I 

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

iionorable A. c. -#inborn 

Dirtriot Attorney 

Harris County 

Civil Court8 EmildIng 

Hotmton, Texar 

'Dear Sir: Attention: LW. Robert R 

Opinion No. O-7125 

Re: What power h88 t 

rfonerr' oourt w 

Your latter or reoe 

fl'Om thi8 departme 

. 

thi8 qUO8tiOIl, I wi8h 

88ioner8' Court oan 

or map or any subther than the faot 

map or ?lat doe8 not show the oonth the original 8uTvey, or euffloient 

to Locate the saae in placing thet suca co!:dition as fiaicirig it pracor t!le~;urjoses Of taxstion. in other 

refuse to spprove a 3ap Or pi6t 

Of a kxiivision for t&e reason r&at tl;e roaCs 

3et fart;. ir. t2.t su&iivision 6rt not tk ?roptr 

wi.;,t:. 3; t.22 t ?..i ,:;3tivi6er refG;cts :;i :-ii‘- 6 

~i;-lliCa;~t e;;se~ti~t -"3 tse vOiu;tY'i" 
Hon. A. C. 'n'inborn, page 2 

iiOU66 aill h’0. 472 AOt8 1931, 42nd 

p. 371, oh. 217 (Art.-6&6, V. A. C. S.) 

Lee.. aegu1ar 

providea: 

se88lon, 

“AK ACT to amend Artiole 6626 of the ikviaed Statute6 

Of T6X66, 

for 

1925, 80 66 to provide the prer6qui8it68 

filing and reoordlng map8 and plate subdividhg 

or resubdlviding real e6tat6, and deolarlng an 

emergenoy. 

“BZ IT ZNACTiD BY T&, ~,GCISLATU% 03 TIU STAT% OF IE-AS: 

“SECTION 1. That Art1010 6626 of the il6Vi8ed 

Statute8 of Tex.88, 1925, be amended 80 a8 to hereafter 

read a8 fOllOw8: 

*'ArtloSe 6626. The following instrument8 of 

kritiag whloh 8hall have been aoknowledged or proved 

aooordlng to law, are authorized to be r6oorded, viz.: 

all~deeds, mortgager, oonveyanoes, deed6 of trust, 

bond8 for title, ;oovenante, defeasanoer or other : 

Instrument8 0r writing ~oonoernlng any land8 or ten+ 

ment8, or goods and ohattels, or movable property of 

any deeoriptlc&; provided, however, that in oases of 

8UbdiVielon or r8-8ubdiVi8iOn of r661 property no map 

Or plat of any 8uoh aubdiviaion or re-8ubdivislon. shall 

be filed or reoorded unle88 and until the 8aim ha8 been 

authorized by the ~COmmi88iOfler8' Oourt Of the oounty in 

whioh~the real estate is situated by Order duly entered 

in the llPinute8 of aaid OOUrt, eXOePt k~ 068e8 Of partition or other eubdiVi8iOn through 6 court Of record; 

provided; that within inoorporated Oitiee and town8 

the governing body thereof in 116~ Of the oomul8- 

8lorier8' oourt 8hall prforni the dUti68 hereinabove 

impO6ed upon the commf66iO~6r6' OOUrt.' 

"SBC. 2. Tie fact th6t many paroele of real 

estate in this State have been 6ubdlvld6d without 

establishing a.-.d showiri,- connectiOf? with origin61 : 

surva;- or auff:cier,t otxr data to locate 6638, and 

;lacin< t:x ;.ro;crt:: lr $uch conditior as Lakes it 

ispbctlcal for 12, --osi6 t of tax6tiOi&, acd t,le fact 

that sucti ;xc,.: ce will cor.tinue unless proper 

ie;:slst’J-e ” * 1 & ’ _ z z r. c 2 t ” -: ) cr-2ates 6rL ezer;eccy 622 an 
Son. A. C. Xinborn, page 3 

imperative publio n80088ity that the oonstitutional 

rule requiring bill8 to be read on threr 8everal day8 

In eaoh Xouae be, and the lame i8 hereby, surpended, 

and it 18 80 en80ted.w 

. 

The Supreme Court in the 0686 of Trawslter ~6. Sohaefer, 

179 S. 51'. (26) 765, in determining the power8 oonferred upon,the 

Oommls8loners* oourt by Art. 6626, Iupra, raids 

"It ir well 8ettled a8 a rUle of statutory oon8trUotiOn in thl8 Stati that it i8 proper t0 look 

to all part8 of a legirlative Aot to aroertaln it8 

proper oon8truotion 8nd meaning--that 18, to a8oertain the legl8lative intent. It ir the legirlatlve 

intent that i8 the 181. IZi Sipplying thi8 Nh OOUt8 

will not look algne to one phrare, olau8o. or sentenoe 

of an Aot, but to the entire Aot; and thir inolude8 

the osptlon, the body of the’ Aot, and the smergenoy 

olaurr . 39 Tex. Jur., p. 227, 8 121; Popham v. 

Patterron, 12l Tex. 615, 51 6. W. 26 6801 Toxarkana 

& Ft. S. Ry. Co. t. Houeton Gas 8 Fuel Co., 121 Tex. 

594, 51 S. W. 2d 284; Winder v. King, TBX. Corn. App., 

-Xi. iip2d 587; Notor Inv. Co. v. City of Ii8mlin, 

179 S. W. 26 278; Creager v. Bldalgo 

Co&y Wiier Improvement Dietriot, Tex. Corn. APP., 

283 3. w. 151. 

=#hen we oome ici oon8ldir the body of thir Aot,. 

we find that it olother oommia8loner8~ oourtr with 

power to determine whether or not map8 or plat8 of 

land looated lutside of oitiea and town8 8hall be 

filed and reoorded. .When we look to the emergenoy 

clause, we find that It rtatee that an emergenoy 

for Immediate effeot erirted beoauee, 'many parcel8 

of real e&ate In thir State have baen rubdivided 

without eetabllahlng and ahowing oonneotion with 

original survey or sufficient other'data to locate 

66rn8, and pleolq the property in such condition 

a6 makes it impractloal for sur?oaee of taxation; ..~ 

and the faot that such prectices will continue 

unless pro?rr 1eClslatioz is enacted, create6 

* * *.I To our mind the above quoted etatesent 

of the provi6ions of the esergenoy olau6e t0 this 

Act. cor,siCered with the nrovisione of t2e body of 

t;*.e'Act anows that the ~~isleiuri intended thet 

Z?.>S 6x2 ;.lets of la?+< 

- snell recclve eUt;:orit;' iroLi 

co=-dssioners' courts to be recorded, if tnej estab- 

'lish and ahow the oonneotlon of suoh land with the 

original survey of whioh it is a part, 6nd oontain 

sufficient data to locate the land contained therein 

and, further, plaoe the land shown by the map or pla 

in suoh a oondltion 66 makes it praotlcal to tax the 

', 

t 

edme aocording thereto. Of course, this would require 
the ma2 or plet to coritolo, ruffioiert data to 

enable tlta taxlnt: authorltiae to correctly carry the 

lend on the tax roll6 und evold duplicate a! double 

rendition8 of the 6a.s lend. 30 ooz.atrCl;ed, tLe hot 

ia 3ot 6ubj6ot to tae objectloa thst It confcirs 

orbitrbry or umontrolled kw#er OL oos~ieeionere~ 

oourt6, or fall6 to furnish cucb euthoritiee with a 

sufficient guide to enable taeu to adnlnlater the 

8al28." fempha8i8 OlU8) 

In View of the foregoing authorltl68, it i8 O'ur opinion 

that if the Doe&XI or plate submittdd to the cozzii88~on6r8~ court 

re8tcrblish and rhow the connection of ruoh letid with the 'origioal 

8Urvey of whioi: it la a pert, acd odntaln rtifioiclnt data to 

looata tne lakd ahown by the nap or plot in euoh a condition 68 

makcsr it praotioel to tax the maIs 8ooordlrg th6r6toa, the do5 

~88ionar8~ oourt oamot refuea to euthorlze the filkg and 

reoOrding of 8old ma?8 or 2late of subdivision8 for the 60&e 

reason that roads set forth in t3e sCbdlvieior? me 'not the 

propdr wfdth or that th.+ subdivider refuees to give a.drainage 

easement to the oounty. 

‘. YOU?28 v&p $lilly, * 

ATTCHILY nZ$i;3AL UP TiCAS 

*A- 

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J;i:LJ Joti i&caves