OFFICE OF THE ATIORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

mmorablr .O.B. Osrron 

0ounty Attorney 

Botor Oountr 

Odotma, P~rsr 

Dear sir: 

Your r8qurst for an 

rrgsrd to tha aboto Quortio 

NO puot* srom yooa 

or Oountr lr a8 

land In Soa from thr 

r Oo ul ‘I/Uthr nty of the 

0ara amy tumr the 0u11- 

7/lWw mineral lnteawt~ 

prim ofthair right8 aelrarrrr of thir alneral intarost. 

"For Eotor Oounty to oonstruot ana maiataln an 

airportonthle traot of land I.0 till bo absolutel? 

noorsrarf that then br fnthr future noposrlbfiity 

or obrtruotlonr ofany aortonthr land roltml?rd.' 
ii.33 

EononbZe O.L. Gerron, page 2 

nWIll you please adriar It in your opinion thr 

right ofeminent domain a8aet rorthInArtio1~ 3264a 

(Imtntrto$otor Countr thr authorityto aoquirr aomPlato tit18 to thl8 property by oondemnat5.on.w 

Your requaet ror an opinion may be atatad acI rollowar Can a oountf oondrmn tha learo hold rrtata to land 

n8sded in artabll@hing an airport? 

Artiola 326&a, V.A.C.S., read8 a8 rollow8: 

%&ant domain by oountler. Thr right of 

$mInant Domain ishereby oontarrrd upon oountlrs o? 

thr State orTans iOr the purpoar oioond~anlng and 

ao ulrfng 

'1 

land, right of way or l arammt Inland, 

pr tatr ox publio, 8xoept proparty usad ror oamotrrt purpo8a8, whrre laid land, right or war or 

l rrrmont la nror88ary in the oonstruotlon of jall8, 

oourthouM8, hoagitalr, drllnqusnt and drpsndont 

rohoolr, poor iarm8, lIbrarie8 or ror other pub110 

purpe808, wham 8uoh purport I8 now or mar ha%- 

8?trr bp l utharIid8d by tti Qonatitution or Statute8 

of thlr Stat8. 

*All sutih OOndamnation prooordingr.rhall ba 

instituted under the dlrration or tha o@mmI88Ianor@* oourt, and In thr name of the oounty, and th8 

a88888lng 0r damager ehall ba in conformlt~ to tha 

Btatutaa or the Stat. of Toxa8 for oondmmnlng 8nd 

aoquirlng right of way br rallroadr. That no appeal from the rindlng and ae8o88mont or damagrr br 

the oormniesioners appOlntod for that purporr rhall 

hava thr l ifeot of oaurlng the 8~8pan810n Of work 

by the oountp in eonmotion wfth which the land, 

right of war, oaaomont, l to. , ia aought to be goqulrrd. IIn oaoo oi appeal, aountlos 8hall net bo 

requirrd to glrr bond, nor ahall thry ba raquirad 

to give bona ror aoat8.m 

Artlalo 1269h, V.A.C.S., read8 a8 rollow8: 

*Air Fort8, mafntehanoa end operation. seotion 1. That the goternlng body or any inoorporated city in thir Stats may reoalro through gilt 

or dedioetion, and 18 hereby uapowrr8d to aoquirr 

by purohaao, without oondsmnatlon or bf puroharr 

through oondtmsation proor8dlng8, and tbrroarter 
Honorablr O.B. OarrOn, pagr f 

maintain and oporatr as an Air Port tracts o? land, 

aither within or without tha oorporate lImIt# o? 

suoh Oita and within the oounty in which suoh oitl 

18 altuat86,thr land aoquirrd andhal& by any auoh 

oity nofar to at any onr tim6 rxoeed sir hundred 

rorty aoras, and the Oommlsaiontms* Court or anr 

oounty may llkmlse aLoquir8, maintain and operate 

for lfkr purpose tracts o? lend within th8 lImIta 

o? the Oounty, not to l xorrd 4t ally one tlaa sir 

hundred ?ortl abms.~ 

Artiolr 3270, V.A.C.S., reads aa ?OllOWSl 

"SXOept Where OtheIId88 4~pr###ly pr0~id8d 

by law, the r@ht SOOUrOd or to be 8aouce4 to an7 

aorporation or othar plaintiff in this Stats, in 

the mannor previ4.d by this law, shall not be SO 

oozutrurd as to Inoluda the far slsple astata In 

lands, aithrr publioorpriratr, nor ahallt& saaa 

bu lost by the ?Or?aiturr orrxplntion or ths ohartar, but Shall resaln 8ubJaot to an rxtrn8lon or 

the chartrr or the grant o? a new ohartrr without 

a nrw oondamnation.w 

Tha 00Ul’t#fn00ll#tlUh& th8 8??OOtO?ArtiOl@ 32fO 

hare oonslstantly allowed only an l asmment to be oondamnsd, 

UlhSS other UtetUt.8 OXpr488l~ pro7148 ?Or4 ?aa Siap18 tit18 

to k takrn. 

In Dlokoy~r Eatatr Y. Houston Indrponarnt gohool 

Dlatrlot, 300 s.w. 250, error diBmiSS@d, the oourt r9fUSaa 

to allow a ash001 diStrIOtt0 oondemnagraatrr Interest than 

an rasamrnt wherr a 8obool di#triOt deSire4tooraot p4rmanant 80h001 buildings on the property In quartion. 

In Hill t. city or B~lltills, 30 s.w. (24) 407,tbe 

olty was allowed to oondrmn only an easement over th8 land' 

naeaoa to rreot a sswsraga dl8po8al plant. 

Other oases when onlyan rasemant waa allomd to 

br aondmmnrd am; 

Lyon v. MoDonald, 78 Tar. 71, 14 S. w. a61, 9 1. R.A. 

295; 

@~ppS Y. ~#i#,xar & Paoiilo Ry, Co., 50 B.W. 643; 

St. Lou1 '~:$outhwsstern Ry. Go. of T4xa8 v. Templ8 

Worthwest .t ‘rn Ry. Co., 170 8.W. 10731 

(3~1~ @ast Irr. CO. v. Uary, 116 Tex. 469, 14 8.W. 
Honorable 0. E. GarroJ, page 4 

(ad) 266; 

International G. B. Ry. CO- V. Bolee, 161 Saw. 194, 

error retueea; and 

Pa-r v. Earria County, 69 8. W. 229. 

It is vary clear from the above oited eLstut48 anb 

deoiaioii8 that Xotor County atm condemn only &I& easement 

ea i8 neoeseary for the operation of an airport. The 4xiti.m 

?80 e5.mple int8rest and the mineral.0 therein Oaunot be eondemimd in the absenoe o? ageaifio statute authorizing maoh 

oondelrmation. 

XBnvevsr, it Is apparent without arguumnt that an 

airport oamlot be operated on land whioh 18 being 48r6l0poa 

for oil and -8 ~lU308~8. Inaemuoh es it ie well settled 

that the ordinary oil and gas lease aarriea with it the 

right or ingress an& sgresa for the purpose or drill* fma 

er#Oting the nece#earJr alush pit@, OtOragO taaka OtO., it 

lfi theretore aclvlaable and neoe84ary that Eater County in 

any condemnation prooeeding join the holder8 OS any oil 

and gas lease or nInera1 deeds in order that the oounty may 

seouro as against auoh lesaeea the unrestrioted use o? the 

aurfeoo 0s the 00nd0xutmd land ire8 0s tbs rights Or oil 

end gas lessee8. While a oondemnation againet an oil aa 

gas lessee will net Operate to Vest title In the ooullty 

to the a&mm10 underLglng the land on whioh the 8aeePlsnt 

Is oondegaea, yet euoh oondemuatlon will operate to md@r 

the eaeement obtained br the Oounty superior to the OBSBI laent or egress and ingrO08 O~l%ed by Oil EULd gas lesll8e8 80 

that the oounty may use the xand 00naOit9ma a6 an airport 

without interferenoe from owpIIr4 or leeeeca of the tinerati. 

We eaaloee an opinion recently wrltten on the 

OubjO0t or a oounty'a power to purchase land ror an airport 

which opi,nion we thought mi&ht be or intereat to You. 

Yours very truly 

EABJrteb 

(Enale. 1