The Lease You Never Got to Negotiate
How the executive right holder in Texas can sign the mineral lease, keep the bonus, and drag you along for the ride.
Legal
Owner research · title · valuation
The Mineral Rights Journal
Plain-language research for mineral and royalty owners making consequential decisions.
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The Unleased Owner Tax: No Lease, Still Deducted
How Louisiana operators force you into a unit, sell your gas without a lease, and then fight you in court over the deductions.
LegalEducationValuation
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11 on this pageTexas Relinquishment Act Lands: When the State Shares Mineral Rights
Why your 'private' West Texas minerals might actually belong to the State—and what the Relinquishment Act means for your family's land.
Education
The 500% Penalty Prairie — How Nebraska Can Force-Pool You and Hold Back Your Share Until the Well Pays Out at 5x
Nebraska's forced pooling laws carry a massive 500% risk penalty for unleased mineral owners. Here is how the math actually works.
Legal
The 3/16 Safety Valve: Alabama’s Weird Forced-Pooling Math
Alabama has a unique forced-pooling law. If you say no, the operator can hit you with a 150% penalty—but they still have to pay you a 3/16 royalty.
Legal
“The Bond-On Threat” — How Utah Lets an Operator Drill Anyway After ‘Good Faith’ Talks Fail
Utah’s Surface Owner Protection Act sounds protective. But when push comes to shove, an operator can post a $6,000 bond and drill on your land anyway.
Legal
Pennsylvania’s One-Eighth Minimum Royalty and Post-Production Costs
Pennsylvania law guarantees a 12.5% minimum royalty. We explain how legal loopholes and the net-back method legally shrink that number.
Legal
The Duhig Rule in Texas: Mineral Reservations and Overconveyance
A quirky Texas title rule can automatically erase the minerals you thought your family reserved decades ago. Here is how the math works.
Legal
“The 30-Day Trigger Letter” — How One Certified Demand Can Double Your Royalties in Louisiana
When Louisiana operators stop paying royalties, phone calls won't fix it. Learn how a specific written demand unlocks double damages and forces their hand.
Legal
“Your Check Stub Is a Crime Scene” — North Dakota Makes Bad Royalty Statements a Class B Misdemeanor
North Dakota law gives mineral owners powerful tools to fight bad check stubs, including criminal penalties, audit rights, and high interest rates.
Legal
The Storage Field You Never Leased: Illinois Gas Storage Condemnation
How the Illinois Gas Storage Act allows companies to forcefully turn your family's subsurface into a natural gas storage facility.
Legal
What Happens to Your Royalties When the Well Depletes?
That massive first royalty check won't last forever. Here is what actually happens as oil and gas wells age, decline, and eventually stop producing.
Education