**JIM MATTOX**  Attorney

General

SupruIn cowl BulldIng P. 0. Box 12s4s *u*lln.T~ 78711. 2546 512/47$2m Telex 9lom741387 1eieocplw SlzI47w266

714Jackm.Sulle 700 oen*s. TX. 7s2024sos 2lu742e.944

10011*xar,sun9700 Hour1on. lx. 77oQ2~111 71-
ao806Broadw4y.sun4312 Lubbock, TX. 79401-3479 mw7476pI)

008 N. TeMh, S&e B l4cAnm. TX. 7sso14tlss s12a824547
Z$OOUrrOplurSUlt4400 qnAnlonb.TX. 78205.2707 s12J22m101

All qwlopplunlty/ **Afflnnellw**

Acllon Empbyet 

# The Attorney General of Texas

hguet 31. 1984

Honorable

GrantJoam ChairMU Plnatxc**Comittee** Texao State Senate P. 0. Box 12068.

CapitolStation Austlu.Texan 78711 Opinion No.JH-200
Be: Whether a countymay uac county l

quipmant

and machinery to uaiotain roads In rural subdivirriooa
Dear SenatorJones:
You **ark** whether the Burnet County comiealonera court ray uac county l

qulp8ent and machinery to uriatalu roads lo rural subdlvlaioaa.Parriculrrly. you aak the followlnS queatlons: 1. Utlstaction 1s necessary to authorize a county to maintain a roadway in a rural subdlvislonl’
2. III the fIllaS of a mbdivielon pkt vhlch purport6 to ‘herebydedicate the roeda. etreete. peeeagewl~re,

end l ll alleye ohown thereoa to the uri of .tlw

public forever’sufficient to authorize countyrdntesuuce of tho8e roadways?
You informUI that an lajunctloa was grented in 1971prohibiting the comlseloaera court **of Bumet**  **Comzty from**  **udag county**  equlpmeut and uchiaery to n &~taln private roada. Baaed 011this injunction. Burnet.COMty kar ccfumcd:to ulntaln roada ia rural aubdlvisionr.
Oa April 22, 1972, l l bdlvlaion plet waa filed purport&g to “herebydedicate

the reeds, l

treets,**pamageueys,** and a11 l lleys showa **thereou** to the use of the public forever.” l%e Tcru Cuwtitutim authorizesthe leglalature to provide**for** the conetructloa **rod** rlntenence **of** public **roads.** See Tex. Coast. **art.** VIII. **99; art.**  **XI. 92;**  **art. XVI,**  **924.** Underthie grent of authority,the lellelature heo delegeted to coalreionerr courte the generel pwer to “(llay out l ud l atabllsh. chanSe and diacontinua public roada and hlghveys.”l udto “(e]xercleegeneralcontrolover all roads.highva:r~~, ferries end bridge6 la thclr countiee.”V.T.C.S. art. 2351(3) and (6). In addition to theoe general powera. comle8loner~ court8 are given further and more deteflcdpovcro overHonorable Craat Jonas - Page i, (Jn-200)

the coaatructlon

and maintenance

of public roads by the enactment of the CountyRoad and BridgeAct. V.T.C.S.ert. 6702-l. The act glvaa cmssionera court* 

### l uthorii:)!

to (1) **uke and**  enforce all reasonable and neceaaary rule* e~vl ordere for the conatructlon and uimteaauce of public road6 **except ae**  prohibited

by law; (2) hire the labor and purchasethe machinery **end** equipmentneeded to conattuct and uintain public roadr.
. . , V.T.C.S.art. 6702-l. i2.002(1~).
In the exerkae **of** thio wthority , comlssioner~ court0 cannotgo beyond the powers eitherexpr~csoly grantedor aeces~arlly impliedfrom **the** lenguegeof the grant. Canalesv. Laughlin.214 S.U.2d 451 (Tex. 1948). Uhlle.coasliaaionere 'kurtohave broad dlecretionIn exercising powero expreaaly conferredon **them.** neverthelessthe **beeis** for any **action** aunt be ultimately fcund in **the** conetltutlon or atatutea. Id.

- at 453. Except in **circumatancea not**  pertinent here, comtisdoners courts are not conetitutionally 01:statutorilyauthorized to constructor ulntain prlveteroada. Purthermore. case lav expressly prohibit6

the use of "county kbor. utexals or equipment for other than public uae.m Godleyv. Duval Ceunl~!. 361 S.W.Zd 629. 630 (Tax. Civ. App. - **San Antonio**  1962. mo writ). Since ao besicl for the **construction** or maintenance

of,privete

roada fs found.inthe conetltutlon or atetuteo. **the** ctiedonero **court mey**  **not exerclae**  **Mach power.** 

**. ..-** 

**. Nowever.**  **cdeioeere ceurte**  l**re** expreaaly authorized by the **County-Road** and Bridge **Act:to** constxwct **end uhtein**  public **roaddr in**  their countleo. The Tuam Iklpreme Court set out the bemlc principlea **for** determining

vben a **road becomes**  a public road, 

### l teting: All roado,vhl& have been laid out 

### a n d l atabllshed by authority'

of r:he camni~eioners'courte lre $ubllc roada
. . , . A road not orl@nally .eotabli&edunder the statutemey becomepublic by long-continued

URIC end 

### l

doptioe la euch by the county comlulon~wa vith the laoent of the owner et by preecript4an. A road may al80 become public. in **the** aenee that the public have the **right to**  u#e it. by dedication.

p. 880Nonorablc Crent Jonas - Page 3 (JH-200)

**Worthington** v. Wade. 17 S.U. 520. 521 (Tex. 1891). These principlea have **been** carried forward into modern case law, and a-hat elaborated. Beelcelly.there are thr,ee way. a road may become public ouch that a **county** till have 

### l uthority to uintein it. Firat. e road can be l atabllahed

l b lnltloaa a public road upon a comlaoioners court's ouu motim. **Doughty** 'I. DePec,,

152 **S.U.2d** 404. 409 (Tex. Clv. APP. - Amarillo 1941. writ ref'd v.<~.m.). **or** in rerpouse to an epplicatiou thcrefor

by **the requisite**  number of freeholderr under the provleions of l rticle 6702-l - l procedure which requlrea coudemation and avardlng

of damage*.

V.T.C.S.art. 6702-l. 812.003and 2.004. Second, a public road may **be** estebll~~hed by premrlptloo. In thla eituatlon. It ia oecesseryto #how that an "uninterrupted u8er of the wey hes been **made by**  **the** ~public. **uutler** au adverse claim of right. for the l tdutoty period of Ualtr,tion." Ladle.' Benevolent Society of Beaumont

v. UagnolicCmete~~ Co.. 288 S.U. 812. 815 (Tat.Corn''' APP. 1926. judgrt adopted). PinaiK l road uy become a public road by dedication.a setting epert by the fee owner for public use. and acceptance. See Hellbron v., St. Louis Southwestern Railway Co. of Texas, 113 S.W.10. 612 (Tex:Clv. App. 1908). Thus. In ansver to your f'lrst, question.

we concludethat e county lo authoriced

to maintainraalweya in rural l bdlvloiono if the roads were eetabli~hed **eb** inltloem public road8by the coaisaiouers court, by prescription. **or** by dedlumlon end l **cceptance by**  the **county.** You l leo ask whether the filing of l subdivision**plat which**  **purporta to**  "dedlcate~ the reeds. ,etreets. paaaagevaym and all alleya ; . . to% **the** ~u#e Of **the** public forever" la aufflclent to l uthorlxe~

c o unt y

uintauxicc of t h or r oad t mya . **To effect**  l **proper** dedlutkss-of .~knd.topublic-or, -the owner umt uke l offer of 'dedlcatlon,

uh$@;m8< **be qwpted.**  **There are**  tvo kinda of dedlutloo

- statutory

.andcomon-hv.
A statutory de&atiom la 'one ude lo conformity **vith the**  provlaloas

of the mtatuteacoaprioing **Texas** l ubdlviolon

control. The reylatory l

chac dependsupnl the recordetloa of a developer's

up or plat. Article 6626e. V.T.C.8.. providea **that** no plat of l ny mbdivlalon l

lull **be** filed rmleoe **it** lo l uthorimd by **the coul~olonera**  amrt

**.** After approvel.the **plet** lo filed In the office of the countyclerk of **the** county in vhlcb the land liea. **Art.** 6626a. **12.** The edwloners court, la authoricedto vitbholdplat l pproval If a mzbmltted

plet doea nolc

meet the rmqulreaanto of **the act.**  **Art. 6626e.**  **94.** But. if **the** cam&aoionera court **doem** not dloapprovethe **plat** or doea not refuse to rwthorlre the filingof mch l plet in the county elerk'e office vh~a deciding whether a plat “meet0 the **rcquiremente ae**  **eet forth**  **it1 this**  **Act, ”**  **the comierionem**  **court in**  effect approvea **the** plet **end authoriree**  **its** film **whether it**  **etemps**

**.** **e*,**Nonoreblc GrantJonee - Page 4 **(Jll-200)**

**”** approved end l

uthorlaed” ou the plat or vhether it stamps “not dleepproved

and **not** unauthorlxed” thereon. **Attorney** GeneralOpinion Vu-1438 (1962). If **the** 8ubdlvlder

complies

with the provleioue of article6626a. em authoriced.fllirtS by the ctieelonere **court become8**  l **“mere** ~iulsterial duty, the perfc~tmance of which may be compelled by **mNdaN8. ”**  Coliedonere Caret 0. Frank Jester Development Co., 199 S.W.Zd 1004, 1007 (Ten.Civ. r$p. - Dallee 1947.writ **ref ’** **d n.r.e.1.**  &WXI-~W dedication8 are **of** two claoeea- crpreaa and i=pllad. Ladlea’ Danevolent Society ,:I Beaumont v. llagoolla Cemetery Co., maupra, at -814. In both. It ie neceeeary **that** there be en appropriation

of **the** had **by** the **ovner to**  publicuse. ln the one cane, by come esprea8manlfestetlor of hio purpoee to devote the land to publicuse; In the othr,.by eiome **act** or course of conduct**from** which the law would imply +uch an kltent. Id. LonS-contlnued uae by the public la mfflclmt **to** imply ,B dedicaa by the ovner.<Cityof Uaco v. Fenter, ,132~

S.W.Zd 636. f,37 (TN. Clv. App. - Waco 1939, writ ref’d). 8weverI to render a dedication complete. there must be an acceptanceof the dedlcatloa. Cotieeloners’ Court v. **Frank** Jester Development

Co.. e. et 11306.An acceptance,too. may be urpreea or implied. **A** ~eeioaera court expreeslyaccept8a dedication vhen It vote8 on end note8 **the** scceptance In the minutes. Bowever, **the** mere flli.nS

and apprwal of l aubdiviaion plat ahowingetreetato be dedicated **doe.** not conatltu::e en acceptance. Id. et 1007. An l cuptame may he implied,for Inetance.from the cG&y’o feilureto aeeeee ~for taee io. comecr::ion with “1eyinS Sea and water mains. &mildl.nS-•ideval.ka.Gor .gredisl

for 8treete.”City of Waco v. Fenter, m. **et** 63S. **or** uhere’.e county~makee repair8 upon *thestreet. or : pIat it on.official map8. **d1lder.v.** City **of** Branbam~3 S.U. 309. 311 (TN. 18871. An wxe8tmce-bv al80 be irmlled fra lona-tlnued publicwe-of the p&p&. /Ibert v. Gulf, C. 6 S.P. IteilGay Co.. 21 4.U. **779,:78o~(Tes.** civ. *pp. - 1893, no **writ).**

BNM., .in l eue r to **your** .eecond que8tion. the filinS of e 8ubdlvieionplat alone ie lneufflcient to l uthorlae e county to malntein road8 in rural 8ubd.ivlelooa, 8lnce the dedication 18 a mere offer. et 1007.

M88lonera’ Court-v. Frank Jester Development Co., e.

We note that the injuacc::lon in BuraetCounty,**vbich** prohibit8 the me of county equipment for, mdatenaoce of Private roada. doe8 **not** llter **the** county’8 authorityto maintainpublic roads.

p. 882. I

Honorable GrantJones - Page 18 (JH-200)

A ccm~lssioncrs

courtmay we county equipment **and** uchincry to maintain roade in rural eubdivleionoif th, roads were cetabliehed ab lnitio ee public row16by the coaaieaionere court. by prcecriptlon,

or by dedication

and acceptance.

UATTOX AttorneyGeneralof Texas TOM GREFaN Firat Assistant AttorneyGenersl
DAVID R. RICRARDS Executive

Aesiatant

AttorneyGeneral Prepared

by Rick Cllpln **Assietant** Attorney General
APPROVED: OPINIONCOMHITTEE Rick Gilpin.Chairmen David Brooks , Colln Carl SUM0 Gmrison Jim Woellinger Nancy Sutton