OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

February U, 1@30 

Hon. Edgar 3. Payne 

County Attorney 

Hookley County 

Levelland, Texar 

3ear Sir: 

etter of January 

dlaoretlon, suoh 

r county buainear?m 

norable J. J. Striokland, dated April 

t oplaloa Mr. Looasy 8aidt 

no one should be allowad, or petitted, to 

oacupy It eroept the publlo offlolala named 

ia the mtatute.. 

Thea the oplnloa altes the va r io w l tatute8, 

rhloh hare been retained In the same anbstantlal tO?m 
. 

Hon. Mgar E.. Payno, T6bnury las, 1939, Page & 

lnun;;$la6t oodlfioation. and states hi6 oonol~6~~~~ 

Ve do not think, therefore, that aa 

authority sxl6ts in the oou6ty o~i66ioner6 

6ourt to oontraot for the rental of any oftlo66, or offloe 6psoe. In the oourt houso, 

and no p er so n, l xuept the offloer8 named 1s 

the rtatute, oaa alair the right to o6oupr 

any room6 or spa06 therein free of rest, or 

othenime. 

The sheriff of the oounty would hare 

the right to instltut6 a suit lo the MM 

o f the oounty to l r io t a ny Oo o up ent fr a 

the oourthoxse not authorlred to Oooup7 the 

66me, sinoe he 16 the legal outstodlan of 

the oourt house a8 provided in Art1016 8393 

(nor Art. 6872 R. C. 3. 19251, subjeot to 

6u6h regulations as the cOm!dssiOnOr6 Court 

nay proaoribo......" arport and Opinions, 

Attorney General, 1914-1916, p. !M8. 

Se do not find that the exaot qu66tl<m here Iarolred has been judlolally d6t6rslinod in aay tf the reported Seoislon6. .:a do know the Cg~I66ionc~' Court6 

6r6 llmlted to powers oonferred expr666ly by th6 Constitutlon and atetute8, or neoeesarlly impllod tkar,fBD1. 

Blpnd V. err, 90 T6x. 492; Van Roaeab6r8 v. Lowtt, 173 

su SOS; Edwards County TO Jonulng6, 33 s SBS, and man, 

other oaae6. 

In th6 reoont oaee ot hd6on v. %rrbll, 118 

SW (2nd) 621 (Kaoo Clr. App., nit dlai666dd), the 6ourt 

held the notion of the OotUIty i%m~i66iOner6' F%art of 

crs7son County in pamltting an individual to mintala 

a olgr and oold drink stand in aa unu66d alouvr 1~ the 

rotund6 of the 6ourthou66 for a stlpul~ted r66t61, 6u6h 

prlrilege to be terrinabls at th6 *Ill Of tb6 m, m6 

dl6eretlon6ry, did not rioaate the oon6tltutl~l ptml6106 forbidding the granting Of patUitie6 irr pub116 

f-do, where the exeroise Of the privilege vOv.i4 not 

aa- the county any expnle aad would afford o eotwsnleaoe to those traa8aotlag bu6lne68 16 the 6orefbou6a, 

a a d the oounty l p p ea r oto d b e mOelTi% l Ub ~tia lly 
Hon. Mgu 6. Payne, Tebruary 25, 1939, Page 3 

the ralus OS the prlvIleg6 granted. The oourt did not 

pa66 upon the question of the roatiag or leasing of 

otfioe spaoe but olearly draws a diotinotion a6 to offiOe6. The opinion oont6ln6 the followln~ languclm: 

"Of oourme, w reoognlze that If the 

~1861oner6’ Court should 16ase for the 

purpose6 ladioated spaoe that VBS needed 

for oouaty oftloers or other purpose6 or 

should grant a leae6 for 6uoh a tire a6 to 

r6a6066b1~ interfere with the right of the 

oourt to regulate the use cf the oourhouae, 

or should materially interfere with the u66 

of the oourthouse a6 a whole for ths purpon for rhioh It 16 intended, uld oourt 

might thereby exoosd It6 juriediotion or 

there might b6 a ole6r abuse Of d16oratioa, 

la whloh event the dIEtriOt oourt la the 

l s6rol60 of It6 SUFelTi6Ory power6 would 

havs a rI!-ht to intervea6.W 

Ia view of the quoted 16Il@lSg0 employed, wa 

do not believe the etieot of ilod6on v. Xarehall, supra,, 

oould b6 relied upon to ohange the general rule, supported by tha great wel&ht of authority a6 statsd In 

the follorl~ 1ancuciFe of Zorpiis Jurle 115 C. J. 537): 

*In aooordanoe with the general rule 

heretofore stated that oounty boarde or 

oounty oourte have ao powers other than 

those oonfsrred expressly or by nQOQ66Up 

lmpllOatlon, ruoh oourtr or board6 havo 

no pawer to rent or to lease property or 

tranohiees owed by the oounty in the 

6b66nO6 ot statutory authority 60 to dOen 

(S6e l uthoritIe6 olted under this text) 

We find no OOZlStitUt~Ona~ or statutory authorlty la Texas for tha renting of odloe6 in 6ourthou6e6. 

In our opinion the only spaos the ~omxIssIoner6~ Court 

would be l uthorl6ed to rent or laa6a would b that olear17 not needed for oounty bu6ine68, and then only for 

purrpor66 senlng pub110 oonrenlenoe or n60666It7. 

. 
Hon. Zdgar 6. Fayne, February 25, 1939, Page 4 

You are therefore raspeotrully advlaea that 

your question io answered in the negative. 

;.e wiaf; to thank you ror the splendid brlef 

submitted, and to expres8 our regret at the unatoilable 

delay in ana*ierLg you boosuse of the press of mob 

bualnssa or thio Depart&sent. 

Very truly your8 

Jamln modal1 

Xmlatant