Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

Honorabk Jullra Rtontgorrery Etrta HIghway Eogkeer Austin. forss mar strr ipklon No. o-2011 Ro: h which county should tba buses of the All bmorlcan Bus L.&~S. Inc., k ro~isterrd7 W’a we k rscript of your letter of &btarch 4, 1943, In whkb you request aa opkloa of this department es to tie. county ta nhkh the buses VT thhrAll Amrrlcan Bus ~Lnes. lncorporatod, should bo rogtstcrd. ?be followkpl facts are cmtalnat in your Ietter: ‘Tbe hll Amsrk*rr Bus :..ines. lacorporatec. is l Delaware Corporation with Its corporata hebdquarters in Los rrsgeles. CbUfornla Ii op- eratea motor buses through the Stata uf Tewc: lx. cluaivoly inter state They du not have l p r mlt to do business k Texas l I l foreleo corporation. neither do they have n common-trrrkr pomnit frmn the Edlrum! C-Ynmtssion to traasport pas- sengers for hlra. but cperrtr ‘tin a pennuwnt fed- eral l4ajunctioaLssuod In Trrvk Cotrnty out of the ban Antonto Federal Uhtrlct Court. ‘They o p u r a ta lcrws Toras over L’. S. Hlghray 77 worth of C1ekesrllb to Dalks lsd over U. 6 Highway 60 to El Peso and to the aorthwost bto New Mlsxku. .Ths prlacipal place of busiaess to Dallas whore an agoat is amplayed who k b chdrga of tbo Tour cad :. ldahoma burinc*r. They alsa hare aa bttoraey k Dalks npon whom rarvke may bo had. ln addttloa tu this, they mbintak sorvke garqps LaDdhs 8nd El %se for servkhg and rrpairiag their buses.’ . . Hon. Julleo Montgomery, page 2 h oplalon No. O-2053 tbts dopmtrnsnt discussed the questloa of la which county tbc motor vehklcs of a forolga cwporatloa should bc rcgistcrcd crad In answer thercto ruled as follows: 4nztlclc Of7b of the Penal Cede, provldcs la part aa follows; 4 ‘Sec. 2. A a~arosldcat owner of l motor vcblclc trctlcr or semi-trailer whtch hoc bean duly reg1stcrcd for the current year In the State or county ef whhb the owner la a resident and la accordascc with tbc laws tbcreof, may. in Ibu of registerlop, such vchlclc as otherwise required by f&w, apply to the State WtghWay Lepartmcnt throu$u a couaty T8r Collector fur the ragtstra- tlon thereof cc provided by few. . . .’ 4brtkk 8L7b, Scctlon 1. of the Scan1 Code, defines l ‘non-rcsfdeat’ es follows: a ’ *Non-residentm mans every rcs(dcnt of a state or county other tbaa the State of TOWS whose sojourn k this State, or whose occupatlan, or place of abode, or bushess in tbls State, If my, co*rrrs a total perkd afn ot more than omc hundred mkdtventy dsys fn the cdcttdar year.’ % ybur qucstloa you state thnt the non-restdent regularly opcratos into or through TCXM. :>bvloasly. you are +onecracd wlth the county of registration of 8s ladWdua1 or corporstion th8t would not bc a ‘mm-rcs(dont’ as deffacd abow. ‘The effect uf the fe~fshtlvo dofinltlon of ‘DOSI- restdeat’ as quoted above la to mehe a person or corporetlon who la a legal nsLdettt of another stl but operates in Tens formore then one hundred and twenty (IL51days a year a ‘rosfded of Texas for ro~tstr~tfon~purposcs. lft la the opfaton of thfs depcrtmrnt that a foreign corporation wbkh has been made a ‘nabfeat’ of Tcus for registration purposes should bs treatad as other reslde8t or domostk eorporatlams for thb purpon and thnt tha county of resl- doace of such 8 eorporstka ts the couaty of Its phc@al pluo of bwlsess h this 6tde In llw with our dlscussloa la eoawctles rltb questlea 2 (b), rupra. . . . . %I course Uu above would be qwlU&d by the rules heretefon mentioa*d nprrd- tba ngtstrotlon of tbo motor vohkles b7 por- sons In lo& control or fn k*bl posscssIon as *owac~s’udw iutkk 6675e2, supra. h such l easo tha motor vebkks could k rqlskrad la th ec o unty o fr c s& lc ao cflUh0rof tbc l t~ owwr** u defiwd b Artkfe 6673s~1 (t). Ako. lf the foro~rr rorporatioa or 80n-nsident IadlAIwl ham no place of b\ukss that would 81~ It a cottattyof ro~fdeaco k tbls btste ss d1~coss.d broh but the motor nhkloo on h kgol por- m0srkn or losol control of on agent or iadlvidual rho has a cotmty of reslde.ue in Taamsthrn In luh cuc such motor whkles woub%hsvs Lobe rogkkrrd k tlw county ol tlm l~gd pesscssor’s or k@ csatrolfer’s rosfde8eo. XCfollys of aoeorslt7 nloo that if the fonl~r corperstlon or rlarr-rostdomt tndivtdual has DO ‘count7 of ruftkwe’ In Texas u dkciused rbovm and lko ha8wa~eator hdlvWalhlO8a8wh0la lOgat puuuor or w8trollar ef #a notor v~hkks. then Mid fadlvidtl41 or corpot&ttoa mry npor the motor vohlclos In uy cat7 h Tour. ln you letter you skte that UIS prklpal place d bust- mess of the All krurksa bus L&s, btcorporated, fa Term la ba Cdfm County. ft k our optaku, tborofore, thst the bases a to lwh eorpwstloo must be nplsknd h c lo lq in arid county. The a& w rub would bs qu~Iifkd, hawvor. lf tba motor buses aro umdor tha poss~srkn or coalrol of lp lr wa who has the *&gal right of ceatroP or l le& right of pessessloa’ war uld vohkks. In such coso t&7 could also k nglstond tm tbo county Noa. Julka Moatgoomry, w5* 4 OflWh b a d)OSHO~OT’8 01kati COdVOlk?% ?O8idOMO. Thk departmoat doflmd the tenam ‘lo& rl&t cl poosouloa’ and -logal right of camtr01~ br ophloa No. O-2105 lI follows: ‘h hoklq to tha porpore khkcI ck k&- lath doltnlttar of tha term ‘owau’ lt to lw opiaka that tba k@atwe tnteaded to provide a method whonby motor v&l&s which are aktkaod la l pmtkukr couaty for the armatar portfoa of l rqktrUka yeu k the poou*rloa aad eoatrol of m bdlvlduai who.lm 8 nsfdont of that county, who bar alI the righta h (h motor vahkh that the ownor would hn with rho aau~ptloa ol lolaI ttth could k rog~knd la th e 6slwh &ldlvidwl’m c o unty rarld*ace. WLth thb b&htiW PolrpoM iJ2mm it b OXU opbk8 that thn krma ‘latal rl5ht of porrtrrloa’ and ‘hgel rtgbt of control moan sacwthkg mom tbaa the actual phyakrl pornsrton by an agent or nrvaat. Wa thbk thmt tho bra18 ttaply leh poourrha or control b be wttb a d0JJr.a bf par- maaeacy thzoqhout tha ngktratka yaw md rot l a tomporuy m4tter, A persaa who caa ba clamsod as havb llth ulopal rllht of porsoortoa or had right Of CoatrOf Would b. W Who Wti See that (b *or veblcb k bcpt h TopBlrud k lpuaWd Ir 8.4 oeadWaa, aad would k eatnoted withIts c ua y. b rlth wwo F da ma, ropiakn a lM tuma would precludm a perma who hu oaly the p 608ee8k nlr pbydcaf p h y sic a l camtrel of l motor nhiclo. bat roti beludo l potaw who hu dl rbhtm la tb mdot vohlch ao to tta castroI Ua opanttoa, au BWImugamont but who doem net hwo bati ttth. Our deflaftloe lm further qurllflod ‘UBt lwh p6.#8mka or coatrol would hwa to k of l p o a ma ea tnature 6~ met oae abject to klag dl- nrtod et say time by the lo+ titkholder wtthla the nuenBblo caLpoctattoa of the p4rtt.r Bt the tkna of the rqlstrdfoa of the metor *rhkk . . .* In uld tiplalon wo a&o rmlod a8 followr k coaaectkn with tha nbtlonmhtp of l local tkkt asent of l bus couquay. to tb motor vmhkka of a&M tompaap l‘hM8W.F to m UCOd q?bMtkll itk 6W opkkn that l lee& tkket &goat of e bus canpmy WOrJd not &vC 8 kg&l Fight Of ~8sO88kn OT baaI right of control over the burw8 whkh rcgulwly p880 throwh his tan. Thl excoptko to tM 8 wo u ld b o l cum WhOFCby 8ola0 btru- mont h the form of l lcwc or kflfnomt, dd tkbt lgCIlt Would bc #bon Such louti r(lht Of COdFOt OF b#d rf2ht of Po@Mnrbr. h tit6 COO- autka, kowovor, ruch cc butrcancnt dnw8 up for purporo8 of •V~B~OWI of the motor vchlclr rcgtstraticm law &eve quoted wouldcot of ttrolf 8cfflco to mckc 8UCh porron cc ‘OwMr* wlthln the moaning of the rcglstrmtioon ltatutc. . . .- You UC th4refotc hdvtrod that the motor buroe of tho All &nerlcm Bur L&or, ineorpcrctcd, under tbc fact@ stated In yuur lcttcr rbould bc re5tater.d h Dcllc8 County ucle88 acme of 8uch buses lc #a the lop1 po88c881on or logo1 control. c8 dofincd cbovc, of cc ladlvidccl who rortdo~ h caotbcr cow&y cad to ruch cc80 8ctd burcr coold bc rogl8tcrcd La 8-h other county, l! iurs very truly, ATTORNbX GENESAL OF T&M By a/ auly GOldboT~ Ahcclrt4nt BG:LMtv APPROVED MAR 26,194O 8/ Gerald c. M&an Attornay Goaual of Toxcs APPROVrn OPINION COMMITTER BY BWB, CHAlRMAN