Who Owns the Mineral Rights to My Property?
Who owns the mineral rights to my property is answered by the county deed records, not by your own deed alone. If an earlier owner kept or sold the minerals, someone else may own them now, even though you own the land. If they turn out to be yours, you can keep them, lease them or ask buyers what they would pay.
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Read your deed for a reservation
Look for words such as “reserving all oil, gas and other minerals” in your deed and the deeds before it. A reservation means the minerals stayed with an earlier owner. If no deed in your chain reserved or sold them, the answer to do I own mineral rights is likely yes, and a title check confirms it.
Trace the chain of title
The county recorder or clerk indexes every deed by the names of the parties. Following them back to the point where the minerals were split from the land shows who holds them now; a landman or title company can do this for a fee.
How do I know if I own mineral rights?
A lease offer, a division order, royalty checks or a separate mineral tax bill in your name all point to an interest. None of these proves ownership on its own; the deed record does.
The Mineral Rights Ownership Flowchart (opens in a new tab) sets the questions out in order.
Can unused mineral rights be lost?
In some states an unused severed interest can lapse or be claimed by the surface owner after a set period. Do Mineral Rights Expire (opens in a new tab) gives the rule for each state.
One request. Buyers compete in writing. You call the shots.
Keep a recent check stub or the lease handy if you have one; it helps buyers price an offer, but you can ask without either. Nothing goes to a buyer until we have talked with you. If a buyer has already written to you, tell us; that letter becomes the number every other offer has to beat.
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Asking for an offer costs you nothing, and there is no fee when you sell. Usually we buy the interest ourselves, and the offer says so. We may resell it, and that is how we are paid; it never changes the price you agreed.
Your money moves through a licensed title company, escrow agent or closing attorney, never through our hands. Every written offer names its buyer.
Common questions
How do I find out who owns the mineral rights to my property?
Search the deed records at the county clerk or recorder where the property sits, and trace the chain of title for any mineral reservation. A landman or title company can run this for you if the history is complicated.
Can I own the land but not the minerals?
Yes. The mineral estate can be sold or reserved separately from the surface, so it is common to own the surface while someone else owns the minerals beneath it.
How do I know if my minerals are producing?
If you hold a lease, receive a division order, or get periodic checks, your minerals are likely producing. If you suspect production but receive nothing, unclaimed royalties may be held by the operator or the state.
My minerals were inherited and the paperwork is a mess. What now?
That is very common. Gather any old deeds, leases, checks, and family names, and we can help you piece together what you hold before any decision about value or selling.
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