Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN

ICRALDc. MANN .-” .- Malwh 7, 1939

Mr. 1. E. Rlghbr, so8retary State Board of Ro&toablon for PPof8amlQaal Rn6ln8*P8 P. 0. Box 25 Atwtfn, Texar

Your PeqR88t laponthe follp*- lng QRer$tonr

provides for t3c regfs- and tlx¶regulatiollot and provide0 peneltby sngineerfng,es more in Axtiole 32711x. Corpus Jurls, Val. 30, pages 371-2, reads as f0llQwsI

Mrdr; P. 8. Rightor, Marah 7, 1939, Page 2

The o&e, WUter vs. Haalett, I.@ Pao. Rep. 6Z8 a OaliWrnia oare, holda that a dapltixor tr0 fa& bonus la not a prlrak dualling. The ease, Umy vs. Sohmyer, 69 m 598, hold* tb:t a lt@ging house or tenement house 16 not a primto dwelling. The oaae, Paine ~8. Rargrore DarelopingCorp., 168 HYS 311 holds that a private dwelling Ia a plaoe or hourrcr in whlOh a person or family lives in an individual or private state and that a oorenant restriotingths use o? the ~emlses to the purpose of a private dweAling is riolatod by tha oonrersiomof a~house t&sretoforaused a8 * m8ibenoe r0r a single iemIly into a rtmldenoo~for tro faailiaa, avan though the outukrd appsarauoaof the hmmo wa8 not aaterially affeoted. The oase, Shapln fs. State, 896 SW 1095-6, hdlds that a tent in whioh defendant lived was apprivsks dwoll- in8 so aa to aUthQri8e sauoh thereof for ihtoxioating 1iQuorrr. Th8 ease, Loosa vs. stata,, a (Znd) 93, holds that a oabln oonatruotedon autolwrbilsohassls is e pri- vate dwelling. Artiole 1391, Penal Gods of Texas, defines the term *private residenoe" as any building or room oooupied and aotually used at the time of the ofPense by any per- son aa a place of residenae. krtiole 1395, Penal Cods .ofTexas, defined the term 91~ue.e~as rdl0ns: "A house within the meaning of this ohapter, Is any bulldf~ngor atruotureareoted for public or private usa, whether the property of the United States, Or of this State, or of any pub- Hoe or private oorporatlonor aasoaletlou,or of any individual,and of whatever naterlal it may be OonstruOtad." The ease, l'ril2ls vs. State, 25 SW 1119, holds that a fruit stand built in the shape of a piano box but lsrge enough for the proprietor to stand in is a house.

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BSr.F. E. Rightor, Marah 7, 1939, Page 5

An ordinary %moke houaeW ie lnaluded in the definitionunder Srtiole 1995 as a house. Albrltton ~8. Stata, 8% SW SQL The form wprivaterwidenoe" or "dwelling howe" wad lwa rwtrfotlto ooranmt, meana a dwell- ing hooi~~=&?a@k-i~e itily, so that as a matter of law a duplex itiin violation of such oovenant. Vard vs. Proapeot Xanor Corporation,805 NW 85b-9, 46 ALR 3b4. Baeed up06 the above deiinitione,and in rlsi .of Art1010 ZWls of Rerisad Civil gtatutes of Texw, wbloh lr known au the ProfesmionalSngifnearsLaw, whioh regulate8 the praotioe ot profeseionalengineerlag in Texas and in rim of Seotlon f of Sootion SO bf *aid law, you are rsapaotfullyadvised that it 1s the opin- ion & thfe Dapartmentthat the term *private dwolliag* arrwad In Sootion f of Seotion SO of the Professional Enginratr Law is as r0umt WAdprfratedmlling I# a how8 or 'baild- %mg intended and designed i.arthe aonvenlent aoboprodatlon of but one ~~IBU~.~ You arg further advised that it is the opinion of t&la Department that daplexes, tenement house6 and apartment houses ere not private dwellings under Yea- tion f of Seation 20 of Artiole 3271.a. Very truly yours

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