State AG Opinions
Free state attorney general opinions with plain-English summaries, full citations, and the original source on every page.
No opinions match these filters
Try fewer or different words, check the spelling, or clear the filters to browse everything.
Can a Texas state agency refuse to sign service contracts with its own former employees or their spouses?
Yes, within reason. In this 1989 opinion the Attorney General concluded that the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation could adopt reasonable rules prohibiting its facilities from…
Can a Texas agency advance 'start-up costs' to a private company hired to provide public services?
Yes, with strings attached. In this 1989 opinion the Attorney General concluded that the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation and local community centers could pay start-up costs…
May a North Carolina state-chartered credit union match what the National Credit Union Administration now allows federally-chartered credit unions to do, and provide a faithful-performance bond covering only the chief executive officer instead of every officer, employee, and agent?
No. The 1989 AG concluded that G.S. § 54-109.11(5) and § 54-109.44(2) made a blanket surety bond covering every credit union official, committee member, and employee mandatory, without regard to…
Can a church claim a Maine property tax exemption for the remote mountain site where it keeps its radio station antenna, on the theory that the broadcast is an extension of its ministry?
No. Assistant AG Diane E. Doyen concluded that 36 M.R.S.A. § 652(1)(G) exempts only houses of religious worship (church edifices and parsonages), not radio transmitter sites. Maine and parallel…
Does an abstract of judgment used to create a Texas property lien need the court clerk's attestation under section 12.013?
No. In this 1989 opinion the Attorney General concluded that the attestation requirement of section 12.013 of the Property Code (that a judgment be attested under the signature and seal of the court…
When the Maine Governor fills a vacancy in a county Register of Deeds office by appointment, does the appointee have to be from the same political party as the vacating officer?
No. AG Tierney concluded 33 M.R.S.A. § 601, which governs Register of Deeds vacancies, is silent on political party. The Governor may appoint a person of any political party. In contrast, the County…
In Texas, is a judge or a justice of the peace a 'peace officer,' and can a judge carry a handgun on that basis?
No. In this 1989 opinion the Attorney General concluded that a Texas judge or magistrate (including a justice of the peace) is not a 'peace officer' under Chapter 415 of the Government Code, the…
Can a Texas county buy road materials from a single 'sole source' supplier without competitive bids under the court/engineer road system?
No. In this 1989 opinion the Attorney General concluded that under the court/engineer road system (article 6702-1, section 3.211), a county road-material purchase over $5,000 must be made on…
Can a Maryland city fund a special taxing district with a tax based on construction costs?
In a 1989 opinion, Maryland's Attorney General concluded that the City of Frederick had authority under state law to create a special taxing district to fund storm drains, parking, and lighting…
If a Maryland town creates a historic district, can the town council itself act as the historic district commission?
In a 1989 opinion, Maryland's Attorney General concluded that a town creating a historic district under the Historic Area Zoning Act had to establish a separate historic district commission, made up…
Could a Washington fire district withdraw and reannex territory to avoid a tax levy while continuing free service?
No. In 1989 the Attorney General said a district could withdraw territory without a property-owner vote, but could not regularly serve the withdrawn area or reannex it in the same year to avoid…
Can a Maryland county's budget office block a State's Attorney from spending on out-of-state staff training?
In a 1989 opinion, Maryland's Attorney General concluded that a State's Attorney's office is generally subject to its county's budget and fiscal policies, including decisions about how or where to…
Can a Texas county use the interest earned on its bond money to add to the principal and pay for more construction on the same project?
Yes, in most cases. In this 1989 opinion the Attorney General concluded that under the common-law rule, interest earned on invested bond proceeds is an accretion that becomes part of the principal…
When someone opens a bank account in a fake name and uses it to write worthless checks against the bank, does the bank become enough of a 'victim' that police can bypass the Financial Privacy Act's notice and subpoena rules to get at the records?
No. The 1989 AG concluded that the person who actually opened the account and transacted business with the bank is a 'customer' under N.C.G.S. § 53B-2(1) even if the name on the account was…
Could Maryland give owner-occupied homes a property tax break without violating the Constitution's equal protection guarantee?
In a 1989 opinion, Maryland's Attorney General concluded that a proposed constitutional amendment authorizing property tax credits limited to owner-occupied residential property would not violate…
Can a Texas county, city, or school district hire a private company to handle all of its property tax assessment and collection?
No, not all of it. In this 1989 opinion the Attorney General concluded that the Property Tax Code requires a natural person to serve as tax assessor-collector for the taxing units subject to it, so…
In Texas, can a county commissioners court create a single-county underground water conservation district, or only the state water agency?
Only the state agency. In this 1989 opinion the Attorney General concluded that the Texas Water Commission is the only governmental body with jurisdiction to create an underground water conservation…
Can one person in Texas hold multiple bail bond licenses by running several bail bond companies under different names?
No. In this 1989 opinion the Attorney General concluded that article 2372p-3 (the bail bond act) does not authorize a county bail bond board to grant more than one bail bond license to any person.…
Can a Texas county levy a special tax dedicated to funding its county historical commission?
No, not a dedicated tax. In this 1989 opinion the Attorney General concluded that, without specific statutory authority, a county commissioners court cannot levy a special tax whose revenues are…
Can a Texas county deny indigent health care to someone who does not have a Social Security number?
No. In this 1989 opinion the Attorney General concluded that a county may not deny assistance under the Indigent Health Care and Treatment Act just because an applicant does not have a social…
Does a Texas county employee who calculates the county tax rate have to be certified as a tax professional?
It depends. In this 1989 opinion the Attorney General concluded that computing a county's effective tax rate under section 26.04 of the Tax Code is an 'assessment' function under the Property…
Can a Texas county pay its commissioners different salaries, and can a commissioner give part of his salary back to the county?
In this 1989 opinion the Attorney General concluded that a commissioners court may pay commissioners of different precincts different salaries if unusual circumstances reasonably require it and each…
Could serving Washington school board members vote themselves per-day compensation during their current terms?
No. In 1989 the Attorney General said the board could authorize the statutory payment by resolution, but its own members could not receive it until their next respective terms. An automatic…
Does the Baxter State Park Authority have to get the Maine Bureau of Purchases to sign off before buying equipment or hiring contractors for the park?
No. The AG memo concluded the Park Authority is an independent trust authority, not a state department or agency, so the central purchasing approval rule in 5 M.R.S.A. § 1816 does not reach it. The…
Did the Supreme Court's Croson decision strike down Maryland's minority business set-aside program for state contracts too?
In a 1989 opinion, Maryland's Attorney General concluded that the state's Minority Business Enterprise contracting program remained constitutional after the U.S. Supreme Court's Croson decision,…
Can the Texas Legislature use a budget rider to move a state agency's duties to another agency, and can that agency's staff work without pay?
In this 1989 opinion the Attorney General concluded that a rider in the General Appropriations Act cannot transfer the functions of the State Rural Medical Education Board (a board created by the…
Were surrogacy agreements lawful in Washington in 1989, and could a surrogate withdraw consent before court approval?
The Attorney General said the described arrangement was not categorically unlawful, but paid brokering faced child-selling restrictions and statutory exceptions. A surrogate’s agreement to…
Could Maryland hold parole and prison grievance hearings over closed-circuit TV instead of in person?
In a 1989 opinion, Maryland's Attorney General concluded that the Maryland Parole Commission and the Inmate Grievance Commission could lawfully hold hearings by closed-circuit television…
Did a returning Washington LEOFF member automatically earn vacation and longevity credit for time on disability retirement?
No. In 1989 the Attorney General said the restoration statute guaranteed the member’s rank and current salary for that rank, not every benefit that continuous service would have earned. Longevity…
Can Texas require a chiropractor to have practiced for a minimum amount of time in another state before granting a reciprocity license?
In this 1989 opinion the Attorney General concluded that the Texas Board of Chiropractic Examiners has no authority to adopt a rule requiring a minimum amount of prior practice in another state as a…
Who has to approve a Maryland state agency's sole source contract for an expert witness in litigation, the budget agency or the Attorney General?
In a 1989 opinion, Maryland's Attorney General concluded that a sole source contract for an expert witness or other litigation consultant, entered into under SF §13-107(b) because the matter…
Does Texas sales tax apply to independent insurance claims investigation and adjustment services, and does it matter who hires the firm?
In this 1989 opinion the Attorney General concluded that independent insurance claims investigation and adjustment services are taxable 'insurance services' under section 151.0039 of the Tax Code.…
Can Texas have the county or district attorney, or an outside lawyer, instead of the tax assessor-collector, handle lawsuits to collect delinquent property taxes?
In this 1989 opinion the Attorney General concluded that section 6.30 of the Tax Code does not violate article VIII, section 14 of the Texas Constitution. That section lets the county or district…
Can the DC Council pass a law setting term limits on the DC Mayor by ordinary legislation, or does it require a Charter amendment?
The 1989 Corporation Counsel opinion concluded that Bill 8-6 could not add a mayoral term limit by ordinary legislation. It treated the proposed limit as an additional Charter qualification and said…
Who can sign a protest against a proposed zoning change in Texas, and does their property have to touch the rezoned area?
In this 1989 opinion the Attorney General concluded that under section 211.006(d) of the Local Government Code, any owner of property within 200 feet of the area covered by a proposed zoning change…
Could Washington require officers hired before 1978 to take basic academy training after a break in employment?
No. The Attorney General said in 1989 that a training commission rule adding a continuous-employment condition to the statutory exemption was invalid. The opinion therefore did not decide whether…
Are unpaid special-education student workers covered by Maryland's Workers' Compensation Act?
In a 1989 opinion, Maryland's Attorney General concluded that handicapped students placed with private employers in unpaid work positions, as part of their special-education program, were not…
Are a Texas governor's office records public records, and can a governor take them when leaving office?
In this 1989 opinion the Attorney General concluded that records the governor's office creates or receives in carrying out its statutory duties are 'public records' under the Government Code and the…
Does SDCL 23A-40-7 allow the Davison County Board of Commissioners to issue a bid for a professional services contract under which a single attorney or law firm would handle the bulk of indigent defense representation in the county, rather than (a) creating a public defender's office or (b) using case-by-case court appointments at hourly rates?
Yes, with caveats. AG Tellinghuisen ruled that SDCL 23A-40-7's three statutory methods (public defender office, court-appointment plan, or combination) accommodate a bid-based professional services…
Can a Texas county bail bond board stop bail bond companies from hiring people with felony convictions?
In this 1989 opinion the Attorney General concluded that a county bail bond board cannot prohibit a licensed bail bondsman from employing people (who are not authorized to execute bonds) just…
Can the same person serve as both Supervisor of the Group Life Insurance Division of the Maine State Retirement System and as an elected employee Trustee of the Maine State Retirement System?
No. AG Tierney concluded the two offices were incompatible at common law. The Supervisor reported to the Executive Director who serves at the pleasure of the Board, so the Supervisor would be both…
When a Texas city withdrew from a metropolitan transit authority, did its share of the authority's unencumbered liquid assets reduce what it still owed?
Yes. The Attorney General concluded that Westlake Hills was entitled to a proportional credit for specified unencumbered liquid assets against taxes later collected for Capital Metro. The city…
Which version of Maine's Site Location Law definition of 'subdivision' should the Department of Environmental Protection use when the supplement prints two competing texts?
Use the version on page 242 of the 1988 Supplementary Pamphlet, the one enacted by P.L. 1987, c. 812, § 7. Chapter 812 repealed and replaced the section without referring to the chapter 737…
Can a Texas commissioners court put a lower tax cap than the state maximum on the ballot for an emergency services district?
In this 1989 opinion the Attorney General concluded that a commissioners court cannot ask voters to approve an emergency services district with a maximum tax rate lower than the statutory 10 cents…
When does an Idaho state public-works project require competitive bidding through the Division of Public Works, and can the state do the work in-house instead?
The 1989 AG opinion concluded the Division of Public Works had jurisdiction over construction, alteration, equipping, or repair projects costing more than $5,000, and competitive bidding under Idaho…
Could the University of Maryland discipline a student for something that happened off campus, like a fraternity house incident?
In a 1989 opinion, Maryland's Attorney General concluded that a public university like the University of Maryland College Park could discipline a student for off-campus misconduct detrimental to the…
When did Washington’s Survey Recording Act require filing a record of survey?
The Attorney General said in 1989 that the listed examples were not exhaustive: establishment, reestablishment or restoration of qualifying boundary corners required filing. Locating a line between…
Can Idaho counties team up with counties in Utah and Wyoming to build a Bear River water project, and can the Water Resource Board issue bonds to fund Idaho's share?
The 1989 AG opinion concluded that Idaho counties could enter joint water-project agreements with Utah and Wyoming counties for irrigation or drainage (but not hydroelectric power), and the Water…
When someone asks a Maine town clerk or the state Bureau of Vital Records for a death certificate, can they see the cause of death, or is that confidential?
Confidential. AG Tierney's 1989 clarification explained that the last sentence of 22 M.R.S.A. § 2706(4), added by P.L. 1973 ch. 121, makes the cause of death (and all details other than name, age,…
Could Maryland exempt religious child care centers from state licensing without violating the separation of church and state?
In a 1989 opinion, Maryland's Attorney General concluded that the General Assembly was constitutionally free, though not constitutionally required, to exempt religiously-affiliated child care…
In Texas, who pays to house someone in the county jail for a city traffic ticket, the city or the county?
In this 1989 opinion the Attorney General concluded that the earlier rule making a city pay to maintain prisoners jailed for violating city ordinances (Opinion MW-52) does not apply when the traffic…
Does a Texas state agency's property appraiser have to register with the same board that licenses local appraisal-district appraisers?
In this 1989 opinion the Attorney General concluded that field appraisers employed by the State Property Tax Board, who conducted the annual property-value and ratio studies used to check appraisal…
Can a Texas county salary grievance committee meet without the county judge, and can it vote behind closed doors?
In this 1989 opinion the Attorney General concluded that a county salary grievance committee's action is not invalid just because a county commissioner, rather than the absent county judge, presided…
Can a Texas county judge sit on the board of directors of a company that does business with the county?
In this 1989 opinion the Attorney General concluded that public policy prohibits a county judge from simultaneously serving on the board of directors of a corporation that does business with the…
If a Texas river authority official gets sued, does the state Attorney General provide the defense?
In this 1989 opinion the Attorney General concluded that a river authority (here the Angelina & Neches River Authority) is not a 'state agency, institution, or department' under section 104.001 of…
Can a school board keep a board member who is suing the board out of a closed-door meeting about that lawsuit?
In this 1989 opinion the Attorney General concluded that when one school board trustee sues the other members, the board may exclude the suing trustee from an executive (closed) session held to…
Did South Carolina's 1989 lottery ban cover a paid courier buying tickets in another state for a local customer?
The Attorney General read South Carolina's 1989 lottery prohibitions as covering a paid courier arrangement in which a customer ordered an out-of-state ticket and received it back in South Carolina.…
Could Texas deny its gasohol fuel tax credit to fuel blended with alcohol produced in other states?
In this 1989 opinion the Attorney General concluded that a court would hold Texas Tax Code section 153.123(b)(4) unconstitutional. That provision granted the tax credit for gasoline/alcohol…
In NC, do the size and content rules in G.S. 47-30 (the plat mapping statute) apply to every plat a surveyor draws, or only to plats that are going to be recorded at the Register of Deeds?
Only to plats presented for recording. G.S. 47-30 sets requirements for recordable plats, not for surveys done for other purposes. Whether a surveyor must comply depends on whether the plat will be…
Clay County petitioners ran short of valid signatures to put a county commissioner size change on the ballot before the deadline. Could later signatures carry over to the next primary? Could circulators be paid? Did unsigned-by-circulator petitions count? And when could a signer take their name off the petition?
Mostly yes, with one no. The AG concluded that original signatures expired when the petition missed its primary election window and the underlying petition became a nullity, but signatures gathered…
How these opinions are useful
- Understand state law: AG opinions are authoritative interpretations of how state law applies.
- Persuasive authority: Not binding like court decisions, but they carry significant weight.
- Government guidance: Often clarify how state agencies and officials should interpret statutes.
- Legal research: Cite AG opinions in letters, motions, and legal arguments.
Browse opinions by state
Two states are not listed and are not pending: New Hampshire publishes its opinions on a page that automated retrieval cannot read, and Rhode Island publishes no complete full-text archive at all. We will add them if that changes.