Wyoming Split Estates and the Surface Owner Accommodation Act
Why permits and pooled units in the Powder River Basin stall when operators and surface owners clash over access, notices, and bonds.
Legal
Owner research · title · valuation
Legal
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Commencement of Drilling Disputes: When Dirt Work and Permits Hold a Texas Lease
How Texas courts evaluate eleventh-hour dirt work, permits, and lease language when an operator attempts to hold acreage past the primary term.
LegalValuationEducation
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11 on this pageThe Paid-Up Lease Delay Rental Illusion: Why Modern Oil Leases Do Not Pay Annual Checks
Many heirs inheriting modern oil and gas leases expect annual delay rental checks. Here is why paid-up leases eliminate those payments and what it means for you.
Education
Texas Division Orders: Correcting Decimal Errors and Back-Pay Claims
When a Texas operator makes a division order mistake, you cannot always get a retroactive check. Learn how division order estoppel shifts the risk to you.
Legal
Who Owns Geothermal Heat Under Texas Property?
Texas law now separates geothermal energy from oil and gas rights. Here is how this new subsurface split affects mineral owners and family estates.
Legal
How a 1908 Tax Sale Kept Pennsylvania Mineral Rights Alive
The Third Circuit Court of Appeals recently confirmed that an historic tax sale maneuvering by a surface owner did not erase a family trust's subsurface mineral rights.
Legal
How Texas operators deduct pipeline deficiency fees from your royalty check
A recent Texas appeals court ruling shows how pipeline capacity contracts can reduce your monthly overriding royalty payments.
Legal
The Lease Is Not Title: Why You Have a Contract But No Royalty Check
A signed lease and a bonus check do not prove you own the minerals. We explain the title pipeline and why operators can legally suspend your pay.
Legal
The Magic and the Myth of Louisiana’s Judgment of Possession in Mineral Title
A Judgment of Possession collapses decades of Louisiana probate research into a single document. But relying on it without checking the conveyance records is a massive trap.
Legal
The New West Virginia Late Royalty Law: Vertical vs. Horizontal Well Penalties
West Virginia now imposes different penalties for late royalties depending on whether the well is vertical or horizontal. Here is how the two clocks work.
Legal
The Reality of North Dakota Mineral Taxes and Deductions
A plain-English guide to North Dakota royalty withholding, post-production deductions, and the hidden costs of owning Bakken minerals out of state.
Taxes
Why Am I Getting a JIB? The Unleased Mineral Owner's Guide to North Dakota Forced Pooling
Expecting a royalty check but got a massive bill instead? Here is the math behind North Dakota's forced pooling laws, JIBs, and the 50% risk penalty.
Legal