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Liberty County orders removal of gate blocking County Road 2300 after resident complaint
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Summary
After a resident said a newly erected gate blocked access to his property, the Commissioners Court ordered removal of the gate across County Road 2300 and asked staff to notify the property owner and coordinate removal if necessary; staff said the county has a duty to keep roads obstruction-free.
Liberty County commissioners voted on April 28 to remove a gate erected across County Road 2300 that a resident said blocked access to his property.
County staff said they sent notice to the person responsible for the gate earlier in the year but received no response. Resident C.W. Simmons told the court the gate prevents access to land beyond the gate and said the gate had been placed by a neighboring landowner (referred to by staff as 3 S Ranch). Simmons confirmed his property lies beyond the gate and urged action to restore access.
County legal staff told the court that commissioners have a statutory duty to maintain county roads free of obstructions and recommended ordering removal because this gate was not authorized by the court. The staff recommendation included sending a notice to the property owner before removal; commissioners discussed giving the owner a short period (the court discussed a 10-day notice in the record) and then directing precinct crews to remove the gate if it was not removed voluntarily.
The court approved a motion ordering removal and instructed staff to send formal notice to the property owner and coordinate removal with Precinct 2 if necessary. Commissioners noted the county had previously dealt with similar gate issues and that leaving an unauthorized gate in place could lead to longer-term abandonment problems for the road.
The court’s action directs county staff to provide written notice with a removal timeline and to perform removal if the owner does not comply within the stated period.
