Any owner of land, or any interest in land, within a drainage district, who claims that his land in said district is exempt from liability for, or lien of any assessment for cost of construction or repairs, or any additional assessment by said commissioners levied against the same whether said assessments be the first or any subsequent assessment or questions the legality of such assessment, may at any time within thirty days after such assessment shall have been made and on ten days' notice to such drainage commissioners appear before the court having jurisdiction and show cause why said land should not be bound by all drainage assessments in any report or reports of the commissioners of said district assessed against the same. The presumption shall be in favor of the regularity of such assessments, and they shall stand as valid assessments unless the owner of such land, or some interest therein shall show that said assessment is inequitable, or is void because the lands were not subject to assessment in the first instance.
History: Laws 1912, ch. 84, § 62; Code 1915, § 1938; C.S. 1929, § 40-167; 1941 Comp., § 77-1923; 1953 Comp., § 75-20-23.
Complainant must follow statutory procedures. — Complaint to exonerate land from lien of drainage assessment on alleged ground that drain constructed was not that designated in survey was demurrable for failure to show that plaintiff availed himself of opportunities afforded by the drainage statute to protect his interests in the drainage proceeding. Strickland v. Elliott, 1921-NMSC-056, 27 N.M. 238, 199 P. 1016.
Am. Jur. 2d, A.L.R. and C.J.S. references. — 25 Am. Jur. 2d Drains and Drainage Districts § 44 et seq.
Loss of right to contest assessment in drainage proceedings by waiver, estoppel or the like, 9 A.L.R. 842.
Exemption of religious body or society from tax as exempting it from special assessment for drain, 17 A.L.R. 1060, 168 A.L.R. 1222.
Remedy provided by statute or ordinance, failure of property owner to avail himself of, as precluding attack based on improper inclusion of property in, or exclusion of property from, assessment, 100 A.L.R. 1296.
28 C.J.S. Drains § 102.
Structure New Mexico Statutes
Chapter 73 - Special Districts
Article 7 - Drainage Districts; Construction, Operation and Maintenance
Section 73-7-1 - [Commissioners; engineers; surveys; plans; report.]
Section 73-7-2 - [Commissioners; power over plans.]
Section 73-7-3 - [Change of boundaries.]
Section 73-7-4 - [Report; notice of hearing.]
Section 73-7-5 - [Publication of report; notice; service of.]
Section 73-7-6 - [Report; notice; land in several counties.]
Section 73-7-7 - [Report; notice; personal service.]
Section 73-7-8 - [Report; how modified.]
Section 73-7-9 - [Report; assessments; confirmation; appeal.]
Section 73-7-10 - [Report; confirmation; modification.]
Section 73-7-11 - [Commissioners; supplemental report; amendments.]
Section 73-7-12 - [Petition; dismissal; costs.]
Section 73-7-13 - [Petitioners; liability of.]
Section 73-7-14 - [Assessments; how paid.]
Section 73-7-15 - [Assessments; when payable.]
Section 73-7-16 - [Assessments for repairs; when payable; commissioners annual report.]
Section 73-7-17 - [Annual assessment.]
Section 73-7-18 - [Commissioners; powers; right of entry on lands.]
Section 73-7-19 - [Rights-of-way; eminent domain.]
Section 73-7-20 - [Drains across railroads; construction.]
Section 73-7-21 - [Additional assessments; how made.]
Section 73-7-22 - [Omissions not jurisdictional.]
Section 73-7-23 - [Assessments; contents of; presumption.]
Section 73-7-24 - [Additional levy to cover void assessments.]
Section 73-7-25 - [Due date of assessments fixed by court order; collection; lien on lands.]
Section 73-7-26 - [Assessments certified as delinquent entered on tax roll; collection.]
Section 73-7-27 - [Foreclosure proceedings for collection of delinquent assessments.]
Section 73-7-28 - [Petition in foreclosure proceedings.]
Section 73-7-29 - [Notice; publication; mailing; form.]
Section 73-7-30 - [Trial; equity procedure; costs and fees; time of payment of judgment.]
Section 73-7-32 - [Proceedings brought by bondholders; liability for costs and fees.]
Section 73-7-33 - [Disposition of unsold lands.]
Section 73-7-37 - Commissioners may borrow money; notes and bonds; sale.
Section 73-7-38 - [Refunding indebtedness.]
Section 73-7-40 - [Letting contracts; bids; notice.]
Section 73-7-41 - [Commissioners not to be interested in contracts.]
Section 73-7-42 - [Damages; how paid.]
Section 73-7-43 - [Outside lands; when included.]
Section 73-7-44 - [Outside lands; notice to owners.]
Section 73-7-45 - [Outside lands; remonstrance; hearing.]
Section 73-7-46 - [Outside lands; when annexed.]
Section 73-7-47 - [Outside lands; appeal.]
Section 73-7-48 - [Annexed lands; assessments.]
Section 73-7-49 - [Annexed lands; assessments; notice; hearing.]
Section 73-7-50 - [Courts to supervise commissioners; powers.]
Section 73-7-51 - [Bonds and obligations.]
Section 73-7-52 - [Commissioners are public officers; presumptions.]
Section 73-7-53 - [Owners of land; rights to use of drains; eminent domain.]
Section 73-7-54 - [Assessments; confirmation conclusive of regularity.]
Section 73-7-55 - [Obstruction of drains; bridges.]
Section 73-7-56 - Rights-of-way; eminent domain by individuals; eminent domain for construction.