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53	53	STATE OF OKLAHOMA
54	54
55	55	2nd Session of the 59th Legislature (2024)
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57	57	HOUSE BILL 4109 By: Grego
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59	59
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63	63	AS INTRODUCED
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65	65	An Act relating to transportation; amending 69 O.S.
66	66	2021, Section 646, which relates to condemn ation
67	67	procedure; allowing civil actions for certain
68	68	violations; setting penalties; and p roviding an
69	69	effective date.
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75	75	BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
76	76	SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 69 O.S. 2021, Section 646, is
77	77	amended to read as follows:
78	78	Section 646. A. The board of county commissioners may open,
79	79	establish, reserve or condemn roads on section lines and may vacate,
80	80	alter, widen, change or lay out other new roads according to the
81	81	following procedure:
82	82	1. A proposal for action to vacate, alter, widen, change or
83	83	locate a road shall be upon a petition to the board of county
84	84	commissioners signed by at least twelve freeholders residing in the
85	85	vicinity of the road affected or by resolution of the boa rd of
86	86	county commissioners;
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138	138	2. The petition shall state t he proposed action and clearly
139	139	show on a map of the area the loca tion and terminals of the road.
140	140	If the petition is in proper form, the board of county commissioners
141	141	shall promptly investigate the proposal to determine if the petition
142	142	has merit;
143	143	3. The board of county commissioners may conclude, upon
144	144	investigation, that action concerning the road is unnecessary and
145	145	impractical and deny the petition. Should the board determine that
146	146	the petition has merit, the board shall set the date of the hearing
147	147	and provide notice as prescribed by this section;
148	148	4. At such time it i s determined that the petition has merit,
149	149	the board of county commissioners shall set a hearing date. The
150	150	county clerk shall then no tify those landowners whose property is
151	151	immediately affected by the road, in such a way that the road may
152	152	cross their property, abut to their property, or in some manner
153	153	provide ingress or egress to their property. The notice shall be
154	154	given by regular mai l at least twenty-one days (21) prior to the
155	155	hearing date;
156	156	5. Legal notice to the public shall be given by advertisement
157	157	in a newspaper of general circulation in the county setting forth
158	158	the facts and the date when the hearing will be held and the
159	159	petition acted upon. The notice shall be published once per week
160	160	for three (3) consecutive weeks at least twenty -one (21) days prior
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212	212	to the hearing date. A record of all such proceedings shall be made
213	213	by the county clerk;
214	214	B. In a petition proposing that a road be altered, widened,
215	215	changed or located where the owners of the land to be taken agree in
216	216	writing to the proposed location or changes by providing an easement
217	217	to the county for such purpose, or donate the land required, the
218	218	board of county commissioners s hall then cause to be prepared a cost
219	219	estimate for the pro posed project. The cost estimate shall include
220	220	the cost to survey the road or the proposed changes. If the
221	221	estimated cost is reasonable and the road or the proposed changes
222	222	serve the general publi c by providing a better route or by
223	223	eliminating a hazard m aking the route safer, the board of county
224	224	commissioners may orde r and establish the road as a county highway,
225	225	or order the proposed changes to be made and make the appropriate
226	226	record thereof. Howe ver, no work shall be performed until a survey
227	227	is completed and easements secured. If the board determines that
228	228	the expense cannot be justified in whole or in part, the board may
229	229	order that the petitioners must bear the responsibility to
230	230	adequately fund the proposed action in whole or in part. If
231	231	easements are not granted freely, the easements shall be obtained in
232	232	the manner provided by law and shall be considered in the cost
233	233	estimate of the proposed action.
234	234	C. In a petition proposing that a road be vaca ted, the board of
235	235	county commissioners shall, upon receivi ng the petition, attest that
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287	287	according to their records the road in question is within their
288	288	jurisdiction and is considered to be open for use by the general
289	289	public, through grant or ownership, by e asement or dedication, by
290	290	adverse possession, or by open a nd notorious use, regardless of the
291	291	frequency of maintenance or l ack thereof. In considering the
292	292	proposal to vacate the road, the board shall hear testimony provided
293	293	by the petitioners and others w ho may testify at the hearing as to
294	294	whether the road shoul d be vacated. Upon a decision by the board to
295	295	vacate the road, the board shall issue an order to void any easement
296	296	pertaining to the road, if such easement exists, and require that
297	297	the road be closed in such a manner as to prevent the use of the
298	298	road by the general public. The decision of the board to vacate or
299	299	not to vacate the road shall be final. Except as provided in
300	300	Section 649 of this title, no road in use by the general public
301	301	shall be closed, obstructed or vacated in any manner except as
302	302	provided by this section. Every person who shall close, obstruct or
303	303	attempt to vacate a road in a manner other than the manner set forth
304	304	in this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction
305	305	shall be fined not less than Fifty Dollars ($50.00) nor m ore than
306	306	Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00). In addition, such perso n shall be
307	307	liable for the cost incurred by the county to remove, repair or
308	308	otherwise return the road to open travel by the public. N othing in
309	309	this section shall prohibit the temporary closin g of any road by law
310	310	enforcement or emergency personnel in the pe rformance of their
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362	362	official duty, public utilities with regard to routine maintenance
363	363	and construction, or other such entities as aut horized by the board
364	364	of county commissioners.
365	365	D. Wherever in those counties the amount of Indian lands or
366	366	those exempt from taxation by reason of the operation of any federal
367	367	law is thirty percent (30%) or more of the total area of the county,
368	368	then the board of county commissioners may, upon its own initiative,
369	369	and if the public interests demand it, move to secure roads over,
370	370	adjacent to, or for the benefit of all such exempted lands as set
371	371	forth in this subsection. The board shall call upon the Director of
372	372	the Oklahoma Department of Transportation as a disinter ested party
373	373	to undertake and make such surveys, plans and estimat es and obtain
374	374	all other essential data and records as are required to make a full
375	375	and complete statement and report upon the interest involved, and to
376	376	make such recommendations as in the prem ises may seem proper. When
377	377	so prepared, the Department of Transp ortation shall then advance the
378	378	matter to the Department of the Interior of the United States, or to
379	379	any other federal department con cerned, through its proper local
380	380	representative, if there be one, with the request that the matter be
381	381	considered and dispos ed of as speedily as possible. If the project
382	382	be so approved and authorized, then the work may proceed under the
383	383	special supervision and direct administration of the Department of
384	384	Transportation and subject to such special regulations as the
385	385	circumstances seem to require.
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437	437	E. Any person who alleges that their right to due process has
438	438	been denied due to a person or entity's disregard of duty created
439	439	under this section may bring a civil action against the person or
440	440	entity violating such provisions in the district court of the county
441	441	in which the alleged violation occurred . Upon adverse adjudication,
442	442	the defendant shall be liable for damages of One Hundred Dollars
443	443	($100.00) per day from the time the violation occurred and any other
444	444	damages assessed by the court.
445	445	SECTION 2. This act shall become effective November 1, 2024.
446	446
447	447	59-2-9401 JBH 12/18/23

Oklahoma 2024 Regular Session

Oklahoma House Bill HB4109 Compare Versions