-E A’BTORNEY 

OF TEXAS 

Honor&lo Tca Seay 

couaty Attora8.v 

Pottm Coun+q 

rarillo, Tsxar 

Dear Hr. Seaya Opinion Ho. O-7366 

Rec Authority of a gw company to 

ooBatluot it6 IlU66 60ro66 . publio 

road without authority fre,+hr oommisslaser6' oourt ofthe county. 

You request u opimioa frm thir departmnt upor th6 alova subjeot 

matter a6 follm6~ 

. 

"A publio utility, a g66 oanwahioh trsmtpotir and 86116ga6, 

prinoiplly to town6 aad oiti68, r6lying on Artlole 11436, Vernon's civil 

St6tuta6, has oonstruoted on6 or mars of its distributing lima upoa and 

aoro66 oouaty first-olaes publio roads at poinfir wholly without any oity 

or toa (roads not dssigxmt6d 66 Bt6te highmays)6rithout firla obtaiairg 

sny oharaoter of pezmlasion or authoriratlon from the oamlmionerr’ oourt 

of the am&y, or 86y other souroa. 

"It is the wntentioa of the oounty tMt the line.8, a6 oonstruoted 

aoroaa the publio road aad through rhioh gas ir transport6d, is a oonrtaxt 

daag6rto traffio onth6 road6 b% ths poiati rher6 St' ps8sr over the 11~0. 

Also, it lr the oc&uzrtion of the oouaty that the liaes 60 oonutruoted dthOut r q Y 6a mb lUic4 Of Suth o titg iI l tl"66-68. lill Of rhioh it h66 orlled to 

the l ttertion of ths gas 6omm r6p66tedly, to.noamlle 

*HavUg lassr 6Ul6d up08 v ths oourt for 6x opinloa a6 totho 

oounty*r.rights ia th6 pmmis~r, snd kiag ia dou% 66 to the advSo6 that 

should.be gixsa, ue Mm seek the opinion of your offio6 ta the extent 

you l r6 la position to ifioiae: (1) Rhothor or not the g66 oaupaqr -6. 

rithia it6 right6 under the 8tatut6 to oon6truat it8 line6 aoro66 th6 

road M aforesaid, aad (2) dthin its right6 and yt the 00~6truotion is 

suoh a6 to reader the highmy at nuoh polti6 dsngerous, aat am the 

renmdies of the oovnty 5.6 it6 effort to alate this dmgerous oondition 

brought about % the oonstruotioa of the llaer aor the hlghwsys in 

the mauwr that it ha6 b66a ooastruated~6 

.'_ 
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Honorable Tan Seay - Page 2 (O-7386) 

You are respectfully advlsed.that the authority to oOnStNt3t 

the gas line of the oanpany aoro6s the publio road is govermd by Artidle 

1436 of the Revioed Civil Statutes. The authority em-ted from the State 

mad not the countyo 

We hand you herewith oopdes of the following opinions, all of 

whioh have deoided or disoussed this very questions o-1806, O-2442, 

O-2976, O-5726, and 6791-k 

If the gas company has been guilty of any negligence in the manner 

in which it has laid its pipes across the public road, or has been guilty 

of negilgenoe in the manner of maintaining the ssme, as contradistinguished 

from the oonstruotion of the line, resulting in peouniaxy loss fo the county, 

or a~ individual, the oounty or the individual injured, as the case may be, 

might have a oause of action for damages thus occasioned, but neither would 

have the right to abate the line. 

Ris trust that what II) have said suffioiently answers your inquiries. 

Very trul.y yours 

ATTORREXGRNERAL OF TEXAS 

By /s/ Ocie Speer ' 

APPROVRD SEP. 11, 1946 

/s/ Grover Sellers 

AlTORXBYGERBRALOPaExLs 

os-mtegw 

Enolosures 

Ooie Speer 

Assistant 

APPROVED 

OPINION cc2QdITTTF;E 

BY BHB 

Chminmn