**OFFICE OF**  **THE ATTORNEY**  **GENERAL OF**  **TEXAS AUSTIN** 

Eonorable Tohn C. ?Aarburger county Xttomey ?aystte county La cNn&3* Tsxaa

ublic road.

,301~roquset

gr?Av81 oompanyus been reaeiYedby
letter is th of land leased the omsr Or t 1 ooapaay, end e truoks of thla e pub110 roads ham
etsted in your hrou& the traot gravel pit, and that 6 to UW hia tNOk8 t0 without wgistering ole 6675 or the 3erioed

Wan to tha definitionOS

evised Civil Statbiidgo, oulvert or other necessarystruature appertainingthersto.R ~rtlole 704 of the Ponsl Code ot Texas 

### readsa8 

### rollow6r Vhoever Bhdl wilfully obstrust or

injure or oauw t0 be obetruotedor in- - jured in any manner uhatwerer any pub110 road or highway 

### or any atreet or alley inpi

tE r

. . Hoaorable Joha C. Ysrburger,Page 2

say tom or city, or any public bridee or oeuseway,within ttis Nate, shall be fined not exaeedingTao huadreddal1Rrs." The powern of the Conmissionrre* Courts la Texas are t3triCtly

ComtNed. 21 Tex. Jur., p. 704, says that: "The Comlasioncre' Courts‘have oaly tiuc?.

retgulatcary

powers over high**wayb as**  have been exjWetisly grfmted them. " There is ao statutoryauthorityfor the Comuisaionerb* Court 0r ywr cmnty to eater Into a contractor 10ese between the gravel ocqany und themselves,en& we think that Al%iO?a 784 of the Fenel Code, quoted above, aleerly disclomenthe .jnteation of the iagislature that the COmuibsiouere* Courts may not. pomit any ObetNCtiOn, nor themselvesobstruotthe highway in any way. %ie,believe that the grsnt+nsof a lease in this instauce,to pennit the armsing or gravel tnlakn iron one elde of the highway to anothermuld oiTer a serious traffiohszsrd, cad there is-nodoubt la **our** miads that the courts wuld consider this sc act of ObstNOtiOn of the public highmy.

b‘e call your attention to the cam or El Paso Electric Compeny tb.'Leeper,42 S.ti.(2d) 863. In this inrtauce the Coamissione~~ Court had permittedthe placing Of ea eleotriowire pole on the right-of-way 0t the reed near the boundurpline, sad the eyidenee shone4that thare was. maple room oa both sides or the pole for the passage of vehicles, sad t&et the looation of the pole did not laterfere with or impede the traffla. The court held that although the Corrmievioaere * Court aould open and close E road when the roe

d wss abandoned,it had 110 authorityto pennit sny obstruotionto be &&seed upon a right-or-way. The Opinion iJldicbtedthat 80. y obstruotlon or thing aonstitutin& e presentsource or' dawer was within toe ooatemplationof Article 7G4 al' our Penal Co&.

_ Article 6675a-2 requires that: %%ery owner of IS

motor vehicle, traileror semi-trailer used, or to be used upon a public higawey in t&is State, and each ohauffeur, shsl3. apply eaoh year to the Etate .uighwayDepartment.thri%@ the Couaty Tsr CollectorHonorable John C. Marburger,Page 3

of the county in whioh he

._ . - . resides for tm reglstratlonor eacn such vehicle rmned or controlledby hln.
. . " ._ .
This particularArticle erenpts fro% reglstration lm9leoentsof husbcndry, farm ticotors, Pam trc%lera, farm semi-treilersoperated or moved temporarilyupon the hi@ways of this State. These ere the 'onlycxoc)tlons**made** to this statute. Thcr~s being no cxes?tion for a gravel truok that passes only temynorarily across a public highxay, It must necessarily,**by** foroe of ler. be registered as requiredby our statute.

Xe are 8nclosinSa copyof an opinionof this departmnt, written to the Fionorablc George il.

She99ard on January 23, 1939. Xe belicvvo this opinion -i~lll

be of some assistsnoeto you in the solution of your problem. You are hereby advised that tha countyhas no authorityto enter into the contract considered,a&Z that ths gravel tNCkS operated on or mross the highxaya of this State as that

. term has been defined

### by the statutesmust be licensed as requiredby lawI
YOU-8 YSl-y tNly ATTORBZY GEiJZl-iAL OF TSXAS