OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN

,Ionor%bleJohn 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. ‘Yerespeotfully request that you advise this Department what evidenoe should be presented in eaoh ease thatwould authorize thie i)epartcmntto 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 auto

### Aobils, about one year ago, thathad been abanbone& on the highway &art ofMapl.ea. It la a 1935mdel 

### Bard coupe. I have kept the oar in rtorage rinoe I re

### oovered it and have

## usedevery efgort that I taon of to ascertain the owner of the oar, but a0 one haa olaiaoa it. T&r& are f10motor 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 amthat it 

### haaclosed fta 0ame 011thm

### aatkr, anafor ma 

### to a0anything r wanted towith tiu 

### o&r.



## “1,a5doalxoua0rmg;irkring 

## th, oar

## la orbr 

## titmt Imay diapou 

## orItandgetmypayior 8torago 

## anataking0fm or

## theoar

## dnoe shavekm6 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 toyour 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 theAutomobile Theft Bureau an& to theFedsma Bureau 

### or Imeatlgatlon, 

### anaboth

## 0rthoseagencies were unable to give sag information In mferenoa to the owumrchip. Qmsmuoh aa this rnaohinehss 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 lamade 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 bewilling to issue a oertlfioate of title to the purohaaer."
Artiole u,36-1 Of VerAOA'e Annotated Civil Statutes groviaaa 

### amroii0w8:

*sea. 35. Whenever the ownership of amotor vehiole 

### registered or lloenaed within this state is transferred 

### by operation or law, amupan 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 Ieneoeaaar then up05 effldavlt ahowing auoh fact and af 

### or tha heirs 

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

### nane the oertirloate shall laaue), 

### ororder, 

### or bill of sale

## rronthe 

### 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:lthtno term of the lien, shall be euffloiant to authoriee the iesuanoe of anew oertifloate of title I.5the 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 theAame Of the purohasey.* (u5deraoorI5g ours)

## 43

.Hon*JohnLi Green, page.!i,



### Artid 5502, 5504, 

### ana5505,

### 0r VSX~JO~*D Annotataa chil stfitutaaprovide aa r0ii0w

"Art. 5502. Proprietora or livery or publir stabler shall have a apwial lisn on all animal8 plaa6a with 

### thsm

## rorrood, aare 

### enaattention, 

### 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.eahall 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 aarbraardQJ tha praaadfng l rtiale 

### ham oontfnuad 

### ror sixty day8 atter

the ohargea l

### aaruo, and the ahargaa 80 buo havb 

### not born **paid, it**  ah811 be tha

### duty of the paraona 

### 80 

### h~idfngatid 

### propemty to 

### notirf the

### twmr,ii 

### inwi0 stateMbMa raal~aaa*:l##i@al, to

### eQm0 r0n8z-d MA pay the ahargea dua, curd,& 

### Ma 

### ralluawwithin ten 

### daya artierauoh notiaa 

### hambran &von him to pay 

### ma16ehar8588, 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 thapamon entltlod to the 

### mama. JXth, ownem* reaidenoa la beyond the Statr or 

### ia unkn~wm, the pareon holding maid property ahall not ba 

### required togive l uah notiaa barorclpr00~0dbg to 

### 8eil.n

“bt. 5305. 

### It the par8on who 

### la lagally entitlead

### to native tha balanaa mantlonod In this ahap

### tsr lanot lmo~n, 

### or ha8

## rOarNed trolathe Stata 

### or drool tha oounty inwhiah 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'ra

### oepptthereror. Whenever auah balanoe ahall ramin In the poaaaaaion 

### or tha aounty traaaurar for the of twogaara uuolaimad 

### by tha party legally entr 

### riod tlad to the aaam, euah balanae ahall b1)ama.a part of the OOWty fund or the aounty In which the proparty 

### wa11sold, an6 

### 8hal.l be appl.fed~aaany other aounty funb orDAoneYof su0h 0ountg 18 applioa or uaecLw

## 44

In annwaring your question,

1.~’ “’ itmust firat ba aetermlnea that legal title to the property In quaation Haagbean divested by operation of’

### lawor otherwise before oertifioate ot title thereto caribe issued,

The recta stated do not authorize dIapoaitIon of the property as rtolen property as provIdea ror inArtiolsa 933-34 ana 938 

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

### owneror 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 .rInderof mamaaoquiml 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.reof an amalertedcomaon-law lien, or a atatutory lien, thereon ior the Flaountor storage buo. To determlhe this, we must oM8Ider the f0110wIng prinoiplea Of law:

(*I 

### *Agarage-keeper 

### or other person in whoae po6aeaaIon a vehicle has been’pleoed for storage is entIt1e.dtoaesart 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 themodern 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, page6

The faactsshow 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 IIIa 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 Inwhich said property,la held.
If the automobile andmotorayola in question are mold et foreoloaure melee under thu prooeediugo outllnod In the above paragraph, auah aaleawould 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