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Bill would let county commissioners place gates on some county roads; sponsor says access not restricted
Summary
House sponsor Michael E. Noel said House Bill 242 would let county commissioners place gates across D-class county roads to reduce fencing costs for landowners; he emphasized gates may not be locked and access remains, though the transcript does not include a floor vote tally in this excerpt.
House Bill 242, titled in the clerk’s reading as a measure on "protection of rights of way — gates on county roads," was presented on the floor with sponsor remarks from Michael E. Noel.
Noel described the change as a technical revision to the transportation code that expands an existing allowance for county commissions to erect gates on B roads so that the same discretion applies to D roads. He said the change aims to save landowners the cost of fencing entire rights-of-way in rural areas and cited "some practical values" such as cost savings and avoiding the need to fence highway right-of-way.
Members asked whether the bill would affect lingering quiet-title disputes under RS 24-77 and whether gates could impair public access. Representative Becker asked about RS 24-77 implications; Noel said it "really doesn't have any implications" for the quiet-title action. Representative Shurtleff asked whether gates could block access to public land; Noel replied that the statute already allows gates on B roads and that the bill would only add D roads, that gates cannot be locked (violating which is a misdemeanor), and that access would require only stopping to open the gate.
The clerk noted the bill had a favorable committee report in Transportation. The transcript records that voting on House Bill 242 was opened and closed on the floor, but a final floor tally is not recorded in this excerpt.
The floor discussion focused on access protections and the discretionary role of county commissions; no amendment or final floor result is recorded in the available transcript excerpt.
