Any municipality whose duty it is to maintain the highways within its limits may, at any annual or special meeting held for that purpose, accept as a public highway any proposed highway situated in such municipality, provided any municipality in which a town meeting is the legislative body may by ordinance or resolution delegate the power to accept public highways to the board of selectmen in accordance with such procedures as the municipality may establish in the ordinance or resolution, and any municipality may, by charter, provide an alternative means for the acceptance of public highways.
(1949 Rev., S. 2118; 1958 Rev., S. 13-3; 1963, P.A. 226, S. 48; P.A. 91-181, S. 1, 3.)
History: 1963 act replaced previous provisions: See title history; P.A. 91-181 added provision concerning acceptance of highways by boards of selectmen and establishment of alternative means for acceptance.
Acceptance by user by the public. 131 C. 84. When municipality in conformity with statutory requirements expressly accepts street as public highway, no further action on part of general public is required to constitute street a public highway. 146 C. 474. Sec. 13a-71 does not limit width of street that can be accepted. 151 C. 372. A town meeting may accept any street as a public highway irrespective of whether it has received prior approval by selectmen. 159 C. 107. Cited. 165 C. 624. Acceptance of highways is an exercise of legislative discretion that may not be delegated; whole action of town meeting a nullity, not just the illegal delegation; acceptance subject to approval not considered acceptance. 177 C. 527. Neither the public's actual use of the property nor the town's actions constituted an express or implied acceptance of a proposed street. 180 C. 274. Acceptance by municipality may be accomplished through formal proceedings under section or by implication through its conduct. Id., 435. Cited. 226 C. 684.
Cited. 14 CA 521; 17 CA 111; 23 CA 281. In 1730, highways were established by actual use by the general public under the common-law doctrine of dedication and acceptance, and section, which was enacted in 1927, does not allow municipalities to accept such highways. 137 CA 1.
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