OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

,Ionor%ble John L. Green, Dlreotor 

Certificate of Title Divrieion 

Texas Sighway Depaxtnent 

Austin 26, Tezas 

Deer “5irr opinion ho. 0.6813 

I 

Wtttdl 

IN: Issuance of Q 

title on ear 

iii8 are in receipt of your letter 

readr am follow*: 

We are atteahing t 

in these letter 

ey, Conetable of 

in title on a 1935 

atolrn automobile 

ut a year ago. La-. 

thflr motor vehicle 

to find any provision in the Texas 

Art. l&36-1) whioh would enable this 

tltler unUsr the faota set forth 

Thurmnd. ‘Ye respeotfully request that you advise this Department what evidenoe 

should be presented in eaoh ease that would authorize 

thie i)epartcmnt to issue the titles in queetion. An 

early response will be apprsolated and ar requsst that 

you return the attaohnents with your opinion.* 
Ran. John Li Groan, page 2 

Tha ooimtable’a letter, referred to in your letter, read6 

aa follows: 

“I reoovered what I pr8mlJlwa *a, a stolen autoAobils, about one year ago, that had been abanbone& on 

the highway &art of Mapl.ea. It la a 1935 mdel Bard 

coupe. I have kept the oar in rtorage rinoe I reoovered it and have used every efgort that I taon of 

to ascertain the owner of the oar, but a0 one haa 

olaiaoa it. T&r& are f10 motor nwborr anywhom aa 

the oar but have been burned off. Tha 8-M Righwey 

Patrol and the z. B. I. bra 0h00ba on t4u oan mb 

have been unable to find the ~-or. Tim 3’. B. I. 

adviud am that it haa closed fta 0ame 011 thm aatkr, 

ana for ma to a0 anything r wanted to with tiu o&r. 

“1 ,a5 doalxoua 0r mg;irkring th, oar la orbr 

titmt I may diapou or It and get my pay ior 8torago 

ana taking 0fm or the oar dnoe s have km6 it. 

The letter from Sir. Roger Thurmond, Dietriot Attorney, refermi to in. your letter, ret&4 in part a8 r0ima: 

*&veral months ago a. 9,. acinoe, Bbarirr or 

‘IWrell County, Texas, found a Harley Davld8on mOtQroyolo bear- no lioonae platoa, bg the aldo of the 

highway in TorxaU County. Mr. Canoe Toported tha 

matter to Rlehway ratralman Towxmd, who la rtati0nea 

et .Alpi.ne, and Toimwna later adviwa htm that he had 

reported same to your Departsent and you were unable 

to give any lnformtion ae to the Ovmer8hfp Of the 

maohim. 

“The aatter was also nported by Mr. Nanoe to 

the Automobile Theft Bureau an& to the Fedsma Bureau 

or Imeatlgatlon, ana both 0r those agencies were unable to give sag information In mferenoa to the owumrchip. 

Qmsmuoh aa this rnaohine hss now gone unolaimed 

for rreveral month@ ana there is very little probability 

that any bona fide olelwmt will rhow up, the Sheriff 

aeairee to sell same et pub110 auotlon and pay over the 

prOaee&a to Tsrrell County, Telaa. . . . 
Eon. John L. Green, page 3 

"Ii a male of this property la made and tha 

sherlrf executee an affidavit setting out the faota 

of the ebeAdOmeAt and the finding of aam by hh 

and sale at public auotion with the proceeds going into the treasury of Terre11 County, TBxaa, 

please advise m whether OA the baaia of au& 

affidavit you would be willing to issue a 

oertlfioate of title to the purohaaer." 

Artiole u,36-1 Of VerAOA'e Annotated Civil Statutes 

groviaaa am roii0w8: 

*sea. 35. Whenever the ownership of a motor 

vehiole registered or lloenaed within this state 

is transferred by operation or law, am upan 

lnheritahoe, devise or bequest, bankruptoy, reoelverahlp, judiolal sale, or ang other involuntary 

dfveature of ownerahl~e Department shall iaauo 

a new oertifloate of title upon being provldrd with 

oertlriad 00Py Of the probato prooaetllnga, if a5.y 

(ir 50 admlnlatratio5 Ie neoeaaar then up05 

effldavlt ahowing auoh fact and a f or tha heirs 

at &&6 and epeolfloatlo5 by the hairs am to ln 

whose nane the oertirloate shall laaue), or order, 

or bill of sale rron the orrloer making the jualoial 

aale, exoept however, that where foreoloaure la hnd 

under the term of a lien, the affidavit of the 

person, firm, aaaoolatI05, or oorporatlan or 

authorized agent, of the faot of repoaaeaalon and 

dlveatltum of title ln aooordanoe w:lth tno term 

of the lien, shall be euffloiant to authoriee the 

iesuanoe of a new oertifloate of title I.5 the MIT&I 

of the gurohaaer at auoh male, and exoept further 

that in the oese Of the dOIWOlOaUre Of 85y CO5- 

etitutional or Statutory lien, the affidavit of the 

holder or auoh lien, or if a oorporatI05, its agent, 

of the fact of the oreation of auoh lien aAd the 

diveatlture of title by reason thereof In aooord~oe 

with law, ah~ll be aufrlclent to authorize the iaauanoe of a new oerttfioate of title in the Aame Of 

the purohasey.* (u5deraoorI5g ours) 
43 

.Hon* John Li Green, page .!i, 

Artid 5502, 5504, ana 5505, 0r VSX~JO~*D Annotataa chil 

stfitutaa provide aa r0ii0w 

"Art. 5502. Proprietora or livery or publir 

stabler shall have a apwial lisn on all animal8 

plaa6a with thsm ror rood, aare ena attention, a* al80 

upon auoh aarrlagaa, bug&am or other veh.ialea 818 may 

hava bran plaaed la thair aara, ior tJ&a awwt of tha 

ahargea againat the ammel ,ma this 8rtlal.e ahall apply 

to and in0iua0 owner8 or losaaaa of pamturea, who ah811 

hasa;k$lar lfan on all anlmala plaaad with thaa ror 

*Art. 5504. when poawaalon or any or the property 

aarbraard QJ tha praaadfng l rtiale ham oontfnuad ror sixty 

day8 a tter the ohargea l aaruo, and the ahargaa 80 buo havb 

not born paid, it ah811 be tha duty of the paraona 80 

h~idfng atid propemty to notirf the twmr, ii in wi0 

state Mb Ma raal~aaa* :l##i@al, to eQm0 r0n8z-d MA 

pay the ahargea dua, curd,& Ma ralluaw within ten daya 

artier auoh notiaa ham bran &von him to pay ma16 ehar8588, 

tha pmona 80 haldlng l ald property, arter twaatg day8 

metloa, ara authorlam to mall meld proporty at publla 

male ana apply tha proa*eda to tha paymant or aaid 

ahargea, ma ahall' pay over tha balanaa to tha pamon 

entltlod to the mama. JX th, ownem* reaidenoa la beyond the Statr or ia unkn~wm, the pareon holding maid 

property ahall not ba required to give l uah notiaa barorcl pr00~0dbg to 8eil.n 

“bt. 5305. It the par8on who la lagally 

entitlead to native tha balanaa mantlonod In this ahaptsr la not lmo~n, or ha8 rOarNed trola the Stata or drool 

tha oounty in whiah auoh rapalow aa done, or suah 

property waa OQ held, the parson PO holding aal& property 

shall pay the balanoa to tha aounty treaaurar or tha 

county in whioh maid proparty la held and take Ua'raoeppt thereror. Whenever auah balanoe ahall ramin In 

the poaaaaaion or tha aounty traaaurar for the 

of two gaara uuolaimad by tha party legally ent r 

riod 

tlad to 

the aaam, euah balanae ahall b1)ama.a part of the OOWty 

fund or the aounty In which the proparty wa11 sold, an6 

8hal.l be appl.fed~aa any other aounty funb or DAoneY of 

su0h 0ountg 18 applioa or uaecLw 
44 

In annwaring your question, 

1.~’ “’ 

it must firat ba aetermlnea 

that legal title to the property In quaation Haag bean divested 

by operation of’ law or otherwise before oertifioate ot title 

thereto cari be issued, 

The recta stated do not authorize dIapoaitIon of the 

property as rtolen property as provIdea ror in Artiolsa 933-34 

ana 938 of ow code or Cr+ainal Prooeaum. In the abeenaa of 

the owner or meld property ana whare the napI or deacrIptIon of 

the thief is unknown, a aon@laInt alle@.ng theft oannot stand. : 

The property Ueaaribed in your aonmunIaatIon, under the 

recta atated therein, aould not be oonaldered abandoned property, 

and, theretore, the .rInder of mama aoquiml no title to said 

property* In the aaae of Sikea v. State, 2% S. W. 688, JuatIae 

Hurt of the OoW of Criminal Appaalr maid: 

Vhs word *sbandon* maana a giving upi a 

total desertion; an absoluta relinquishment. 

Abandonmant inalud@a both ths Intention to forsake or abandon and the aot by which auah Intention In carried Into erred. Property may 

be maid to be abandoned when ths owner *thr~wa 

it away,* or when It Is voluutarIly left or loat, 

without any intent or expeatation to regain It;* 

Title to the property involved in your aomaunIoa&n could 

be dlveated by the rorealoau.re of an amalerted comaon-law lien, or 

a atatutory lien, thereon ior the Flaount or storage buo. To determlhe this, we must oM8Ider the f0110wIng prinoiplea Of law: 

(*I *A garage-keeper or other person in whoae po6aeaaIon 

a vehicle has been’pleoed for storage is entIt1e.d to aesart a 

oonmon-law lien thereon for the amount hue him and, aotlng purwent, to the etatuta, may me11 the oar and apply the prooeeda to 

the payment of hls ohergea.W (5 TSX. Jur., Sea. 62, ppa.643~44) 

(b) “A garege-keeper in, with resp%ot to VehIolea which 

have been plaoed in his possession for storage or repair, a 

bailee .” (5 Tax. Jur., 580. 48, p. 630) 

(0) WA * garage * , which is the modern eubetitute for the 

livery stable, is defined as s plaoe for the OBIW end atyrege of 

motor vehiolee. . .” (Grinea v. State, 200 9. 3. 378) 
45 

Hon. John L. Green, page 6 

The faacts show that the offioers have been very diligent In 

their efforts to locate the owner of the property and are therefore justified to plaoe the earn In atorege. In view of the 

authorities, above, It la the opinion of this department that If 

the officers pleas the property with a garece-keeper or some 

other peraon for oaxe and storage, that auoh garage-keeper or 

person will have a lien thereon for him atorege ohsrgea. bhen 

the ahargea Sor storage eoarue and are unpaid the lienholder 

aen file auit III a aourt or competent jurlaaiotlon to foraaloae the mama. If there la a belenae of prooeeda from the 

toreolosure sale, after the lien end oourt coat8 are paid, and 

the owner fells to oleia same, It ahell be paid to the oouuty 

treaaurer of the oouuty In which said property, la held. 

If the automobile and motorayola in question are mold et 

foreoloaure melee under thu prooeediugo outllnod In the above 

paragraph, auah aalea would be juaioial asles and your depsrtment would be authorl&aa to Ieaue aertIfloatea of title thereto 

upon evidenae of the aale8. 

Your8 very truly, 

ATTORNEY GidURAL OF TGXAS 

JOrLJ 

BY 

Amlatent