G?W!XAL O? ‘iTltA8 Wa-FlQo COMMllTU