{ "meta": { "title": "U.S. Mineral Rights Law Atlas", "release": "2026.10", "release_date": "2026-10-01", "publisher": "American Mineral Registry", "url": "https://americanmineralregistry.com/research/mineral-rights-by-state", "license": "CC BY 4.0", "license_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "citation": "American Mineral Registry. U.S. Mineral Rights Law Atlas. Release 2026.10, October 1, 2026. https://americanmineralregistry.com/research/mineral-rights-by-state", "review_statement": "Researched and checked by American Mineral Registry against the official text wherever it could be read; review completed October 1, 2026. Reference research, not legal advice.", "coverage": { "jurisdictions": 51, "reviewed": 51, "fields_checked": 152, "fields_total": 153, "rule_types": { "lapse_statute": 18, "prescription": 1, "forfeiture_petition": 3, "marketable_title": 2, "registration_history": 3, "missing_owner": 6, "none_found": 18, "unresolved": 0 }, "pooling": { "statute_found": 39, "none_identified": 12, "unresolved": 0 }, "surface_damages": { "statute_found": 18, "none_identified": 33, "unresolved": 0 } }, "supersedes": { "edition": "June 2026 edition (Zenodo version 2026)", "doi": "10.5281/zenodo.20935348", "concept_doi": "10.5281/zenodo.20935347", "note": "The DOI identifies the June 2026 edition only. This release corrects it and is not part of that deposit." }, "third_party": "Statute text and government data quoted here keep their own terms; the CC BY 4.0 license covers AMR text and compilation." }, "categories": [ { "code": "lapse_statute", "label": "Dormant mineral statute", "description": "A statute under which an unused severed interest can lapse or be declared abandoned, subject to its conditions", "map_letter": "D" }, { "code": "prescription", "label": "Prescription of nonuse", "description": "Civil law prescription: certain mineral rights end after a period of nonuse unless interrupted", "map_letter": "P" }, { "code": "forfeiture_petition", "label": "Tax or work forfeiture", "description": "An interest can be lost through unpaid taxes or a failure to work it, under a procedure the statute sets, such as a court petition or a tax sale", "map_letter": "F" }, { "code": "marketable_title", "label": "Marketable title act", "description": "A title act can cut off older recorded interests unless preserved; treatment of minerals varies", "map_letter": "M" }, { "code": "registration_history", "label": "Registration or claim rules", "description": "Interests had to be, or must be, registered or claimed by deadlines the statute sets; loss follows only through the statute's own procedure, not a rolling nonuse clock", "map_letter": "R" }, { "code": "missing_owner", "label": "Missing owner procedure", "description": "A procedure for unknown or unlocatable owners, such as a trust or receivership, rather than lapse", "map_letter": "O" }, { "code": "none_found", "label": "No such statute found", "description": "A search of the official code found no statute of these kinds; the scope of the search is stated on the state page", "map_letter": "N" }, { "code": "unresolved", "label": "Under review", "description": "Classification withheld until the current rule is confirmed in an official source", "map_letter": "?" } ], "jurisdictions": [ { "id": "AL", "name": "Alabama", "page_url": "https://americanmineralregistry.com/research/states/abandoned-mineral-rights-alabama", "reviewed": true, "reviewed_on": "2026-10-01", "dormancy": { "mechanism": "none_identified", "mechanism_label": "No dormant mineral statute identified", "summary": "No Alabama statute was found that ends or transfers a severed mineral interest for nonuse, and no marketable record title act was found. Nonproducing oil, gas and mineral interests held separately from the surface are exempt from ad valorem tax (Ala. Code 40-20-35; interests created before October 1957 only on application), and a tax sale of the surface does not affect an exempt interest.", "period_years": null, "period_description": null, "self_executing": null, "procedure": null, "qualifying_uses_or_savings": [], "preservation_filing": null, "interest_scope": "Not applicable; no mechanism identified.", "mineral_scope": "Not applicable; no mechanism identified.", "exceptions": [], "effective": "No dormancy statute identified. Tax exemption in 40-20-35 from Acts 1957, No. 261, amended Acts 1961, No. 864.", "date_model": "not_applicable", "date_model_note": "No statutory lapse was identified, so there is no lapse or deadline date for Alabama.", "survey_scope": "Quoted phrase full text searches of the entire Code of Alabama 1975 on the Legislature's ALISON site (alison.legislature.state.al.us, via its public GraphQL endpoint): 'dormant mineral' (1 hit, 35-19-9(d), an environmental covenant clause), 'severed mineral' (0), 'abandoned mineral' (0), 'marketable record title' (0), 'rule of repose' (0), 'statement of claim' and 'nonuse' (no mineral hits), 'mineral interest', 'mineral estate', 'mineral rights', 'mineral owner', 'severed from the surface', 'separately and apart from the surface' (no lapse, abandonment or unknown owner provision among the hits). Read in full: 40-20-35 and 40-20-12 (ad valorem exemptions for nonproducing severed and producing interests), 6-5-200 (adverse possession requires 10 years of recorded color of title, tax listing, or descent), 35-4-69 (recorded affidavits about possession of surface or mineral rights are notice). Title 9, chapter 17 (Oil and Gas) article list checked.", "confidence": "high", "open_questions": [ "Alabama case law on old or unused severed mineral interests (including any judicial presumption or repose doctrine) was not reviewed; the Code does not contain the phrase 'rule of repose'.", "Whether pre-1957 severed interests never exempted under 40-20-35 can still be assessed and sold for taxes was not researched." ], "category": "none_found", "answer": "No Alabama statute was found that ends or transfers a severed mineral interest for nonuse, and no marketable record title act was found. Nonproducing oil, gas and mineral interests held separately from the surface are exempt from ad valorem tax (Ala. Code 40-20-35; interests created before October 1957 only on application), and a tax sale of the surface does not affect an exempt interest.", "evidence": "none_found" }, "dormancy_source_ids": [ "SRC-AL-001", "SRC-AL-002", "SRC-AL-002" ], "pooling": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "Yes. Under Ala. Code 9-17-13(a) and (c), where owners in a drilling or production unit have not agreed to pool, the State Oil and Gas Board shall require integration after notice and hearing. Each integrated tract keeps a 3/16 royalty share (or the actual royalty if less) free of costs, and a 150 percent risk compensation fee may be charged to nonconsenting owners who received actual notice, but not to owners the operator could not locate after diligent search.", "confidence": "high", "survey_scope": null, "evidence": "primary", "source_ids": [ "SRC-AL-003" ] }, "surface_damages": { "status": "none_identified", "summary": "No Alabama statute was found that requires oil and gas operators to notify or compensate surface owners. The Code's surface owner provisions found concern coal surface mining (9-16-84, 9-16-85, 9-16-91). Drilling notice under 9-17-24 runs to the State Oil and Gas Supervisor, not the surface owner.", "confidence": "high", "survey_scope": "Quoted phrase full text searches of the entire Code of Alabama 1975 on ALISON: 'surface owner' (3 hits: 9-16-84, 9-16-85, 9-16-91, all coal surface mining), 'owner of the surface' (4 hits: coal reclamation, tax enumeration 40-11-1, gas storage 9-17-153), 'surface damage' (0), 'surface damages' (0), 'surface use' (0), 'surface estate' (2 hits, coal mining and carbon dioxide storage). Title 9, chapter 17 (Oil and Gas) article list has no surface damage article. Read 9-17-24 (drilling notice to the State Oil and Gas Supervisor). Board rules and common law were not reviewed.", "evidence": "none_found", "source_ids": [] }, "june_2026": { "state": "Alabama", "abbr": "AL", "category": "none", "unused_minerals": "Does not lapse", "lapse_period": "none", "surface_damages_act": "no", "forced_pooling": "yes", "risk_score": 0, "rank": 21, "statute": "n/a", "source_status": "No dormant act (surveyed)", "source_url": "", "preservation": "No dormant mineral act; a severed interest does not lapse through nonuse.", "note": "No dormant mineral act in Alabama. A severed mineral interest does not lapse through nonuse. Based on national statutory surveys; confirm against the current state code." } }, { "id": "AK", "name": "Alaska", "page_url": "https://americanmineralregistry.com/research/states/do-mineral-rights-expire-in-alaska", "reviewed": true, "reviewed_on": "2026-10-01", "dormancy": { "mechanism": "none_identified", "mechanism_label": "No dormant mineral statute identified", "summary": "No Alaska statute was found that ends or transfers a severed mineral interest for nonuse, requires a statement of claim, or provides a procedure for missing mineral owners. Unpaid mineral proceeds can become unclaimed property under AS 34.45, which affects the payments, not ownership of the interest.", "period_years": null, "period_description": null, "self_executing": null, "procedure": null, "qualifying_uses_or_savings": [], "preservation_filing": null, "interest_scope": "Not applicable.", "mineral_scope": "Not applicable.", "exceptions": [], "effective": "No dormancy statute identified in the Alaska Statutes database as shown on akleg.gov on 1 Oct 2026 (labeled Alaska Statutes 2025).", "date_model": "not_applicable", "date_model_note": "No statutory lapse was identified, so there is no lapse or deadline date for Alaska.", "survey_scope": "Official Alaska Statutes at akleg.gov (database labeled Alaska Statutes 2025). Full text of Titles 09 (Code of Civil Procedure, 634 sections), 27 (Mining, 135), 31 (Oil and Gas, 70), 34 (Property, 554) and 38 (Public Land, 334) downloaded through the official print view and searched for mineral, severed, dormant, marketable, subsurface, oil and gas, abandon, unknown owner, surface owner, statement of claim and lapse. No dormant mineral, statement of claim, marketable title or missing mineral owner statute found. Related: AS 34.45.760 treats unpaid mineral proceeds as unclaimed property (the payments, not the interest); AS 38.05.125 reserves minerals to the state in state land conveyances; AS 34.35.125 to 34.35.170 are mining liens; AS 09.45 partition sections protect proceeds of unknown owners generally; Title 27 governs state mining claims.", "confidence": "medium", "open_questions": [ "Titles other than 09, 27, 31, 34 and 38 were not searched in full text.", "The database is labeled Alaska Statutes 2025; changes from the 2026 session were not checked.", "Alaska case law on abandonment of severed mineral interests was not reviewed." ], "category": "none_found", "answer": "No Alaska statute was found that ends or transfers a severed mineral interest for nonuse, requires a statement of claim, or provides a procedure for missing mineral owners. Unpaid mineral proceeds can become unclaimed property under AS 34.45, which affects the payments, not ownership of the interest.", "evidence": "none_found" }, "dormancy_source_ids": [ "SRC-AK-001" ], "pooling": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "If persons owning drilling rights in separately owned tracts within an established drilling unit do not agree to pool, the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission may order their interests pooled and integrated, after notice and hearing, to prevent waste, protect correlative rights or avoid unnecessary wells (AS 31.05.100(c)). AS 31.05.110 also gives the commission authority to order unitized operation of a pool.", "confidence": "high", "survey_scope": null, "evidence": "primary", "source_ids": [ "SRC-AK-002", "SRC-AK-003" ] }, "surface_damages": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "Limited to minerals the state reserved when it conveyed state land (AS 38.05.125): the state and its lessees, including oil and gas lessees, may not exercise the reserved rights until they provide full payment to the owner of the land for all damages from entry; if the owner refuses or neglects to settle, they may enter after posting a bond set by the director and a court determines damages (AS 38.05.130). No statute was found for privately severed or federally reserved minerals.", "confidence": "medium", "survey_scope": "Full text of AS Titles 31 (oil and gas), 38 (public land), 27 (mining), 34 and 09 searched for surface owner, owner of the surface and surface estate; AS 38.05.130 is the only oil and gas surface damages provision found, and it applies only to state reserved minerals.", "evidence": "partial", "source_ids": [ "SRC-AK-004" ] }, "june_2026": { "state": "Alaska", "abbr": "AK", "category": "none", "unused_minerals": "Does not lapse", "lapse_period": "none", "surface_damages_act": "no", "forced_pooling": "yes", "risk_score": 0, "rank": 22, "statute": "n/a", "source_status": "No dormant act (surveyed)", "source_url": "", "preservation": "No dormant mineral act; a severed interest does not lapse through nonuse.", "note": "No dormant mineral act in Alaska. A severed mineral interest does not lapse through nonuse. Based on national statutory surveys; confirm against the current state code." } }, { "id": "AZ", "name": "Arizona", "page_url": "https://americanmineralregistry.com/research/states/do-mineral-rights-expire-in-arizona", "reviewed": true, "reviewed_on": "2026-10-01", "dormancy": { "mechanism": "none_identified", "mechanism_label": "No dormant mineral statute identified", "summary": "No Arizona statute was found that ends or transfers a severed private mineral interest for nonuse, requires a statement of claim, or provides a procedure for missing mineral owners. Arizona's mining claim statutes (Title 27, chapter 2) deal with locating, maintaining and abandoning mining claims, largely on federal land, which is a different topic from severed private mineral interests.", "period_years": null, "period_description": null, "self_executing": null, "procedure": null, "qualifying_uses_or_savings": [], "preservation_filing": null, "interest_scope": "Not applicable.", "mineral_scope": "Not applicable.", "exceptions": [], "effective": "No dormancy statute identified in the Arizona Revised Statutes as shown on azleg.gov on 1 Oct 2026.", "date_model": "not_applicable", "date_model_note": "No statutory lapse was identified, so there is no lapse or deadline date for Arizona. Mining claim maintenance deadlines are a separate federal and state topic.", "survey_scope": "Official Arizona Revised Statutes at azleg.gov, read 1 Oct 2026. All section headings of Titles 12 (Courts and Civil Proceedings, 904 headings), 27 (Minerals, Oil and Gas, 311), 33 (Property, 545), 37 (Public Lands, 263), 42 (Taxation, 841) and 44 (Trade and Commerce, including unclaimed property, 813) read and searched for dormant, abandon, lapse, sever, unknown, missing, marketable, mineral, oil, gas, royalty, surface, forfeit, reservation, ancient, quiet and adverse. No dormant mineral, statement of claim, marketable title or missing mineral owner statute found. Related: Title 27 chapter 2 governs location and abandonment of mining claims (27-203), a mining claim topic, not severed private mineral interests; 37-710 reserves minerals in state school lands sold; 42-17154 attaches property tax liens to severed mineral rights; 44-302 sets general unclaimed property presumptions; 12-523 to 12-526 are general adverse possession periods. The azleg.gov search was not run for this release; full text outside the cited sections was not searched.", "confidence": "medium", "open_questions": [ "The survey read section headings, not full text, across Titles 12, 27, 33, 37, 42 and 44; a full text search of the Arizona Revised Statutes was not run.", "Arizona case law on abandonment or adverse possession of severed mineral interests was not reviewed." ], "category": "none_found", "answer": "No Arizona statute was found that ends or transfers a severed private mineral interest for nonuse, requires a statement of claim, or provides a procedure for missing mineral owners. Arizona's mining claim statutes (Title 27, chapter 2) deal with locating, maintaining and abandoning mining claims, largely on federal land, which is a different topic from severed private mineral interests.", "evidence": "none_found" }, "dormancy_source_ids": [ "SRC-AZ-001" ], "pooling": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "If owners in an established drilling unit do not agree to pool, the Arizona Oil and Gas Conservation Commission may, to prevent waste, protect correlative rights or avoid unnecessary wells, order their interests pooled after notice and hearing, with costs of nonconsenting owners recovered only out of their share of production (ARS 27-505; 27-501(3) defines commissioner as the commission). ARS 27-531 to 27-535 also provide for compulsory fieldwide unitization of a pool on findings of increased recovery.", "confidence": "high", "survey_scope": null, "evidence": "primary", "source_ids": [ "SRC-AZ-002", "SRC-AZ-003" ] }, "surface_damages": { "status": "none_identified", "summary": "No Arizona statute was found requiring oil and gas operators to notify or compensate private surface owners. ARS 27-560 makes a lessee of state oil and gas lands liable for damage to the state's surface interest or to the state's surface lessee, with damages appraised by 'the department' if the parties cannot agree; it does not reach privately owned surface.", "confidence": "medium", "survey_scope": "Section headings of ARS Titles 27 (including chapter 4, oil and gas, 27-501 to 27-677), 33 and 37 read for surface use, surface owner and damages; only state land lease provisions found (27-560 for oil and gas leases, 27-673 for geothermal leases).", "evidence": "none_found", "source_ids": [ "SRC-AZ-004" ] }, "june_2026": { "state": "Arizona", "abbr": "AZ", "category": "none", "unused_minerals": "Does not lapse", "lapse_period": "none", "surface_damages_act": "no", "forced_pooling": "yes", "risk_score": 0, "rank": 23, "statute": "n/a", "source_status": "No dormant act (surveyed)", "source_url": "", "preservation": "No dormant mineral act; a severed interest does not lapse through nonuse.", "note": "No dormant mineral act in Arizona. A severed mineral interest does not lapse through nonuse. Based on national statutory surveys; confirm against the current state code." } }, { "id": "AR", "name": "Arkansas", "page_url": "https://americanmineralregistry.com/research/states/do-mineral-rights-expire-in-arkansas", "reviewed": true, "reviewed_on": "2026-10-01", "dormancy": { "mechanism": "work_or_tax_forfeiture", "mechanism_label": "No dormant mineral statute identified; severed mineral rights are taxed and can go tax delinquent to the state", "summary": "No Arkansas statute ending a severed mineral interest for nonuse was identified, but the official code could not be searched, and the state's appellate opinion database has no opinion mentioning a dormant or abandoned mineral statute. Mineral rights, including nonproducing ones, are assessed for property tax (Ark. Code Ann. 26-26-1110, as quoted in 2021 Ark. App. 324). Unpaid taxes send the interest to the Commissioner of State Lands, who states that tax delinquent mineral interests may be redeemed at any time and may be purchased only in limited situations.", "period_years": null, "period_description": null, "self_executing": "unclear", "procedure": "Statute text not read. Per the Commissioner of State Lands, tax delinquent mineral interests are certified to the Commissioner, may be redeemed at any time, and may be purchased from the Commissioner only in limited situations; redemption deeds issue under Ark. Code Ann. 26-37-310 (Commissioner's 2023 rules). The Court of Appeals has described Ark. Code Ann. 18-61-106(a) as letting a holder under a tax deed, even an invalid one, gain title to land or a mineral estate by two years of adverse possession (2015 Ark. App. 555).", "qualifying_uses_or_savings": [ "Paying the property taxes assessed on the mineral interest (inference from the tax delinquency structure, not a listed saving event)", "Redeeming from the Commissioner of State Lands, which the Commissioner says is possible at any time for tax delinquent mineral interests" ], "preservation_filing": null, "interest_scope": "Mineral rights assessed for property tax, including nonproducing mineral rights (26-26-1110 as quoted by the Court of Appeals). Exact scope not read in statute.", "mineral_scope": null, "exceptions": [], "effective": null, "date_model": "explain_only", "date_model_note": "Loss depends on tax delinquency and the Commissioner's disposition process, not on time since last use, so no date can be computed from a last use date.", "survey_scope": "The official Arkansas Code is hosted by LexisNexis behind a terms of use gate and was not used; law.justia.com, codes.findlaw.com and the Oil and Gas Commission site was not available, and web search capacity was exhausted. Searched the official appellate opinions database (opinions.arcourts.gov) for: 'dormant mineral' (0 opinions), 'dormant minerals' (0), 'abandoned mineral' (0), 'mineral lapse' (0), 'marketable title act' (0), 'marketable record title' (0), 'mineral' with 'statement of claim' (0), '26-37-314' (0), 'severed mineral' with 'assessed' (23). Read: Commissioner of State Lands FAQ and Rules 2023 Edition; 2021 Ark. App. 324 (assessment of mineral rights); 2015 Ark. App. 555 (tax sale title and two year limitation). No Arkansas statute text was read directly.", "confidence": "low", "open_questions": [ "Read the official Arkansas Code (Title 26, chapters 26 and 37, including 26-26-1110 and 26-37-310) to model how and when tax delinquent severed mineral interests are sold, redeemed or lost.", "Confirm in the official code that no dormant mineral, abandoned mineral or marketable title statute exists; only the opinion database was searched.", "Acts of 2025 and 2026 were not checked." ], "category": "forfeiture_petition", "answer": "No Arkansas statute ending a severed mineral interest for nonuse was identified, but the official code could not be searched, and the state's appellate opinion database has no opinion mentioning a dormant or abandoned mineral statute. Mineral rights, including nonproducing ones, are assessed for property tax (Ark. Code Ann. 26-26-1110, as quoted in 2021 Ark. App. 324).", "evidence": "partial" }, "dormancy_source_ids": [ "SRC-AR-001", "SRC-AR-002", "SRC-AR-003", "SRC-AR-004" ], "pooling": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "Yes. The Oil and Gas Commission may integrate (force pool) unleased or uncommitted interests in a drilling unit by an order integrating all tracts and interests (Ark. Code Ann. 15-72-303), on just and reasonable terms (15-72-304(a)); an unleased owner is regarded as owning a one eighth royalty (15-72-304(d)). Statute text taken from the Court of Appeals' quotations in 2023 Ark. App. 483.", "confidence": "medium", "survey_scope": null, "evidence": "partial", "source_ids": [ "SRC-AR-005", "SRC-AR-006" ] }, "surface_damages": { "status": "none_identified", "summary": "No Arkansas statute requiring oil and gas operators to compensate surface owners was identified, but the code could not be searched. In a 2022 surface restoration case the Court of Appeals looked to implied lease duties, Commission Rule B-9(e) and the prudent operator standard in Ark. Code Ann. 15-73-207(b), not to a surface damage statute. A Commission rule quoted in a 2007 Supreme Court opinion requires notice to the surface owner before seismic operations, as provided in Ark. Code Ann. 15-72-203.", "confidence": "low", "survey_scope": "Official code not searchable (LexisNexis terms gate; mirrors was not available). Searched the official appellate opinions database for 'surface damage act' (0 opinions), 'split estate' (0), 'surface owner' with '15-72' (1) and 'surface damages' with oil, gas and statute (4); read 2022 Ark. App. 521 and the 2007 El Paso v. Blanchard opinion. Ark. Code Ann. 15-72-203 (seismic notice) was not read.", "evidence": "none_found", "source_ids": [ "SRC-AR-007", "SRC-AR-008" ] }, "june_2026": { "state": "Arkansas", "abbr": "AR", "category": "none", "unused_minerals": "Does not lapse", "lapse_period": "none", "surface_damages_act": "no", "forced_pooling": "yes", "risk_score": 0, "rank": 24, "statute": "n/a", "source_status": "Sourced", "source_url": "", "preservation": "No dormant mineral act; a severed interest does not lapse through nonuse.", "note": "Arkansas has no dormant mineral statute. Severed mineral owners can still face loss through tax sales or quiet title actions, so records still matter." } }, { "id": "CA", "name": "California", "page_url": "https://americanmineralregistry.com/research/states/california-dormant-mineral-act", "reviewed": true, "reviewed_on": "2026-10-01", "dormancy": { "mechanism": "dormant_mineral_act", "mechanism_label": "Dormant mineral right statute, 20 years, court action by the surface owner required", "summary": "The owner of the land may sue in superior court to terminate a mineral right that has been dormant for the 20 years immediately before the suit. Dormant means no production or operations affecting the minerals, no separately assessed tax paid, no recorded instrument evidencing the right and no recorded notice of intent to preserve during that window. The right never lapses by itself: it ends only by court order, and the mineral owner can still defeat the suit by recording a late notice and paying the surface owner's litigation expenses.", "period_years": 20, "period_description": "The 20 years immediately preceding commencement of the action to terminate (Civ. Code 883.220). Production, exploration, drilling, mining, development or other operations affecting the minerals (on the land or on other land, pooled or not), payment of tax on a separate assessment of the right, a recorded instrument creating, transferring or evidencing the right, or a recorded notice of intent to preserve anywhere inside that window defeats dormancy.", "self_executing": "no", "procedure": "Action to terminate brought by the owner of the real property in the superior court of the county where the land lies, in the same manner and under the same procedure as a quiet title action (883.240). In the action the court must let the mineral owner record a late notice of intent to preserve as a condition of dismissal, on payment into court of the surface owner's litigation expenses including a reasonable attorney's fee (883.250). A terminating order is equivalent to a conveyance of the right to the owner of the real property (883.260).", "qualifying_uses_or_savings": [ "Production of the minerals", "Exploration, drilling, mining, development or other operations that affect the minerals, on or below the surface of the land or on other property, whether or not unitized or pooled with the land", "A separate property tax assessment of the mineral right on which taxes are paid", "Recording of an instrument creating, reserving, transferring or otherwise evidencing the mineral right", "Recording a notice of intent to preserve within the 20 years before the action (883.230(c)(1))", "Recording a late notice of intent to preserve after the action is filed, with payment of the surface owner's litigation expenses (883.230(c)(2), 883.250)" ], "preservation_filing": "Notice of intent to preserve (Civ. Code 880.310 to 880.350 and 883.230), recordable at any time. It must be in writing, signed and verified by or for the claimant, and give each claimant's name and mailing address; for mineral rights it may refer generally to all mineral rights the claimant holds in any real property in the county instead of stating the character of the interest, its record location and a legal description (883.230(b)). It is recorded in the county where the land lies and indexed with each claimant as grantor; the statutory form is in 880.340.", "interest_scope": "Any mineral right created by grant or reservation, whether a fee or lesser interest, mineral, royalty or leasehold, absolute or fractional, including appurtenant surface rights (883.110), other than the interests excluded through 883.120 and 880.240.", "mineral_scope": "All minerals, regardless of character, fugacious or nonfugacious, organic or inorganic (883.110).", "exceptions": [ "Mineral rights reserved to the United States, and an oil or gas lease, mining claim or other mineral right of a person entitled under federal law, to the extent provided in 880.240 (883.120(a))", "Mineral rights of the state or a local public entity (883.120(b), 880.240(c))", "Interests of a person in possession, to the extent possession would be revealed by reasonable inspection or inquiry (880.240(a), applied through 883.120(b))", "The chapter does not limit common law abandonment or any other statutory procedure for clearing an abandoned mineral right (883.130)" ], "effective": "Chapter 3 (883.110 to 883.270) added by Stats. 1984, ch. 240, sec. 2. It applies to all mineral rights whether executed or recorded before, on or after January 1, 1985, subject to the grace period in 880.370, which extends any recording period that would expire before, on or within five years after the statute's operative date until five years after that date. The notice of intent to preserve provisions date from Stats. 1982, ch. 1268; the notice form (880.340) was amended by Stats. 2012, ch. 94, effective January 1, 2013.", "date_model": "court_determination", "date_model_note": "Nothing happens automatically. The 20 years are counted back from the day a termination suit is filed, and the owner can cure inside the suit. A calculator can at most show the first date on which a 20 year lookback from the last known qualifying event would be complete; it cannot show a date on which the right ends.", "survey_scope": null, "confidence": "high", "open_questions": [ "No California appellate decisions construing 883.210 to 883.270 were researched, for example on what counts as operations that affect the minerals on other property.", "The operative date that 880.370 measures from for this chapter (most likely January 1, 1985, which would put the grace deadline at January 1, 1990) should be confirmed.", "Whether 880.240(b) leaves federally patented split estates outside the statute in particular counties should be checked by a specialist." ], "category": "lapse_statute", "answer": "The owner of the land may sue in superior court to terminate a mineral right that has been dormant for the 20 years immediately before the suit. Dormant means no production or operations affecting the minerals, no separately assessed tax paid, no recorded instrument evidencing the right and no recorded notice of intent to preserve during that window.", "evidence": "primary" }, "dormancy_source_ids": [ "SRC-CA-001", "SRC-CA-002", "SRC-CA-003", "SRC-CA-004", "SRC-CA-005", "SRC-CA-006", "SRC-CA-007", "SRC-CA-008", "SRC-CA-009", "SRC-CA-010", "SRC-CA-011" ], "pooling": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "No general forced pooling procedure for drilling units was found, but three narrower compulsory tools exist in the Public Resources Code. Section 3608 deems a surrounded tract of less than one acre included in the adjoining oil and gas lease once the supervisor records a declaration, with at least a one eighth royalty share; section 3609 lets the supervisor require pooling or unit agreements, including mandatory pooling by regulation, under a spacing plan for pools discovered after it took effect (Stats. 1973, ch. 864); and sections 3640 to 3659 let the supervisor order secondary recovery unit operations binding every owner once three fourths of working and royalty interests consent, with a right for nonconsenting owners to sell. Subsiding areas have a separate compulsory unit procedure (3315 to 3347).", "confidence": "high", "survey_scope": "For the negative part (no general drilling unit forced pooling): leginfo Public Resources Code Division 3 table of contents, all chapters and articles, plus full text of Chapter 3 (3600 to 3609), Chapter 3.5 Article 3 (3640 to 3659) and sections 3322 and 3322.1 of Article 5.5. Regulations adopted under 3609 were not checked.", "evidence": "primary", "source_ids": [ "SRC-CA-012", "SRC-CA-013", "SRC-CA-014", "SRC-CA-015", "SRC-CA-016" ] }, "surface_damages": { "status": "none_identified", "summary": "No statute was found that requires oil and gas operators to compensate surface owners for surface damage. Civil Code 848 is notice only: before first entry a mineral rights owner must give the surface owner written notice, at least 5 days ahead for work that does not disturb the surface and 30 days ahead for drilling or other surface disturbing work, unless a surface use agreement exists, and the surface owner may ask a court to enjoin operations until notice is given.", "confidence": "medium", "survey_scope": "leginfo Civil Code section 848 (full text) and the Public Resources Code Division 3 table of contents; one web search for a California surface damages compensation statute returned none. A full text search across all California codes was not run.", "evidence": "none_found", "source_ids": [ "SRC-CA-017" ] }, "june_2026": { "state": "California", "abbr": "CA", "category": "lapse", "unused_minerals": "Can lapse / revert", "lapse_period": "20 years", "surface_damages_act": "no", "forced_pooling": "yes", "risk_score": 84, "rank": 2, "statute": "Cal. Civ. Code 883.210 to 883.270", "source_status": "Sourced", "source_url": "https://law.justia.com/codes/california/code-civ/division-2/part-2/title-5/chapter-3/article-2/", "preservation": "Record a notice of intent to preserve, or use the interest within 20 years (Cal. Civ. Code 883.220 and 883.230).", "note": "California lets a surface owner terminate a dormant mineral right after 20 years with no production, no taxes paid on it, and no recording, unless the owner records a notice of intent to preserve." } }, { "id": "CO", "name": "Colorado", "page_url": "https://americanmineralregistry.com/research/states/abandoned-mineral-rights-colorado", "reviewed": true, "reviewed_on": "2026-10-01", "dormancy": { "mechanism": "work_or_tax_forfeiture", "mechanism_label": "No nonuse lapse found; severed mineral interests can be lost through a property tax lien sale", "summary": "No Colorado statute was found that ends a severed mineral interest for nonuse, and no marketable record title act was found. The mineral specific route is tax based: a surface owner may require the county assessor to put a severed mineral interest on the tax roll (C.R.S. 39-1-104.5), and if the taxes go delinquent the tax lien is sold, with a right of first refusal for the surface owner whose surface is coterminous with the mineral interest (C.R.S. 39-11-150). An unredeemed lien can lead to a treasurer's deed. Paying the taxes avoids this route; nonuse alone does nothing.", "period_years": null, "period_description": "No nonuse period. The route starts with delinquent property taxes on the severed interest. Under C.R.S. 39-11-120(1) as it applies to sales before July 1, 2024, a deed could issue any time after three years from the tax lien sale if the lien was not redeemed. HB 24-1056 amended 39-11-120 effective July 1, 2024; the replacement procedure was not read.", "self_executing": "no", "procedure": "Assessment of the severed interest (a surface owner can force placement on the roll with a title certificate under 39-1-104.5), tax delinquency, treasurer's tax lien sale with at least ten days mailed notice to a coterminous surface owner who may buy the lien or pay the delinquent taxes (39-11-150), then a treasurer's deed if the lien is not redeemed. An action to recover a severed mineral interest after a tax deed is limited to the period in 39-12-101 (five years after the deed).", "qualifying_uses_or_savings": [ "Paying the property taxes levied on the severed mineral interest, which prevents delinquency (inference from the tax sale structure, not a listed saving event)" ], "preservation_filing": null, "interest_scope": "Severed mineral interests carried on the county tax roll. The right of first refusal applies only where the surface estate ownership is coterminous with the severed mineral interest.", "mineral_scope": "Any severed mineral interest. Valuation of severed nonproducing oil and gas interests is set by C.R.S. 39-7-109 (income approach using lease rentals, or average area rentals if unleased).", "exceptions": [ "Surface owner first refusal only where surface ownership is coterminous with the severed mineral interest (39-11-150)" ], "effective": "39-1-104.5 added L. 79, effective July 1 (1979), amended L. 83, effective May 16. 39-11-150 from L. 73, amended L. 85, effective July 1. 39-11-120 amended by HB 24-1056, effective July 1, 2024. SB 26-044 (2026), which would have let counties cancel taxes on severed mineral accounts after 5 years and convey the liens, was postponed indefinitely on 03/24/2026 and is Lost.", "date_model": "explain_only", "date_model_note": "Loss depends on tax delinquency, a lien sale and a deed, not on time since last use. A calculator cannot compute a lapse date from a last use date.", "survey_scope": "Read the official Colorado Revised Statutes 2024 PDFs (Office of Legislative Legal Services) for titles 24, 34, 38 and 39 via Internet Archive snapshots of content.leg.colorado.gov, because the official host was not available. Searched: mineral, severed, dormant, abandoned, unknown owner, missing, whereabouts, cannot be located, marketable. Title 38 article list read in full: no dormant mineral or unknown mineral owner statute; no marketable record title act (38-30-157 to 38-30-164 only clears old reverter and entry rights; 38-34-101 is a policy statement); article 42 covers leases only (38-42-104 to 38-42-106 lease release and extension affidavit); article 13 (unclaimed property) reaches mineral proceeds, not title. Related: 24-65.5 lets mineral owners record a request for notification of surface development (no loss of title); 34-60-116(6)(b)(I.7) excludes owners who cannot be located from the pooling consent percentage; 38-35.7-108 severed mineral disclosure in residential sales. 2026 bill SB 26-044 checked on leg.colorado.gov (Lost).", "confidence": "medium", "open_questions": [ "Amendments after the 2024 edition of the C.R.S. (2025 and 2026 sessions) were not checked, except SB 26-044, which was lost.", "HB 24-1056 changed the treasurer's deed procedure from July 1, 2024; what now follows an unredeemed lien on a severed mineral interest under the current 39-11-120 was not checked.", "Redemption rules (article 12 of title 39) were not read.", "How often county assessors carry unleased severed mineral interests on the roll, and at what value under 39-7-109, is not known.", "Case law on adverse possession (38-41-101, eighteen years) against severed mineral estates was not reviewed." ], "category": "forfeiture_petition", "answer": "No Colorado statute was found that ends a severed mineral interest for nonuse, and no marketable record title act was found.", "evidence": "partial" }, "dormancy_source_ids": [ "SRC-CO-001", "SRC-CO-002", "SRC-CO-003", "SRC-CO-004", "SRC-CO-005", "SRC-CO-006" ], "pooling": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "Yes. Under C.R.S. 34-60-116(6)(b) the commission (now the Energy and Carbon Management Commission) may, after notice and hearing, pool all interests in a drilling unit on application of a person that owns or has the consent of owners of more than 45 percent of the mineral interests to be pooled. An unleased owner cannot be pooled over protest without a reasonable good faith lease offer made at least 60 days before the hearing, and an unleased nonconsenting owner is deemed to hold a 13 percent (gas) or 16 percent (oil) royalty until costs are recovered.", "confidence": "high", "survey_scope": null, "evidence": "primary", "source_ids": [ "SRC-CO-007" ] }, "surface_damages": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "Colorado has surface owner protections in the Oil and Gas Conservation Act, though not a stand alone surface damage act: operators must give the surface owner written notice of drilling at least 30 days ahead (34-60-106(14)), the commission must require security to protect a surface owner who was not a party to the lease from unreasonable crop losses or land damage (34-60-106(3.5)), and an operator who fails to accommodate the surface owner faces a cause of action for compensatory damages (34-60-127).", "confidence": "medium", "survey_scope": null, "evidence": "partial", "source_ids": [ "SRC-CO-008", "SRC-CO-009", "SRC-CO-010" ] }, "june_2026": { "state": "Colorado", "abbr": "CO", "category": "none", "unused_minerals": "Does not lapse", "lapse_period": "none", "surface_damages_act": "yes", "forced_pooling": "yes", "risk_score": 0, "rank": 25, "statute": "n/a", "source_status": "Sourced", "source_url": "", "preservation": "No dormant mineral act; a severed interest does not lapse through nonuse.", "note": "Colorado has no dormant minerals act, so severed minerals do not lapse through nonuse. It added a surface owner protection law in 2007." } }, { "id": "CT", "name": "Connecticut", "page_url": "https://americanmineralregistry.com/research/states/connecticut-dormant-mineral-act", "reviewed": true, "reviewed_on": "2026-10-01", "dormancy": { "mechanism": "dormant_mineral_act", "mechanism_label": "Dormant Mineral Interests Act, 20 years, court action by the fee owner required", "summary": "The owner of the fee simple title may sue to terminate a mineral interest that has been unused for the 20 years immediately before the action; the court then decrees it extinguished, and the recorded decree merges it into the surface estate. Use includes active mineral operations, payment of separate mineral taxes, recorded transfers, leases or liens, a recorded judgment and a recorded notice of intent to preserve. The interest never ends by itself, and the mineral owner can stop the suit by recording a late notice and paying the plaintiff's litigation expenses.", "period_years": 20, "period_description": "Twenty years immediately preceding commencement of the action (Conn. Gen. Stat. 47-33q(a)). A qualifying use by or under authority of the mineral owner, or a notice of intent to preserve recorded, within that window defeats dormancy. No disability or lack of knowledge suspends the running of the period.", "self_executing": "no", "procedure": "Action brought in the manner of, and with the same notice as, a quiet title action under 47-31 to 47-33, maintainable whether or not the mineral owner or the owner's whereabouts is known (47-33q(a)). If the court finds 20 or more years of nonuse it shall decree the interest extinguished and terminated. On application of a person claiming to own the interest, the court shall permit a late notice of intent to preserve upon payment of the litigation expenses it awards, and then dismisses unless the plaintiff moves within fifteen days to continue the case as an ordinary quiet title action (47-33q(b)). The recorded decree merges the interest, with its surface rights and obligations, into the surface estate in proportion to surface ownership, subject to existing tax liens (47-33s).", "qualifying_uses_or_savings": [ "Production, geophysical exploration, exploratory or developmental drilling, mining, exploitation, development or other active mineral operations on or below the surface of the land subject to the interest; such operations count as use of any mineral interest owned by any person in any mineral that is the object of the operations", "Payment of taxes on a separate property tax assessment of the interest, or of a mineral transfer or severance tax relating to it", "Recording an instrument that transfers, leases, conveys, assigns or divides the interest or creates a security interest or lien against it, including a probate certificate of distribution or devise", "Recording a notice of intent to preserve under 47-33r", "Recording a certified copy of a judgment or decree that specifically refers to the interest, describes the fee estate, names all record fee owners and is indexed in the grantor index in their names", "A late notice of intent to preserve recorded during the suit with payment of litigation expenses (47-33q(b))" ], "preservation_filing": "Notice of intent to preserve the mineral interest, recorded in the land records of each town where the land lies; the interest is preserved only in each town where the notice is recorded (47-33r(a)). It may be recorded by the owner, by a person acting for an owner who is under a disability, unable to assert a claim, or one of a class whose identity is uncertain, or by a co-owner for the benefit of other co-owners. It must contain a particular description of the land (or the description in the recorded instrument creating the interest), the then record owners of the fee, a full description of the interest claimed, and a reference to the recorded instrument creating or evidencing it with parties, date and volume and page, or, if unrecorded, the basis of title stated with particularity (47-33r(c)).", "interest_scope": "Any interest in a mineral estate however created: fee simple or any lesser interest, any kind of royalty, production payment, executive or nonexecutive right, leasehold or security interest in minerals (47-33o(1)), where the fee estate of the land is owned by someone else (47-33o(3)).", "mineral_scope": "All minerals: oil, gas, coal, other hydrocarbons, oil shale, cement material, sand and gravel, road material, building stone, chemical substances, gemstones, metallic, fissionable and nonfissionable ores, clays, steam and geothermal resources, and any other substance defined as a mineral by state law (47-33o(2)).", "exceptions": [ "Mineral interests of the United States or an Indian tribe, except as federal law permits (47-33p(a)(1))", "Mineral interests of the state or a state agency or political subdivision, except as other state law permits (47-33p(a)(2))", "Injection of substances for disposal or storage is not an active mineral operation (47-33q(c)(1))", "Water rights are not affected (47-33p(b)), and other procedures for extinguishing abandoned or dormant mineral interests are not limited (47-33t(c))" ], "effective": "P.A. 87-283, sections 1 to 8. The act applies from October 1, 1987 to all mineral interests whether created before, on or after that date (47-33t(a)), but no termination action could be maintained until two years after October 1, 1987, that is October 1, 1989 (47-33t(b)). The history notes in the text read show no later amendment.", "date_model": "court_determination", "date_model_note": "Nothing happens automatically. The 20 years are counted back from the day a termination suit is filed, the owner can cure inside the suit, and the interest ends only by recorded decree. A calculator can show when a 20 year lookback from the last known use would be complete, not a termination date.", "survey_scope": null, "confidence": "high", "open_questions": [ "The official site was not available when AMR checked; the text was read from an Internet Archive copy dated August 20, 2026. The page banner refers readers to the 2026 Supplement for 2025 session changes, and no archived Supplement page for chapter 821 was found, so amendments after the 2025 revision were not checked (the history notes show only P.A. 87-283).", "Connecticut's Marketable Record Title Act (47-33b to 47-33l, 40 year chain of title) lists no mineral exception in 47-33h; whether it can independently extinguish old severed mineral interests was not analyzed.", "No Connecticut case law under 47-33m to 47-33t was researched." ], "category": "lapse_statute", "answer": "The owner of the fee simple title may sue to terminate a mineral interest that has been unused for the 20 years immediately before the action; the court then decrees it extinguished, and the recorded decree merges it into the surface estate. Use includes active mineral operations, payment of separate mineral taxes, recorded transfers, leases or liens, a recorded judgment and a recorded notice of intent to preserve.", "evidence": "primary" }, "dormancy_source_ids": [ "SRC-CT-001", "SRC-CT-001", "SRC-CT-002", "SRC-CT-003", "SRC-CT-004", "SRC-CT-005", "SRC-CT-006", "SRC-CT-007" ], "pooling": { "status": "none_identified", "summary": "No Connecticut statute providing for compulsory pooling or unitization of oil and gas interests was found, and no oil and gas conservation chapter appears in the titles surveyed.", "confidence": "medium", "survey_scope": "Connecticut General Statutes chapter lists for titles 16 (Public Service Companies), 16a, 22a (Environmental Protection), 25 (Water Resources) and 47 (Land and Land Titles), read from Internet Archive copies dated July to September 2026 and searched for oil, gas, mineral, mining, petroleum, drill, quarry, geology and pipeline; the only matches were public utility gas, natural gas pipelines, oil spill containment and water well drilling chapters. Title 23 could not be retrieved, and a full text search of the statutes was not possible because the official site did not respond. A web search found no Connecticut oil and gas conservation or pooling statute.", "evidence": "none_found", "source_ids": [] }, "surface_damages": { "status": "none_identified", "summary": "No Connecticut statute requiring oil and gas operators to notify and compensate surface owners for damage was found.", "confidence": "medium", "survey_scope": "Same chapter list survey as for pooling (titles 16, 16a, 22a, 25 and 47; title 23 not retrieved; no full text search possible), plus the full text of chapter 821, sections 47-33m to 47-33t.", "evidence": "none_found", "source_ids": [] }, "june_2026": { "state": "Connecticut", "abbr": "CT", "category": "lapse", "unused_minerals": "Can lapse / revert", "lapse_period": "20 years", "surface_damages_act": "no", "forced_pooling": "verify", "risk_score": 84, "rank": 3, "statute": "Conn. Gen. Stat. 47-33m to 47-33t (Dormant Mineral Interests Act)", "source_status": "Sourced", "source_url": "https://cga.ct.gov/Current/pub/chap_821.htm", "preservation": "Record a notice of intent to preserve, or use the interest within 20 years (Conn. Gen. Stat. 47-33m to 47-33t).", "note": "Connecticut is the only state that adopted the 1986 Uniform Dormant Mineral Interests Act, with a 20 year dormancy period." } }, { "id": "DE", "name": "Delaware", "page_url": "https://americanmineralregistry.com/research/states/do-mineral-rights-expire-in-delaware", "reviewed": true, "reviewed_on": "2026-10-01", "dormancy": { "mechanism": "none_identified", "mechanism_label": "No dormant mineral or marketable title statute identified", "summary": "No Delaware statute was found under which a severed mineral interest lapses for nonuse or is barred by a marketable title act. Title 25 (Property) never uses the word mineral; Delaware's mineral statutes concern leasing of state public lands and submerged lands.", "period_years": null, "period_description": null, "self_executing": null, "procedure": null, "qualifying_uses_or_savings": [], "preservation_filing": null, "interest_scope": "Not applicable; no mechanism identified.", "mineral_scope": "Not applicable.", "exceptions": [], "effective": "No dormancy statute identified in Titles 7 and 25 as published on delcode.delaware.gov on 1 Oct 2026.", "date_model": "not_applicable", "date_model_note": "No lapse mechanism found, so there is no date to compute.", "survey_scope": "Downloaded and searched the full text of every chapter of Title 25 (Property) and Title 7 (Conservation) on delcode.delaware.gov (114 chapter pages) for mineral, marketable, abandon, oil and gas, gas well, oil well, spacing unit, drilling unit, pooling and surface owner. Mineral matches only in 7 Del. C. ch. 40 (erosion definition), § 4511 (lease of mineral rights in public lands), § 5505 (State Geologist review of oil, gas and geothermal activity) and ch. 61 (Minerals in Submerged Lands). Title 25 has no marketable record title act; its abandonment provisions concern personal property and landlord and tenant matters. Other titles, including tax sale and limitations law, were not searched.", "confidence": "medium", "open_questions": [ "Titles other than 7 and 25 (for example tax sale provisions in Title 9 and limitations in Title 10) were not searched for mineral specific rules." ], "category": "none_found", "answer": "No Delaware statute was found under which a severed mineral interest lapses for nonuse or is barred by a marketable title act. Title 25 (Property) never uses the word mineral; Delaware's mineral statutes concern leasing of state public lands and submerged lands.", "evidence": "none_found" }, "dormancy_source_ids": [ "SRC-DE-001", "SRC-DE-002" ], "pooling": { "status": "none_identified", "summary": "No compulsory pooling statute was found. 7 Del. C. § 6134 lets lessees of state submerged lands join voluntary cooperative or unit plans for a pool or field when the Secretary finds it advisable, and lease drilling and production terms change only with the lessees' consent; that is voluntary unitization of state leases, not forced pooling.", "confidence": "medium", "survey_scope": "Full text of Titles 7 and 25 searched as for dormancy.", "evidence": "none_found", "source_ids": [ "SRC-DE-003" ] }, "surface_damages": { "status": "none_identified", "summary": "No surface damages statute was found. For state submerged lands leases, 7 Del. C. § 6115 requires bonding or insurance that also secures adjacent landowners and the public for damage claims, and § 6118 requires restoration of visible lands; neither is a split estate compensation act.", "confidence": "medium", "survey_scope": "Full text of Titles 7 and 25 searched for surface owner, landowner and damages.", "evidence": "none_found", "source_ids": [ "SRC-DE-004" ] }, "june_2026": { "state": "Delaware", "abbr": "DE", "category": "none", "unused_minerals": "Does not lapse", "lapse_period": "none", "surface_damages_act": "no", "forced_pooling": "verify", "risk_score": 0, "rank": 27, "statute": "n/a", "source_status": "No dormant act (surveyed)", "source_url": "", "preservation": "No dormant mineral act; a severed interest does not lapse through nonuse.", "note": "No dormant mineral act in Delaware. A severed mineral interest does not lapse through nonuse. Based on national statutory surveys; confirm against the current state code." } }, { "id": "DC", "name": "District of Columbia", "page_url": "https://americanmineralregistry.com/research/states/do-mineral-rights-expire-in-washington-dc", "reviewed": true, "reviewed_on": "2026-10-01", "dormancy": { "mechanism": "none_identified", "mechanism_label": "No dormant mineral or marketable title statute identified", "summary": "The D.C. Code has no provision on severed mineral interests, so nothing makes them lapse for nonuse or bars them under a marketable title act. General land law, such as the 15 year limit on actions to recover land (§ 12-301(1)) and the action to perfect title acquired by adverse possession (§ 16-3301), is not mineral specific.", "period_years": null, "period_description": null, "self_executing": null, "procedure": null, "qualifying_uses_or_savings": [], "preservation_filing": null, "interest_scope": "Not applicable; no mechanism identified.", "mineral_scope": "Not applicable.", "exceptions": [], "effective": "No dormancy statute identified in the D.C. Code as codified through the September 30, 2026 publication.", "date_model": "not_applicable", "date_model_note": "No lapse mechanism found, so there is no date to compute.", "survey_scope": "Full text search of every section of the codified D.C. Code in the Council's own XML (github.com/DCCouncil/law-xml-codified, branch publication/May 23, 2026.September 30, 2026, the data behind code.dccouncil.gov) for mineral interest, mineral right, mineral estate, severed mineral, oil and gas interest, lease or right, dormant mineral, marketable title, marketable record title, forced or compulsory pooling, spacing unit and surface owner. The only hit was § 47-1384, in the real property tax sale chapter. The word mineral appears in 31 sections, all UCC, trust principal and income, conservatorship, health or environmental definitions.", "confidence": "high", "open_questions": [], "category": "none_found", "answer": "The D.C. Code has no provision on severed mineral interests, so nothing makes them lapse for nonuse or bars them under a marketable title act. General land law, such as the 15 year limit on actions to recover land (§ 12-301(1)) and the action to perfect title acquired by adverse possession (§ 16-3301), is not mineral specific.", "evidence": "none_found" }, "dormancy_source_ids": [ "SRC-DC-001" ], "pooling": { "status": "none_identified", "summary": "The D.C. Code has no oil and gas conservation, spacing or pooling provision.", "confidence": "high", "survey_scope": "Full text search of every section of the codified D.C. Code in the Council's own XML (github.com/DCCouncil/law-xml-codified, branch publication/May 23, 2026.September 30, 2026, the data behind code.dccouncil.gov) for mineral interest, mineral right, mineral estate, severed mineral, oil and gas interest, lease or right, dormant mineral, marketable title, marketable record title, forced or compulsory pooling, spacing unit and surface owner. The only hit was § 47-1384, in the real property tax sale chapter. The word mineral appears in 31 sections, all UCC, trust principal and income, conservatorship, health or environmental definitions.", "evidence": "none_found", "source_ids": [] }, "surface_damages": { "status": "none_identified", "summary": "The D.C. Code has no surface damages or split estate provision.", "confidence": "high", "survey_scope": "Full text search of every section of the codified D.C. Code in the Council's own XML (github.com/DCCouncil/law-xml-codified, branch publication/May 23, 2026.September 30, 2026, the data behind code.dccouncil.gov) for mineral interest, mineral right, mineral estate, severed mineral, oil and gas interest, lease or right, dormant mineral, marketable title, marketable record title, forced or compulsory pooling, spacing unit and surface owner. The only hit was § 47-1384, in the real property tax sale chapter. The word mineral appears in 31 sections, all UCC, trust principal and income, conservatorship, health or environmental definitions.", "evidence": "none_found", "source_ids": [] }, "june_2026": { "state": "D.C.", "abbr": "DC", "category": "none", "unused_minerals": "Does not lapse", "lapse_period": "none", "surface_damages_act": "no", "forced_pooling": "verify", "risk_score": 0, "rank": 26, "statute": "n/a", "source_status": "No dormant act (surveyed)", "source_url": "", "preservation": "No dormant mineral act; a severed interest does not lapse through nonuse.", "note": "No dormant mineral act in D.C.. A severed mineral interest does not lapse through nonuse. Based on national statutory surveys; confirm against the current state code." } }, { "id": "FL", "name": "Florida", "page_url": "https://americanmineralregistry.com/research/states/do-mineral-rights-expire-in-florida", "reviewed": true, "reviewed_on": "2026-10-01", "dormancy": { "mechanism": "marketable_title_act", "mechanism_label": "Marketable Record Title Act, 30 year root of title; no dormant mineral statute", "summary": "Florida has no dormant mineral or nonuse statute. Its Marketable Record Title Act (chapter 712) gives a person with a 30 year unbroken record chain from a root of title a marketable record title free of interests that depend on any act or title transaction before the root, which are 'declared to be null and void' unless an exception in 712.03 applies. A severed mineral reservation created before the surface owner's root of title can therefore be cut off unless it is specifically identified in the muniments of title from the root forward, preserved by a recorded notice within each 30 years, rests on a title transaction recorded after the root, or fits another exception; section 704.05 adds that rights of entry and easements reserved for mining or drilling are extinguished the same way. Use or nonuse of the minerals is irrelevant, and interests of the United States, Florida and its agencies are protected.", "period_years": 30, "period_description": "Measured from the effective date (recording date) of the root of title, which is the last title transaction purporting to create or transfer the estate claimed that was recorded at least 30 years before the time when marketability is determined (712.01(6), 712.02). A claimant preserves an interest by recording a notice 'at any time during the 30-year period immediately following the effective date of the root of title' (712.05(1)); a notice preserves the interest for not less than 30 years after filing unless filed again (712.05(3)). Disability or lack of knowledge does not suspend the period (712.05(3)).", "self_executing": "yes", "procedure": "Nothing is required of the surface owner: when a 30 year root of title exists and no exception applies, the earlier interest is extinguished by operation of 712.02 and 712.04. The act requires no notice to the mineral owner and no court order, though a quiet title or declaratory action is the usual way to confirm the result against a particular claimant.", "qualifying_uses_or_savings": [ "712.03(1): the interest is disclosed by the muniments of title beginning with the root of title; an interest created before the root is preserved only if identified by specific reference to official records book and page, instrument number or plat name, or by an affirmative statement identifying it by book and page or instrument number (wording since ch. 2022-171); a general 'subject to reservations of record' clause is not enough", "712.03(2) and 712.05: a notice to preserve recorded during the 30 years after the effective date of the root of title, refiled to continue protection", "712.03(3): rights of any person in possession of the lands, so long as that person is in possession; whether mineral production is possession is not addressed by the text", "712.03(4): interests arising out of a title transaction recorded after the effective date of the root of title, for example a mineral deed, lease or probate transfer of the mineral interest recorded after the surface owner's root", "712.03(6): rights of a person in whose name the land is assessed on the county tax rolls, preserved for 3 years after last assessed; whether separate assessment of subsurface rights under 193.481 qualifies is not confirmed", "712.03(9) and 712.04: interests held by the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund, water management districts or the United States, and interests of the United States or Florida reserved in the patent or deed by which they parted with title", "704.05(2): a right of entry or easement for mining or drilling is preserved by a notice in the form and procedure of 712.05 and 712.06", "Production, leasing, royalties and tax payments are not savings in themselves; they matter only if reflected in a recorded title transaction, possession or a listed exception" ], "preservation_filing": "Notice under 712.05 and 712.06, recorded with the clerk of the circuit court of each county where the land lies within the 30 years after the effective date of the root of title: the claimant's name and mailing address; the name and mailing address of an owner, or of the person in whose name the property is assessed on the last completed tax roll; a full and particular description of the land; a statement of the nature, description and extent of the claim, with the book and page of any instrument it rests on; acknowledged like a deed. The clerk mails a copy by registered or certified mail to the purported owner, and the notice is published once a week for 2 consecutive weeks in a county newspaper (712.06(3)). It preserves for not less than 30 years and must be refiled to continue (712.05(3)).", "interest_scope": "Any estate, interest, claim or charge whose existence depends on an act, title transaction, event or omission before the effective date of the root of title (712.04). That reaches severed mineral reservations in pre root deeds and, under 704.05(1), rights of entry or easements given or reserved for mining, drilling, exploring or developing oil, gas, minerals or fissionable materials. A person with a separate 30 year chain to the mineral estate may itself hold a marketable record title to that estate (712.02 applies to 'any estate in land'); how competing chains are resolved was not confirmed.", "mineral_scope": "Not mineral specific; the act applies to all interests in land. 704.05 names oil, gas, minerals and fissionable materials for rights of entry and easements.", "exceptions": [ "712.03(1) to (9) exceptions to marketability (muniments with specific reference, recorded notice, possession, post root title transactions, used easements and rights of way, tax roll assessment for 3 years, sovereignty submerged lands, chapter 376 and 403 covenants, Board of Trustees, water management district and United States interests)", "712.04: does not affect any right, title or interest of the United States, Florida or its agencies reserved in the patent or deed by which they parted with title", "704.05(1): the right of entry provision does not apply to interests reserved or held by the state or its agencies; 704.05(4) does not revive rights extinguished before June 6, 1975", "Outside MRTA: 270.11(3) separately releases the right of entry for state and local government mineral reservations on tracts that are or ever were under 20 contiguous acres in common ownership; the reserved minerals themselves remain" ], "effective": "Enacted by ch. 63-133 (1963). 712.09 extended any 30 year notice period that had expired before July 1, 1965 to July 1, 1965. 704.05 was enacted by ch. 70-100, amended by ch. 73-140 and ch. 75-94, applies prospectively and retrospectively, and does not revive interests extinguished by chapter 712 before June 6, 1975. 712.03(1) was amended by ch. 2022-171 (specific identification by book and page, instrument number or plat name). Read in the 2025 Florida Statutes.", "date_model": "explain_only", "date_model_note": "Extinguishment depends on the surface owner's chain of title: the recording date of the root of title, whether later muniments specifically identify the mineral reservation, and whether a preservation notice or later title transaction exists. None of this follows from a last use date, so no Florida date can be computed from last use; at most a tool could say that a reservation recorded more than 30 years before the surface owner's root and never re-identified or noticed is at risk.", "survey_scope": "Read Florida Statutes 2025 chapter 712 in full and sections 704.05, 193.481 and 270.11 on flsenate.gov, plus the 2010 text of 712.03. Searched chapter 377 part I (oil and gas regulation) for any abandonment or dormancy rule for mineral interests: none, though 377.247 lets the department lease an unknown or unlocated minority owner's interest to the operator for the life of a well without transferring title. No Florida statute extinguishing severed minerals for nonuse was found.", "confidence": "medium", "open_questions": [ "No Florida appellate decision applying chapter 712 to a severed oil, gas or mineral reservation was read. A web search pointed to a Fourth District case on a 1947 South Florida Water Management District oil, gas and mineral reservation (reported as 508 So. 2d 510, 1987) but the opinion was not located or read. How courts treat mineral reservations under MRTA is not settled in this review.", "Whether a mineral owner with a separate 30 year record chain to the mineral estate holds a competing marketable record title that defeats the surface owner's root, and how Florida resolves two marketable record titles.", "Practitioner commentary says MRTA may cut off a right of entry under 704.05 while the mineral reservation itself remains; the circumstances in which the reservation survives but entry does not were not established from primary sources.", "Whether separate assessment of subsurface rights under 193.481 brings the mineral owner within the 712.03(6) tax roll exception.", "Whether mineral production or operations amount to 'possession of the lands' under 712.03(3).", "The effective date of ch. 2022-171 and whether its stricter identification rule in 712.03(1) applies to roots of title recorded before the amendment was not checked." ], "category": "marketable_title", "answer": "Florida has no dormant mineral or nonuse statute. Its Marketable Record Title Act (chapter 712) gives a person with a 30 year unbroken record chain from a root of title a marketable record title free of interests that depend on any act or title transaction before the root, which are 'declared to be null and void' unless an exception in 712.03 applies.", "evidence": "partial" }, "dormancy_source_ids": [ "SRC-FL-001", "SRC-FL-002", "SRC-FL-003", "SRC-FL-004", "SRC-FL-005", "SRC-FL-006", "SRC-FL-007" ], "pooling": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "Yes. Where owners of separately owned tracts in an established drilling unit have not agreed to integrate, the division shall require them to integrate and develop their lands as a drilling unit (Fla. Stat. 377.27(1)). An applicant must hold drilling rights from a majority of the mineral interests in the unit; minority owners who do not respond to a written offer within 30 days become carried owners who receive nothing until 300 percent of well costs are recovered (377.2411). The department must also order unit operation of a field or pool when the 377.28 findings are made.", "confidence": "high", "survey_scope": null, "evidence": "primary", "source_ids": [ "SRC-FL-008", "SRC-FL-009" ] }, "surface_damages": { "status": "none_identified", "summary": "No statute was found requiring oil and gas well operators to notify and compensate surface owners. The closest provisions are a surety bond protecting the owner of surface rights, conditioned on restoration, for surface exploratory and extraction operations such as open pit or dragline mining under a mineral grant (377.244), and compensation for use of or damage to the surface by natural gas storage 'as provided by law' (377.2434(3)(b)). Neither covers ordinary oil and gas well drilling.", "confidence": "medium", "survey_scope": "Searched the full text of Florida Statutes 2025 chapter 377 part I (ss. 377.01 to 377.42) on flsenate.gov for surface owner, owner of the surface, surface rights and damage. Chapter 704 and chapter 712 were read for related rights of entry. A full text search of all Florida Statutes was not run.", "evidence": "none_found", "source_ids": [ "SRC-FL-010" ] }, "june_2026": { "state": "Florida", "abbr": "FL", "category": "special", "unused_minerals": "Special mechanism", "lapse_period": "see note", "surface_damages_act": "no", "forced_pooling": "verify", "risk_score": 45, "rank": 15, "statute": "Fla. Stat. ch. 712 (Marketable Record Title Act)", "source_status": "Sourced", "source_url": "https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2024/Chapter712", "preservation": "File a notice to preserve under chapter 712 to avoid the Marketable Record Title Act 30 year cutoff (Fla. Stat. ch. 712).", "note": "Florida has no dormant minerals act, but its Marketable Record Title Act can extinguish old mineral interests that are not preserved in the record." } }, { "id": "GA", "name": "Georgia", "page_url": "https://americanmineralregistry.com/research/states/abandoned-mineral-rights-georgia", "reviewed": true, "reviewed_on": "2026-10-01", "dormancy": { "mechanism": "work_or_tax_forfeiture", "mechanism_label": "Seven years of no work and no taxes paid, then a surface owner petition for title (O.C.G.A. § 44-5-168)", "summary": "Where mineral rights have been conveyed, or reserved by the grantor in a fee simple conveyance of the land, the fee simple owner of the land may gain title to them by adverse possession if the mineral owner has neither worked nor attempted to work them nor paid any taxes due on them for seven years since the conveyance and for the seven years immediately before the petition. Title passes only through a superior court judgment and decree on the surface owner's petition; the mineral interest does not lapse on its own and there is no statement of claim to file. The section does not apply to a lease for a specific number of years or to a mineral owner who has leased the rights in writing to a mining operator. The 2026 amendment (HB 1268) is an editorial change to that lessee exception only.", "period_years": 7, "period_description": "Seven years in which the owner of the mineral rights, or heirs or assigns, have neither worked nor attempted to work the mineral rights nor paid any taxes due on them, counted since the date of the conveyance and as the seven years immediately preceding the filing of the petition. Any work, attempt to work, or payment of taxes due inside that lookback defeats the petition. Per the official annotations, back taxes paid after the petition is filed have no effect (Larkin v. Laster, 254 Ga. 716 (1985)) and 'since' in subsection (a) does not necessarily mean 'immediately following' the conveyance.", "self_executing": "no", "procedure": "The fee simple owner of the land, or heirs or assigns, files in the superior court of the county where the land lies a petition for relief in the nature of declaratory judgment. The petition names the grantor who reserved the mineral rights and known heirs, assigns and other interested persons with last known addresses, and shows the deed, the reservation or conveyance, and seven years before filing without work, attempted work or tax payment. Service is made as on defendants in an in rem proceeding, including by publication; anyone named or holding an interest may intervene. On a finding for the plaintiff the court issues a judgment and decree that the mineral rights have been lost and that the plaintiff has absolute title.", "qualifying_uses_or_savings": [ "Working the mineral rights. Per the official annotation of Fisch v. Randall Mill Corp., 262 Ga. 861 (1993), the owner must carry on an operation to explore for, use, produce, or extract minerals in the land; genealogical research and picking up rock samples are not enough", "Attempting to work the mineral rights", "Paying taxes due on the mineral rights. Per the official annotation of Hayes v. Howell, 251 Ga. 580 (1983), the statute contemplates taxes on the mineral rights as such, paid by the holder of the mineral rights; mineral owners cannot claim the benefit of tax payments made by the landowners", "Per the official annotations, payment of state or federal estate taxes on the mineral owner's interest does not count. A further annotation, seen only as a fragment, says owners who were stockholders avoided lapse by paying taxes on the mineral rights even though the corporation paid them; that decision was not read", "Drilling holes and extracting core samples on the tract, if proven, is working the mineral rights (P.D. Miller Farms, LLC v. BASF Catalysts, LLC, 11th Cir. No. 22-11375, 2023, unpublished)" ], "preservation_filing": null, "interest_scope": "Mineral rights that have been conveyed, or that were reserved by the grantor in a fee simple conveyance of the real property. Only the fee simple owner of the real property, or heirs or assigns, may petition. Excluded by subsection (f): a lease for a specific number of years, and an owner of mineral rights who has leased them in writing to a mining operator. The section does not say whether it reaches royalty, term or other nonparticipating interests.", "mineral_scope": "'Mineral rights', not defined in the section and not limited to oil and gas or any listed mineral; treated as all minerals.", "exceptions": [ "A lease for a specific number of years (subsection (f))", "An owner of mineral rights who has leased the mineral rights in writing to a mining operator as defined in Code Section 12-4-72 (subsection (f) from July 1, 2026; until then 'a licensed mining operator as defined in Part 3 of Article 2 of Chapter 4 of Title 12'). O.C.G.A. § 12-4-72(7) defines 'mining operator' as a person or entity 'engaged in or controlling' surface mining", "Per the official annotation of Mixon v. One Newco, Inc., 863 F.2d 846 (11th Cir. 1989), the exception for licensed mining operators does not violate equal protection", "The section is in derogation of the common law and is strictly construed (Larkin v. Laster, 254 Ga. 716 (1985), official annotation)" ], "effective": "Enacted by Ga. L. 1975, p. 725, § 1 as Code 1933, § 85-407.1, effective 1975. Per the official annotation of Milner v. Bivens, 255 Ga. 49 (1985), it applies to mineral rights created before 1975, but suit could not be brought until 1982, seven years after the effective date. Amended by Ga. L. 1987, p. 3, § 44. Amended by HB 1268 (Act 723, Ga. L. 2026, p. 1069, § 44(16)), passed House March 3, 2026 and Senate March 20, 2026, signed May 12, 2026, effective July 1, 2026. HB 1268 is the annual Code Revision Commission bill; its only change to this section substitutes 'mining operator as defined in Code Section 12-4-72.' for 'licensed mining operator as defined in Part 3 of Article 2 of Chapter 4 of Title 12.' in subsection (f). Subsections (a) to (e), the seven year period, the petition procedure and the effect did not change. The official code shows a version 'Effective until July 1, 2026' and a version 'Effective July 1, 2026'.", "date_model": "court_determination", "date_model_note": "No lapse date follows from one last use date. The interest is lost only by court decree on a surface owner's petition, and the petition succeeds only if the seven years immediately before filing contain no work, no attempt to work and no payment of taxes due, which are fact questions (what counts as work, whether taxes were due and paid on the right parcel). At most a tool could say that a petition could not succeed before seven years after the latest of the conveyance, the last work or attempt to work, and the last tax payment, labeled illustrative and never shown as an expiry date. The rule cannot be reduced to a countdown from the last use.", "survey_scope": "Not a none_identified record. The official O.C.G.A. public access site was searched for § 44-5-168, its history line, annotations and the 2026 amendment; HB 1268 versions and the 2026 legislative counsel summary were read on legis.ga.gov. Georgia tax sale and other title statutes affecting severed minerals were not surveyed.", "confidence": "high", "open_questions": [ "Whether taxes can be 'due' on mineral rights the county never separately assessed, and how proof works when county mineral parcel numbers are wrong (the dispute in P.D. Miller Farms); the practice is not settled in this review", "Whether dropping 'licensed' from subsection (f) on July 1, 2026 widens the lessee exception, given that the Code Revision Commission treated it as editorial", "Whether the section reaches royalty interests, term mineral interests and fractional nonparticipating interests, and how it applies to oil and gas rights as opposed to hard minerals", "The full document view of the official code is behind a CAPTCHA and was not opened; the end of (b)(1)(B), part of (b)(1)(D) and most of (e) were not displayed by the official site and come from an unofficial 2016 mirror that matches every displayed passage", "Annotated decisions (Hinson v. Loper, Parker v. Reynolds, Cartersville Ranch, LLC v. Dellinger, 295 Ga. 195 (2014), Mixon v. One Newco) were read only as official annotation snippets, not in full", "The Justia mirror was not available and was not read; nothing in this record relies on it" ], "answer": "Georgia lets the owner of the land petition the superior court for severed mineral rights after seven years in which the mineral owner neither worked them, tried to work them, nor paid taxes due on them. The interest is lost only by court decree. A 2026 code revision changed only a cross reference in this section.", "category": "forfeiture_petition", "evidence": "partial" }, "dormancy_source_ids": [ "SRC-GA-001", "SRC-GA-002", "SRC-GA-003", "SRC-GA-004", "SRC-GA-005", "SRC-GA-006", "SRC-GA-007", "SRC-GA-008", "SRC-GA-009" ], "pooling": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "O.C.G.A. § 12-4-45(a)(1), in the Part on deep drilling for oil, gas and other minerals, lets the board establish drilling units and, where owners of separately owned tracts in an established drilling unit have not agreed to integrate their interests, require them to integrate and develop their lands as a drilling unit.", "confidence": "medium", "survey_scope": null, "evidence": "partial", "source_ids": [ "SRC-GA-010" ] }, "surface_damages": { "status": "none_identified", "summary": "No Georgia statute requiring oil and gas operators to notify or compensate surface owners for damage was found in the official code searches below.", "confidence": "medium", "survey_scope": "Official O.C.G.A. public access site, whole code, searched October 1, 2026: \"surface owner\" AND (oil OR gas OR well) AND (damage OR damages OR compensate OR compensation) returned only the research references annotation to Title 12, Chapter 4, Article 2, Part 2; (\"surface damage\" OR \"surface damages\" OR \"surface estate\" OR \"surface landowner\") AND (drilling OR well) AND operator returned no documents; (\"owner of the surface\" OR \"surface rights\") AND \"oil or gas\" AND (damages OR compensation) returned no documents. Sections 12-4-40 to 12-4-54 were not read one by one.", "evidence": "none_found", "source_ids": [] }, "june_2026": { "state": "Georgia", "abbr": "GA", "category": "none", "unused_minerals": "Does not lapse", "lapse_period": "none", "surface_damages_act": "no", "forced_pooling": "yes", "risk_score": 0, "rank": 28, "statute": "n/a", "source_status": "No dormant act (surveyed)", "source_url": "", "preservation": "No dormant mineral act; a severed interest does not lapse through nonuse.", "note": "No dormant mineral act in Georgia. A severed mineral interest does not lapse through nonuse. Based on national statutory surveys; confirm against the current state code." } }, { "id": "HI", "name": "Hawaii", "page_url": "https://americanmineralregistry.com/research/states/do-mineral-rights-expire-in-hawaii", "reviewed": true, "reviewed_on": "2026-10-01", "dormancy": { "mechanism": "none_identified", "mechanism_label": "No dormant mineral or marketable title statute identified; minerals in state and reserved lands are reserved to the State", "summary": "HRS § 182-2 reserves to the State all minerals in state lands and in reserved lands, meaning land where the State or its predecessors reserved the minerals, and every patent or conveyance of state land must carry that reservation. No statute was found under which a privately held severed mineral interest lapses for nonuse or is cleared by a title act. The only way a reservation ends is a discretionary release, cancellation or waiver by the Board of Land and Natural Resources when a non mining use is of greater benefit to the State, which is not a lapse.", "period_years": null, "period_description": null, "self_executing": null, "procedure": null, "qualifying_uses_or_savings": [], "preservation_filing": null, "interest_scope": "Not applicable; no lapse statute found. Chapter 182 governs state owned and state reserved minerals.", "mineral_scope": "Chapter 182 defines minerals to include oil, gas, coal, metals and all geothermal resources, excluding sand, rock, gravel and construction materials.", "exceptions": [], "effective": "No dormancy statute identified in the HRS chapter index (archived February 5, 2024) or in chapter 182 as read. Chapter 182 dates from L 1963, c 11, last amended in the sections read by L 2016, c 220.", "date_model": "not_applicable", "date_model_note": "No lapse mechanism found, so there is no date to compute.", "survey_scope": "HRS chapter index (archived February 5, 2024) searched for mineral, mining, oil, gas, geothermal, marketable, land court, quiet, adverse and limitation: mining chapters are 181 (Strip Mining) and 182 (Reservation and Disposition of Government Mineral Rights); Title 28 (Property, chapters 501 to 527) has no marketable title or mineral lapse chapter; chapters 657 (Limitation of Actions) and 669 (Quieting Title) are general. HRS §§ 182-1 to 182-5 and 182-9.5 read. Full text search of the HRS was not possible because capitol.hawaii.gov was not available.", "confidence": "medium", "open_questions": [ "How much privately owned severed mineral estate exists in Hawaii outside state reservations is unknown, and whether any non statutory doctrine affects it was not researched.", "Sections 182-1 and 182-3 were read from 2023 snapshots; 2024 to 2026 amendments were not checked." ], "category": "none_found", "answer": "HRS § 182-2 reserves to the State all minerals in state lands and in reserved lands, meaning land where the State or its predecessors reserved the minerals, and every patent or conveyance of state land must carry that reservation. No statute was found under which a privately held severed mineral interest lapses for nonuse or is cleared by a title act.", "evidence": "none_found" }, "dormancy_source_ids": [ "SRC-HI-001", "SRC-HI-002" ], "pooling": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "Narrow. HRS § 182-9.5 lets the Board of Land and Natural Resources, on its own motion or a mining lessee's petition, order lessees or owners of mineral rights on adjoining properties to operate under a cooperative or unit plan to prevent waste or increase recovery. It sits in the state mineral leasing chapter, which in practice governs state reserved minerals and geothermal resources; no oil and gas conservation act, spacing statute or spacing unit pooling procedure was found.", "confidence": "medium", "evidence": "partial", "source_ids": [ "SRC-HI-003" ] }, "surface_damages": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "Narrow. HRS § 182-3 requires every holder of a state mining lease, where minerals by definition include oil, gas and geothermal resources, to post a bond conditioned on full payment of damages to occupiers, meaning surface fee owners and certain state lessees and assignees. Occupiers are reimbursed the full extent of damage from mining operations, including exploratory work and failure to restore, and may elect arbitration of damages and surface rental. It applies only to leases of minerals owned or reserved by the State, not to private mineral development.", "confidence": "medium", "evidence": "partial", "source_ids": [ "SRC-HI-004" ] }, "june_2026": { "state": "Hawaii", "abbr": "HI", "category": "none", "unused_minerals": "Does not lapse", "lapse_period": "none", "surface_damages_act": "no", "forced_pooling": "verify", "risk_score": 0, "rank": 29, "statute": "n/a", "source_status": "No dormant act (surveyed)", "source_url": "", "preservation": "No dormant mineral act; a severed interest does not lapse through nonuse.", "note": "No dormant mineral act in Hawaii. A severed mineral interest does not lapse through nonuse. Based on national statutory surveys; confirm against the current state code." } }, { "id": "ID", "name": "Idaho", "page_url": "https://americanmineralregistry.com/research/states/do-mineral-rights-expire-in-idaho", "reviewed": true, "reviewed_on": "2026-10-01", "dormancy": { "mechanism": "none_identified", "mechanism_label": "No dormant mineral statute identified", "summary": "No Idaho statute was found that ends or transfers a severed mineral interest for nonuse, requires a statement of claim, or provides a procedure for missing mineral owners. Unpaid mineral proceeds can become unclaimed property under Title 14 chapter 5, which affects the payments, not ownership of the interest. Mining claim location and relocation rules in Title 47 chapter 6 are a separate topic.", "period_years": null, "period_description": null, "self_executing": null, "procedure": null, "qualifying_uses_or_savings": [], "preservation_filing": null, "interest_scope": "Not applicable.", "mineral_scope": "Not applicable.", "exceptions": [], "effective": "No dormancy statute identified in the archived official chapter texts (snapshots 2025-03 to 2026-03).", "date_model": "not_applicable", "date_model_note": "No statutory lapse was identified, so there is no lapse or deadline date for Idaho.", "survey_scope": "Official Idaho Statutes at legislature.idaho.gov (host was not available when AMR checked; read from Internet Archive snapshots of the official pages). Full text of official chapter PDFs searched for mineral, severed, dormant, marketable, abandon, unknown owner, surface owner, statement of claim, lapse and oil and gas: Title 55 (Property in General) chapters 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 8; Title 47 (Mines and Mining) chapters 3, 6, 7 and 8; Title 6 chapter 4 (quiet title); Title 5 chapter 2 (limitations); Title 14 chapter 5 (Revised Unclaimed Property Act). Snapshots dated March 12, 2025 to March 9, 2026. Chapter lists of Titles 55 and 47 read (snapshots May 10, 2026 and June 12, 2026). No dormant mineral, statement of claim, marketable title or missing mineral owner statute found. Related: Title 14 chapter 5 treats unpaid mineral proceeds as unclaimed property; Title 47 chapter 6 governs location of mining claims (including relocation of abandoned claims, 47-607); 55-101 and the foreign ownership provisions in chapter 1 mention mineral rights only in other contexts.", "confidence": "medium", "open_questions": [ "The official host could not be reached; all text came from archive snapshots dated up to March 2026 for the chapter texts, so 2026 session amendments were not checked.", "Title 55 chapters other than 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 8, and other titles, were not searched in full text.", "Idaho case law on abandonment or adverse possession of severed mineral interests was not reviewed." ], "category": "none_found", "answer": "No Idaho statute was found that ends or transfers a severed mineral interest for nonuse, requires a statement of claim, or provides a procedure for missing mineral owners. Unpaid mineral proceeds can become unclaimed property under Title 14 chapter 5, which affects the payments, not ownership of the interest.", "evidence": "none_found" }, "dormancy_source_ids": [ "SRC-ID-001" ], "pooling": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "In the absence of voluntary integration, the Idaho Department of Lands, on application of any owner in the proposed spacing unit, shall order integration of all tracts or interests in the unit (Idaho Code 47-320, numbered 47-322 before 2017). The application must include an affidavit that at least 67 percent of the mineral interest acres in the unit support it; nonconsenting working interest owners face a risk penalty of up to 300 percent, and owners who make no election receive at least a one eighth royalty and the highest bonus paid in the unit.", "confidence": "medium", "survey_scope": null, "evidence": "partial", "source_ids": [ "SRC-ID-002", "SRC-ID-003" ] }, "surface_damages": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "Idaho Code 47-334 (added 2017, amended 2023) lets an oil and gas owner or operator use the surface as reasonably necessary but requires it to mitigate effects, minimize interference, and compensate the surface landowner for unreasonable crop loss, loss of value to existing improvements and permanent damage to the surface. Either side may request nonbinding mediation, and unless the surface owner is party to a lease, surface use agreement or waiver, the operator must post a surface use bond of at least 6,000 dollars per well site before the drilling permit is approved. Separately, 47-708 makes lessees of state mineral leases compensate surface owners.", "confidence": "medium", "survey_scope": null, "evidence": "partial", "source_ids": [ "SRC-ID-004", "SRC-ID-005" ] }, "june_2026": { "state": "Idaho", "abbr": "ID", "category": "none", "unused_minerals": "Does not lapse", "lapse_period": "none", "surface_damages_act": "no", "forced_pooling": "yes", "risk_score": 0, "rank": 30, "statute": "n/a", "source_status": "No dormant act (surveyed)", "source_url": "", "preservation": "No dormant mineral act; a severed interest does not lapse through nonuse.", "note": "No dormant mineral act in Idaho. A severed mineral interest does not lapse through nonuse. Based on national statutory surveys; confirm against the current state code." } }, { "id": "IL", "name": "Illinois", "page_url": "https://americanmineralregistry.com/research/states/abandoned-mineral-rights-illinois", "reviewed": true, "reviewed_on": "2026-10-01", "dormancy": { "mechanism": "missing_owner_procedure", "mechanism_label": "Severed Mineral Interest Act: court trusteeship and adverse possession route for unknown or missing owners; no dormant mineral act", "summary": "Illinois has no dormant mineral or nonuse lapse statute. The Severed Mineral Interest Act (765 ILCS 515, P.A. 83-571) applies only to severed mineral interests whose owners are unknown or missing. A surface owner, a mineral co owner, an adjoining mineral owner or a lessee can ask the circuit court to declare a trust, appoint a trustee and sell a lease of the missing owner's share, with the money held for that owner; if the owners are still missing 7 years after the leasing judgment, the court orders the interest conveyed to the surface owner (Section 9). Separately, a surface owner can obtain a judgment of presumptive adverse possession and later, if the owners stay missing for 7 years (or 1 year where the severance is more than 20 years old) and the surface owner has paid all taxes assessed on the minerals, a judgment declaring the severed interest null and void and vesting fee title in the surface owner (Section 11). An owner who can be found, or who appears, keeps the interest regardless of nonuse.", "period_years": 7, "period_description": "There is no nonuse period. Section 9 runs 7 years from entry of the initial judgment authorizing a trustee's lease, with the trustee's motion due on or before the eighth anniversary of the lease, 'regardless of whether there has been production'. Section 11(g) runs 7 years from the judgment of presumptive adverse possession, or 1 year from that judgment if the severance took place more than 20 years before the original petition was filed.", "self_executing": "no", "procedure": "All steps are in the circuit court of the county where the minerals or most of them lie (Sec. 2). Leasing route: a qualified petitioner (Sec. 4) files a verified petition joining the unknown or missing owners and their unknown heirs, showing diligent search and a willing lessee (Sec. 5(a), (b)); the clerk publishes notice once a week for 3 successive weeks and mails it to the last known address, with no default until 30 days after first publication (Sec. 5(c)); the court appoints a trustee to sell a lease on terms consistent with similar leases in the vicinity, and from that judgment the surface owner 'shall be held to be exercising presumptive adverse possession' (Sec. 5(e)); lease money is held in an interest bearing account for the missing owner, who may claim it (Sec. 6); if the owners remain missing 7 years after the leasing judgment, the trustee moves by the eighth anniversary of the lease and the court orders the interest conveyed to the surface owners, with the remaining funds (Sec. 9). Adverse possession route: the surface owner petitions with the same notice (Sec. 11(a) to (d)); the court enters a judgment of presumptive adverse possession (Sec. 11(e)); after 7 years, or 1 year if the severance is more than 20 years old, the surface owner files a renewed motion with fresh diligent search allegations and new notice, and on proof including payment of all taxes legally assessed on the severed interests the court declares them null and void and vests fee title in the surface owner (Sec. 11(g)).", "qualifying_uses_or_savings": [ "Sec. 1(b): the act applies only if the owner's present identity or location cannot be determined from the county records and by diligent inquiry near the owner's last known residence; an owner who can be identified and located is outside the act", "Sec. 5(e) and 11(e): an owner who answers or appears personally has the interest determined and is dismissed from the action; a guardian ad litem's appearance does not count", "Sec. 11(h): before the final judgment, the owner may intervene, prove ownership and pay the surface owner's taxes, fees and costs, and the action is dismissed as to that owner", "Sec. 6: the missing owner or a successor may petition to have the lease money and interest released", "Production or other use is not a defense in itself: Sec. 9 conveyance applies 'regardless of whether there has been production'" ], "preservation_filing": "None in the statute; there is no statement of claim. An owner stays outside the act by being identifiable and locatable from the county records (Sec. 1(b)). Paying the taxes assessed on the severed interest matters because the Section 11(g) judgment requires the surface owner to have paid all taxes legally assessed on it, and an intervening owner must reimburse taxes the surface owner paid (Sec. 11(h)).", "interest_scope": "'Any whole or fractional interest in any or all minerals which have been severed from the surface estate by grant, exception, reservation or other means' (Sec. 1(a)), when vested in an unknown or missing owner, including unknown heirs, successors and assigns (Sec. 1(b)). 'Surface owner' means a fee simple or other freehold owner of the overlying surface, not a holder of a right of way, easement, leasehold or lesser estate (Sec. 1(c)).", "mineral_scope": "All minerals; the act does not limit the kind of mineral.", "exceptions": [ "Applies only where the owner is unknown or missing as defined in Sec. 1(b)", "A trustee's lease continues after the trust ends or the estates merge, unless it has expired by its terms (Sec. 3), and binds later owners who take by judgment under Section 9 or 11 (Sec. 13)", "Deposits to the owner's account and tax payments by the trustee are not personal acts of the owner under the Uniform Disposition of Unclaimed Property Act (Sec. 6)" ], "effective": "P.A. 83-571 (1983), formerly Ill. Rev. Stat. ch. 96 1/2, pars. 9201 to 9217. Section 7 amended by P.A. 84-549 and Section 10 by P.A. 91-357 (eff. 7-29-99). The official section pages read (archived July 2025 to April 2026) show no later amendment. The effective date of P.A. 83-571 was not read.", "date_model": "court_determination", "date_model_note": "Nothing runs from a last use date. Title moves only by court judgment, at the earliest 7 years after a trustee leasing judgment, or 7 years (1 year for severances more than 20 years old) after a presumptive adverse possession judgment, and only while the owner remains unknown or missing. There is no Illinois lapse date.", "survey_scope": "Read the official ILGA list of Chapter 765 acts (archived December 22, 2025): its Mineral Rights group is the Mining Act of 1874, Mineral Lease Release of Record Act, Severed Mineral Interest Act, Oil and Gas Rights Act, Oil and Gas Recovery Act, Drilling Operations Act, Oil and Gas Lease Release Act (repealed) and Coal Rights Act, with no dormant mineral act. The Oil and Gas Rights Act (765 ILCS 520, read in the onecle mirror) lets co owners of half or more obtain court leave to drill and sets royalty payment deadlines; the Coal Rights Act (765 ILCS 540) is a co tenant trustee leasing statute. Search results mention a 2011 Senate bill (SB 1876, 97th General Assembly) proposing a Dormant Mineral Interests Act; no such act is in the current code. Tax sale of separately assessed mineral interests was not researched.", "confidence": "high", "open_questions": [ "ilga.gov was not available when AMR checked; the act was read from Internet Archive snapshots of the official section pages dated July 2025 to April 2026 (Section 10 only from an unofficial mirror). Amendments after those dates were not checked.", "No Illinois decision applying the Severed Mineral Interest Act was read; how courts apply 'diligent inquiry' and the Section 11 tax payment condition is unverified.", "Whether Illinois common law allows a surface owner to acquire a severed mineral estate by adverse possession outside the act, and whether a severed interest can be lost through tax sale of a separately assessed mineral interest, was not researched.", "The status of SB 1876 (97th General Assembly), a proposed Dormant Mineral Interests Act, was not confirmed from the bill history; it does not appear in the current code." ], "category": "missing_owner", "answer": "Illinois has no dormant mineral or nonuse lapse statute. The Severed Mineral Interest Act (765 ILCS 515, P.A. 83-571) applies only to severed mineral interests whose owners are unknown or missing.", "evidence": "primary" }, "dormancy_source_ids": [ "SRC-IL-001", "SRC-IL-002", "SRC-IL-003", "SRC-IL-004", "SRC-IL-005", "SRC-IL-006" ], "pooling": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "Yes. Where owners in an established drilling unit have not agreed to integrate and at least one owner has drilled or proposed a well, the Department of Natural Resources, on an owner's application, shall require integration after notice and hearing on just and reasonable terms (225 ILCS 725/22.2(b), (c)). A nonparticipating owner either surrenders a leasehold interest on fair terms or is carried, sharing production only after the participants recover actual costs plus a penalty of 100 to 300 percent; an unleased owner is treated as a lessee of 7/8 and lessor of 1/8 (22.2(f), (g)). Integration involving Department of Natural Resources land requires an environmental review (22.2(b-5)).", "confidence": "high", "survey_scope": null, "evidence": "primary", "source_ids": [ "SRC-IL-007", "SRC-IL-008" ] }, "surface_damages": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "Yes. The Drilling Operations Act (765 ILCS 530) requires the operator of a new oil or gas well to give the surface owner, identified from the assessor's certification, a copy of the act and written notice at least 15 days before drilling, with an offer to meet about roads, entry points, pits, fences, water, trees and drainage (Secs. 4, 5). The surface owner is entitled to reasonable compensation for damage to crops, trees, fences, roads, structures, improvements, personal property and livestock, for lost commercial crop value on land used for roads and equipment, and for negligent damage to soil productivity; the operator must tender payment within 90 days after completion of the well or owe attorney fees, and must restore the surface at plugging (Sec. 6). It applies to new wells where the surface owner has not consented in writing and the oil and gas are completely severed or the surface owner's interest is subject to integration (Sec. 3, read only in an unofficial mirror).", "confidence": "high", "survey_scope": null, "evidence": "primary", "source_ids": [ "SRC-IL-009", "SRC-IL-010" ] }, "june_2026": { "state": "Illinois", "abbr": "IL", "category": "special", "unused_minerals": "Special mechanism", "lapse_period": "see note", "surface_damages_act": "yes", "forced_pooling": "yes", "risk_score": 45, "rank": 16, "statute": "765 ILCS 515 (Severed Mineral Interest Act)", "source_status": "Sourced", "source_url": "https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=2156&ChapterID=62", "preservation": "Special statutory mechanism rather than a simple nonuse lapse; see statute.", "note": "Illinois does not allow loss by nonuse. Its Severed Mineral Interest Act works through registration and identification of owners rather than reverting interests." } }, { "id": "IN", "name": "Indiana", "page_url": "https://americanmineralregistry.com/research/states/indiana-dormant-mineral-act", "reviewed": true, "reviewed_on": "2026-10-01", "dormancy": { "mechanism": "dormant_mineral_act", "mechanism_label": "Mineral Lapse Act, 20 years, self executing", "summary": "An interest in coal, oil and gas, or other minerals that is unused for 20 years is extinguished and reverts to the owner of the interest it was carved from, unless a statement of claim is filed before the 20 years run. No court action or prior notice is required; the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the act in Texaco, Inc. v. Short (1982). A late statement of claim saves the interest only for an owner of 10 or more mineral interests in the county who meets diligence and inadvertence conditions and files within 60 days after published notice of the lapse or actual knowledge of it.", "period_years": 20, "period_description": "Twenty years of nonuse (IC 32-23-10-2). Any use listed in 32-23-10-3 restarts the period, and a statement of claim filed in time makes the interest in use on its filing date (32-23-10-4(c)). The Court of Appeals held in Bond v. Templeton Coal Co. (2013) that nonuse before the act's September 2, 1971 effective date counts only for the 20 years immediately preceding that date (reported by a secondary source; opinion not read).", "self_executing": "yes", "procedure": "None; the interest is extinguished by operation of law. A person who succeeds to the interest may publish notice of the lapse in a county newspaper and, if the owner's address is of record or can be found on reasonable inquiry, mail a copy within 10 days after publication; filing the notice and an affidavit of service with the recorder is prima facie evidence that notice was given (32-23-10-6). The recorder keeps a dormant mineral interest record (32-23-10-7).", "qualifying_uses_or_savings": [ "Minerals are produced under the mineral interest", "Operations are conducted on the mineral interest for injection, withdrawal, storage or disposal of water, gas or other fluid substances", "Rentals or royalties are paid by the owner of the mineral interest for the purpose of delaying or enjoying the use or exercise of the rights", "Any of those uses is carried out on a tract with which the mineral interest may be unitized or pooled for production purposes", "For coal or other solid minerals, production from a common vein or seam by the owners of the mineral interest", "Taxes are paid on the mineral interest by its owner (applied to ad valorem taxes in Westervelt v. Woodcock, Ind. Ct. App., reported by a secondary source)", "A statement of claim filed before the 20 years end, treated as use on its filing date (32-23-10-4(c))", "A use under or authorized by the instrument creating the interest continues all rights granted by that instrument (32-23-10-3(b))" ], "preservation_filing": "Statement of claim filed by the mineral owner with the recorder of the county where the land lies before the end of the 20 year period, containing the owner's name and address and a description of the land on or under which the interest lies (32-23-10-4). The recorder enters it in the dormant mineral interest record and notes it in the margin of the instrument that created the interest (32-23-10-7).", "interest_scope": "The interest created by an instrument that transfers, by grant, assignment, reservation or otherwise, an interest of any kind in coal, oil and gas, and other minerals (32-23-10-1). Ownership reverts to the owner of the interest out of which the mineral interest was carved.", "mineral_scope": "Coal, oil and gas, and other minerals.", "exceptions": [ "Late statement of claim allowed only for an owner who held 10 or more mineral interests in the county when the period expired, made a diligent effort to preserve all unused interests, preserved others in the county within 10 years before the period expired, failed to preserve this one through inadvertence, and files within 60 days after published notice of lapse or, if none, within 60 days after actual knowledge (32-23-10-5)", "No exclusion for government owned interests is stated in the chapter text read", "The chapter may not be waived before the 20 year period expires (32-23-10-8)" ], "effective": "Enacted in 1971 and effective September 2, 1971, with a 2 year grace period for filing statements of claim (as described in Texaco, Inc. v. Short, 454 U.S. 516 (1982)). Current text added as IC 32-23-10 by P.L.2-2002, SEC.8, with no amendment shown in the 2012 official text; the 2026 official code structure lists the same eight sections and captions.", "date_model": "illustrative_anniversary", "date_model_note": "The lapse is automatic 20 years after the last use or statement of claim, so a calculator can show that anniversary as an illustration. It cannot see unrecorded uses such as tax payments, rentals or production on pooled tracts, and for periods before September 2, 1971 the 2 year grace period and the Bond v. Templeton Coal limit apply.", "survey_scope": null, "confidence": "medium", "open_questions": [ "The current official text could not be read: iga.in.gov was not available when AMR checked and no archived copy of the current chapter text exists. The 2012 official text was used; it should be compared with the 2026 Indiana Code for any amendment after P.L.2-2002 (the 2026 section list and captions are unchanged).", "Bond v. Templeton Coal Co. and Westervelt v. Woodcock were known only from news reports; the opinions themselves were not read.", "Whether rentals, royalties or taxes paid by a lessee rather than the mineral owner count under 32-23-10-3(a)(3) and (6)." ], "category": "lapse_statute", "answer": "An interest in coal, oil and gas, or other minerals that is unused for 20 years is extinguished and reverts to the owner of the interest it was carved from, unless a statement of claim is filed before the 20 years run. No court action or prior notice is required; the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the act in Texaco, Inc. v. Short (1982).", "evidence": "partial" }, "dormancy_source_ids": [ "SRC-IN-001", "SRC-IN-002", "SRC-IN-003", "SRC-IN-004", "SRC-IN-005", "SRC-IN-006", "SRC-IN-007" ], "pooling": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "If owners of separately owned tracts in an established drilling unit, or in a pool or part of a pool suitable for secondary recovery, do not agree to integrate, the commission shall require them to integrate and develop the land as a drilling unit to prevent waste or avoid unnecessary wells (IC 14-37-9-1), on reasonable terms giving each tract an equitable share (14-37-9-2). The operator recovers the other owners' share of actual reasonable costs, including supervision, from first production; the text read contains no risk penalty (14-37-9-3).", "confidence": "medium", "survey_scope": null, "evidence": "partial", "source_ids": [ "SRC-IN-008", "SRC-IN-009", "SRC-IN-010" ] }, "surface_damages": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "Yes. A person who enters land to explore for or produce oil and gas is accountable to the surface owner for actual damage to the surface, improvements and growing crops, including marketable timber, drainage and erosion control systems and verified crop damage from compaction, abnormal flooding or erosion, but not for punitive damages; a well may not be located within 200 feet of an existing house, barn or other structure (except fences) without the owner's consent, and damages from installing equipment are payable (IC 32-23-7-6(3), (4)). Since 2011 an oil and gas or coal bed methane mineral owner must give the surface owner written notice at least 5 days before entering to survey a drilling location, except in an emergency or by agreement (32-23-7-6.5).", "confidence": "medium", "survey_scope": null, "evidence": "partial", "source_ids": [ "SRC-IN-011", "SRC-IN-012", "SRC-IN-013" ] }, "june_2026": { "state": "Indiana", "abbr": "IN", "category": "lapse", "unused_minerals": "Can lapse / revert", "lapse_period": "20 years", "surface_damages_act": "yes", "forced_pooling": "yes", "risk_score": 84, "rank": 4, "statute": "Ind. Code 32-23-10 (Mineral Lapse Act)", "source_status": "Sourced", "source_url": "https://iga.in.gov/laws/2024/ic/titles/32/articles/23/chapters/10", "preservation": "File a statement of claim, or produce or pay rents, royalties, or taxes within 20 years (Ind. Code 32-23-10).", "note": "Indiana's Mineral Lapse Act lets a severed mineral interest unused for 20 years be deemed abandoned and revert to the surface owner. The US Supreme Court upheld it in Texaco v. Short (1982)." } }, { "id": "IA", "name": "Iowa", "page_url": "https://americanmineralregistry.com/research/states/iowa-dormant-mineral-act", "reviewed": true, "reviewed_on": "2026-10-01", "dormancy": { "mechanism": "dormant_mineral_act", "mechanism_label": "Severed mineral interest abandoned after 20 years without activity, title vests in surface owner (coal since 1991, most other minerals since June 2, 2026)", "summary": "Iowa Code chapter 557C, enacted in 1991 for coal only, was rewritten by 2026 Iowa Acts chapter 1176 (H.F. 2531), effective on approval on June 2, 2026. A severed interest in coal, oil, gas, other hydrocarbons, oil shale, gemstones, metals, ore or geothermal resources is abandoned if it has not been active under new section 557C.2A for twenty years after its creation, transfer or preservation, unless a statement of claim is filed, and title vests in the surface owner on the date of abandonment. An owner whose interest was separately taxed after July 1, 1971, with the tax paid, no tax sale and no conveyance to the surface owner, need not file a claim (557C.6). Separately, since June 2, 2026 an unpaid tax on a severed mineral interest leads to its conveyance to the surface owner if not paid within ninety days of notice (458A.20).", "period_years": 20, "period_description": "Twenty years after the interest's creation, transfer or preservation without the interest being active under 557C.2A. A statement of claim filed within the period preserves it for a further twenty years, or a shorter period stated in the creating instrument. Before June 2, 2026 the coal interest was extinguished twenty years after creation, transfer or preservation unless a claim was filed, and reverted to the owner of the interest it was carved from.", "self_executing": "yes", "procedure": "None stated: by the statute's words the interest is abandoned and title vests in the surface owner on the date of abandonment. Chapter 557C requires no notice to the mineral owner and no court action.", "qualifying_uses_or_savings": [ "Minerals produced or explored by the record owner, its rightful assignees or lessees, or under a pooling order of the department of natural resources under chapter 458A (557C.2A(1))", "Operations for extraction, withdrawal, injection, storage or disposal of water, gas or other fluids to produce or enhance production, by or with express permission of the record holder or under a pooling order (557C.2A(2))", "For solid minerals, production from a well or a common vein or seam with the record owner's express permission or under a pooling order (557C.2A(3))", "A valid conveyance, lease, mortgage, assignment, private distribution, termination of joint tenancy or life estate affidavit, judgment or decree specifically referencing the record owner's severed interest, recorded in the county within the last twenty years (557C.2A(4))", "The interest is subject to a written agreement or a department of natural resources pooling order (557C.2A(5))", "A statement of claim filed under 557C.3 (557C.2A(6))", "Not saving: a reservation or exception of the interest in a conveyance by a nonowner of the mineral interest (557C.5)" ], "preservation_filing": "Statement of claim filed by the owner with the county recorder where the land lies, giving the owner's name and address and a description of the real estate on or under which the interest lies; due before the end of the twenty year period or by July 1, 1994, whichever is later (557C.3). It preserves the interest for a further twenty years (557C.1).", "interest_scope": "A severed mineral interest: an interest of any kind, created or transferred by an instrument by grant, assignment, reservation or otherwise, in the listed minerals (557C.2(2) as amended 2026). Until June 2, 2026 the chapter reached only mineral interests in coal.", "mineral_scope": "Coal, naturally occurring gases, oil, other gaseous, liquid or solid hydrocarbons, oil shale, gemstones, metals, fissionable or nonfissionable ore, steam or other geothermal resources; excluding any resource listed in the section 208.2 definition of mineral (gypsum, clay, stone, sand, gravel, or other ores or mineral solids, except coal).", "exceptions": [ "No statement of claim is required if the severed interest was separately taxed for real estate tax purposes at any time after July 1, 1971, the tax was paid, the interest has not been subject to a tax sale and has not been conveyed to the surface owner under 331.310 or 458A.20 (557C.6 as amended 2026)", "Resources listed in the section 208.2 definition of mineral are excluded from the definition of severed mineral interest" ], "effective": "Chapter 557C enacted by 1991 Iowa Acts chapter 183 (coal only; claim due by the end of the twenty years or July 1, 1994, whichever later). Amended by 2026 Iowa Acts chapter 1176 (H.F. 2531), approved June 2, 2026 and effective on enactment: extended to the minerals listed, added the activity test (557C.2A), vested title in the surface owner, narrowed the tax exemption, and rewrote 458A.20 (tax delinquency leads to conveyance to the surface owner). The Act sets no new claim deadline or grace period for the newly covered minerals; the July 1, 1994 date is unchanged.", "date_model": "explain_only", "date_model_note": "The text counts twenty years without activity, which points to an anniversary of the last active event, but one date cannot settle the result: the 557C.6 tax exemption turns on tax history, any recorded instrument referencing the interest within twenty years counts as activity, and for oil, gas and other non coal interests brought in on June 2, 2026 the Act gives no new claim deadline, so how years before that date count is unsettled.", "survey_scope": "Official Iowa Code 2026 PDFs at legis.iowa.gov: chapter 557C read whole; chapter 614 read and searched for mineral, coal, oil and gas with no match (614.17A ten year ancient claims bar and 614.29 to 614.38 forty year Marketable Record Title Act have no mineral specific terms); chapter 458A read whole; section 208.2 read. 2026 session laws read: chapters 1176 (H.F. 2531) and 1141 (S.F. 2490), with struck and added text checked visually on the PDF pages; bill pages and governor approval letters read.", "confidence": "medium", "open_questions": [ "Applying the 2026 amendment to oil, gas and other non coal interests with no new claim deadline or grace period may be challenged; compare the grace period in the Indiana act upheld in Texaco, Inc. v. Short, 454 U.S. 516 (1982). No Iowa decision on the 2026 text was found.", "Whether an interest exempt from filing under 557C.6 (taxed after July 1, 1971, tax paid, no tax sale) is preserved regardless of twenty years of inactivity.", "Whether the section 208.2 exclusion ('other ores or mineral solids, except coal') cancels the inclusion of metals and ore in 557C.2(2).", "Whether the July 1, 1994 claim date in 557C.3 was meant to govern non coal interests.", "The Iowa Code 2026 PDFs predate both 2026 Acts; the codified 2027 text and any Code editor changes were not available.", "Whether Iowa courts have applied the Marketable Record Title Act (614.29 to 614.38) or the 614.17A ten year bar to severed mineral interests was not checked." ], "answer": "Iowa's abandoned mineral interest statute, rewritten in June 2026, treats a severed interest in coal, oil, gas and most other minerals as abandoned after twenty years without activity unless a statement of claim is filed, and title vests in the surface owner without notice or court action. How the new rule applies to years before June 2, 2026 is unsettled.", "category": "lapse_statute", "evidence": "partial" }, "dormancy_source_ids": [ "SRC-IA-001", "SRC-IA-001", "SRC-IA-002", "SRC-IA-003", "SRC-IA-004", "SRC-IA-005" ], "pooling": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "Iowa Code 458A.8 as amended by 2026 Iowa Acts chapter 1141 (S.F. 2490, approved June 1, 2026, effective July 1, 2026 under Iowa Code 3.7) struck the general rule that the department shall pool all interests in a spacing unit on any interested person's application. The section now keeps voluntary pooling and allows compulsory pooling only where the producer has identified pools of existing natural hydrogen in the spacing unit, on application of owners of at least 25 percent of the unit area, with cost recovery, risk penalties of up to 200 percent, and a 12.5 percent cost free royalty for unleased nonconsenting owners. Before July 1, 2026 the general rule applied.", "confidence": "medium", "survey_scope": null, "evidence": "partial", "source_ids": [ "SRC-IA-006", "SRC-IA-007", "SRC-IA-008" ] }, "surface_damages": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "New Iowa Code 458A.26 (2026 Iowa Acts chapter 1141, S.F. 2490, effective July 1, 2026) requires an operator to obtain the surface owner's written permission before entering a site subject to a 458A.8 pooling order, or within an exploratory spacing unit, for an oil and gas operation, and to negotiate and sign a written contract for payment of damages before entering with heavy equipment to drill; without agreement it may not enter to drill. A surface owner may opt out of further contact by notice to the operator and the attorney general, and contact after opt out carries a civil penalty of at least 10,000 dollars per violation. Sites outside pooling orders and exploratory spacing units are not covered.", "confidence": "medium", "survey_scope": null, "evidence": "partial", "source_ids": [ "SRC-IA-009" ] }, "june_2026": { "state": "Iowa", "abbr": "IA", "category": "none", "unused_minerals": "Does not lapse", "lapse_period": "none", "surface_damages_act": "no", "forced_pooling": "verify", "risk_score": 0, "rank": 31, "statute": "n/a", "source_status": "No dormant act (surveyed)", "source_url": "", "preservation": "No dormant mineral act; a severed interest does not lapse through nonuse.", "note": "No dormant mineral act in Iowa. A severed mineral interest does not lapse through nonuse. Based on national statutory surveys; confirm against the current state code." } }, { "id": "KS", "name": "Kansas", "page_url": "https://americanmineralregistry.com/research/states/kansas-dormant-mineral-act", "reviewed": true, "reviewed_on": "2026-10-01", "dormancy": { "mechanism": "dormant_mineral_act", "mechanism_label": "Mineral interest lapse statute, 20 years, self executing with a 60 day cure", "summary": "An interest in coal, oil, gas or other minerals that is unused for 20 years lapses and ownership reverts to the current surface owner unless a statement of claim is filed. No court action is needed for the lapse. The mineral owner can still undo it by filing a statement of claim within 60 days after the successor publishes notice of the lapse, or, if no notice is published, within 60 days after learning of the lapse.", "period_years": 20, "period_description": "Twenty years of nonuse (K.S.A. 55-1602). Any use listed in 55-1603 restarts the period, and a statement of claim filed in time counts as use on the date it is filed (55-1604(a)).", "self_executing": "yes", "procedure": "None for the lapse itself. The person who will succeed to the interest shall publish notice of the lapse in a newspaper of general circulation in the county and, if the owner's address is of record or can be found on reasonable inquiry, mail a copy by restricted mail within 10 days after publication; a copy with an affidavit of publication and service promptly filed with the register of deeds is prima facie evidence that notice was given (55-1605). The register records statements of claim and proofs of notice and notes them in the margin of the instrument that created the interest (55-1606).", "qualifying_uses_or_savings": [ "Any minerals produced under the interest", "Operations conducted on the interest for injection, withdrawal, storage or disposal of water, gas or other fluid substances", "Rentals or royalties paid by the owner of the interest for the purpose of delaying or enjoying the use or exercise of the mineral rights", "Use or exercise of the mineral rights on a tract with which the interest may be unitized or pooled for production purposes", "For coal or other solid minerals, production from a common vein or seam by the owners of the mineral interests", "Taxes paid on the mineral interest by its owner", "A statement of claim filed in time, treated as use on its filing date (55-1604(a))", "Any use under or authorized by the instrument creating the interest continues all rights granted by that instrument (55-1603(b))" ], "preservation_filing": "Statement of claim filed with the register of deeds of the county where the land lies, giving the owner's name and address and a description of the land on or under which the interest lies, before the end of the 20 year period or within three years after the act took effect, whichever is later (55-1604(a)). A statement filed within 60 days after published notice of lapse, or within 60 days after actual knowledge of the lapse if no notice is published, prevents extinguishment (55-1604(b)).", "interest_scope": "An interest created by an instrument transferring, by grant, assignment, reservation or otherwise, an interest of any kind in coal, oil, gas or other minerals (55-1601). Ownership reverts to the current surface owner (55-1602).", "mineral_scope": "Coal, oil, gas and other minerals.", "exceptions": [ "No exclusion for government owned interests or any class of interest is stated in 55-1601 to 55-1607", "The act may not be waived before the 20 year period expires (55-1607)" ], "effective": "L. 1983, ch. 185, sections 1 to 7, effective July 1, 1983. For interests already unused when the act took effect, a statement of claim could be filed until three years after the effective date (55-1604(a)). The official history lines show no later amendment.", "date_model": "illustrative_anniversary", "date_model_note": "The lapse is automatic 20 years after the last use, so a calculator can show that anniversary as an illustration. It cannot see unrecorded uses such as tax payments, rentals or production on pooled tracts, the claim deadline for interests already dormant in 1983 ran to three years after July 1, 1983, and a lapse is reversed by a claim filed within 60 days after published notice or actual knowledge.", "survey_scope": null, "confidence": "high", "open_questions": [ "Kansas appellate decisions applying 55-1601 to 55-1607 were not researched, for example whether production by a lessee or on a pooled unit, or rentals paid by a lessee, satisfy uses that the text ties to the owner.", "How the 60 day cure in 55-1604(b) affects a surface owner's title before notice is published should be checked by a specialist." ], "category": "lapse_statute", "answer": "An interest in coal, oil, gas or other minerals that is unused for 20 years lapses and ownership reverts to the current surface owner unless a statement of claim is filed. No court action is needed for the lapse.", "evidence": "primary" }, "dormancy_source_ids": [ "SRC-KS-001", "SRC-KS-002", "SRC-KS-003", "SRC-KS-004", "SRC-KS-005", "SRC-KS-006", "SRC-KS-007" ], "pooling": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "The Kansas Corporation Commission can order unitization and unit operation of a pool or part of a pool (K.S.A. 55-1301 to 55-1317); the order takes effect only after written approval by owners who will pay at least 63 percent of unit costs and by royalty owners holding at least 63 percent, or 75 percent where the order rests on the waste prevention finding (55-1305). A city that allows drilling may divide itself into drilling units by ordinance, which must require owners to pool (55-1610 to 55-1613). No general commission power to force pool an ordinary drilling unit was found in the Chapter 55 caption index.", "confidence": "high", "survey_scope": "For the negative part (no general forced pooling of drilling units): ksrevisor.gov Chapter 55 caption index, Articles 1 to 18, and full text of 55-1301, 55-1302, 55-1304, 55-1305, 55-1610 to 55-1613 and 55-703a. Kansas Corporation Commission regulations were not checked.", "evidence": "primary", "source_ids": [ "SRC-KS-008", "SRC-KS-009", "SRC-KS-010", "SRC-KS-011" ] }, "surface_damages": { "status": "none_identified", "summary": "No statute requiring operators to compensate surface owners for damage was found. The Kansas surface owner notice act (K.S.A. 55-169 to 55-169b, 2009) and 55-151(a) are notice only: the intent to drill application must name the surface owner, and the commission sends the surface owner a copy unless the operator verifies it delivered the application.", "confidence": "medium", "survey_scope": "ksrevisor.gov Chapter 55 (Oil and Gas) caption index, Articles 1 to 18, searched for surface, owner and damage, plus full text of 55-151(a), 55-169, 55-169a and 55-169b. Other chapters and commission regulations were not searched.", "evidence": "none_found", "source_ids": [ "SRC-KS-012", "SRC-KS-013" ] }, "june_2026": { "state": "Kansas", "abbr": "KS", "category": "lapse", "unused_minerals": "Can lapse / revert", "lapse_period": "20 years", "surface_damages_act": "no", "forced_pooling": "yes", "risk_score": 84, "rank": 5, "statute": "Kan. Stat. Ann. 55-1601 to 55-1607", "source_status": "Sourced", "source_url": "https://www.ksrevisor.org/statutes/chapters/ch55/055_016_0001.html", "preservation": "File a statement of claim, or use the interest within 20 years (Kan. Stat. Ann. 55-1603).", "note": "Kansas Mineral Lapse Act: a severed interest unused for 20 years lapses and reverts to the surface owner unless the owner files a statement of claim within 60 days of the surface owner notice of lapse." } }, { "id": "KY", "name": "Kentucky", "page_url": "https://americanmineralregistry.com/research/states/do-mineral-rights-expire-in-kentucky", "reviewed": true, "reviewed_on": "2026-10-01", "dormancy": { "mechanism": "missing_owner_procedure", "mechanism_label": "Court trust and lease for unknown or missing severed mineral owners, title to the surface owner after 7 years of production", "summary": "Kentucky has no statute that ends a severed mineral interest because it went unused. KRS 353.460 to 353.476 let a surface owner, a co-owner, an adjoining owner of the same minerals, or a lessee of either ask the circuit court to declare a trust over a severed mineral interest whose owner cannot be identified or located; a court appointed trustee then leases it. Only if the minerals are produced commercially under that lease and the owners stay unknown or missing for 7 years after first production does the court order the interest conveyed to the surface owners. An owner who is known or can be found by diligent inquiry is outside the statute.", "period_years": 7, "period_description": "Not a nonuse period. The 7 years run from the date of first commercial production under the court approved trustee lease (KRS 353.470(1), 353.476). Within that window a missing owner may redocket the action, prove identity and title, and recover the interest and the funds (KRS 353.468(6)). If there is never commercial production, the trustee pays accrued lease proceeds to the surface owner on lease termination or 7 years after the judgment authorizing the lease, whichever last occurs (KRS 353.472), and title is not conveyed.", "self_executing": "no", "procedure": "Verified petition in the circuit court of the county where the minerals or most of them lie, joining the unknown or missing record owners and their unknown heirs, with a certified copy of the severance instrument and the chain to the last record owner and proof of a diligent search. Lis pendens filed and advertisement under KRS Chapter 424. The court appoints an attorney as trustee ad litem, who must search independently. If development is advantageous to the missing owners, the court declares a trust, appoints a bonded trustee and approves a lease sale; the trustee holds the proceeds and may spend up to 10 percent on a search. After 7 years of commercial production with the owners still missing, the trustee moves to join the surface owners, who must prove fee simple surface title, and the court orders the trustee to convey the missing owners' interest to them by recordable instrument; the trust then ends.", "qualifying_uses_or_savings": [ "Owner whose identity and whereabouts are known, can be found by diligent inquiry, or are discovered in the action: the court shall not authorize a trustee lease of that interest (KRS 353.468(4))", "Owner intervenes as of right before judgment approving the trustee lease and establishes title: the action is dismissed as to that interest at the plaintiff's cost (KRS 353.468(4))", "Within 7 years after first commercial production under the trustee lease, the missing owner petitions to redocket and proves identity and title: the trustee distributes the funds, assigns future proceeds and delivers a court approved recordable instrument (KRS 353.468(6))" ], "preservation_filing": null, "interest_scope": "Any whole or fractional interest in any or all minerals severed from the surface estate by grant, exception, reservation or other means, when vested in a person whose present identity or location cannot be determined from the county records or by diligent inquiry near the owner's last known residence, including unknown heirs, successors and assigns (KRS 353.460).", "mineral_scope": "All minerals (\"any or all minerals\"); the trustee lease is on terms customary in the area for the minerals covered.", "exceptions": [ "Interests of owners who are known or locatable by diligent inquiry are excluded (KRS 353.468(4))", "Title passes to the surface owner only after commercial production under the trustee lease plus 7 years with the owners still missing (KRS 353.470(1)); without commercial production the surface owner receives accrued proceeds only (KRS 353.472)", "The trustee lease survives termination of the trust unless it expires by its own terms (KRS 353.464(1))" ], "effective": "Created by 1982 Ky. Acts ch. 165, sections 1 to 9, effective July 15, 1982. Each section's history line shows no later amendment, and the archived official chapter 353 index of June 15, 2026 lists all nine sections under their original statute ids.", "date_model": "court_determination", "date_model_note": "Nothing runs from a last use date. Every step needs a court judgment, and the 7 year clock starts at first commercial production under a court approved trustee lease, which a calculator cannot derive from one date. Nonuse alone never changes title in Kentucky under this statute.", "survey_scope": "Dormancy survey: every section caption of KRS Chapter 353 (archived official index, June 15, 2026) and the mineral related captions of KRS Chapters 349 and 381 were read; no section terminates or abandons a severed mineral interest for nonuse. A dormant mineral interests bill, 2000 RS HB 990 (surface owner action after 15 years of nonuse, notice of intent to preserve, 3 year grace period), shows only introduction, referral and posting in committee. KRS 381.430 provides that possession of the surface does not break the continuity of possession of severed minerals. Unclaimed property (KRS 393A) and property tax collection (KRS 132, 134) were not reviewed.", "confidence": "high", "open_questions": [ "Official host apps.legislature.ky.gov was not available when AMR checked; text read from Internet Archive snapshots of the official URLs dated March 10 to 15, 2025. The 2025 Regular Session table of KRS sections affected (archived) lists no chapter 353 section; the 2026 Regular Session table was not archived, so 2026 amendments were not checked directly.", "No reported case law on KRS 353.460 to 353.476 was reviewed; how courts read \"diligent inquiry\" and \"advantageous to the owner\" is unchecked.", "2000 RS HB 990 bill record ends at posting in committee; later dormant mineral bills in other sessions were not searched exhaustively." ], "category": "missing_owner", "answer": "Kentucky has no statute that ends a severed mineral interest because it went unused. KRS 353.460 to 353.476 let a surface owner, a co-owner, an adjoining owner of the same minerals, or a lessee of either ask the circuit court to declare a trust over a severed mineral interest whose owner cannot be identified or located; a court appointed trustee then leases it.", "evidence": "primary" }, "dormancy_source_ids": [ "SRC-KY-001", "SRC-KY-002", "SRC-KY-003", "SRC-KY-004", "SRC-KY-005", "SRC-KY-006", "SRC-KY-007", "SRC-KY-008" ], "pooling": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "Yes. For shallow wells the Department for Natural Resources pools tracts that cannot meet spacing, or pools all interests where the operator holds 51 percent of the interests in each tract or controls 100 percent, with unknown or nonlocatable owners deemed to consent after publication (KRS 353.630, 353.640); nonconsenting owners surrender or are carried at 200 percent, and unlocated owners are deemed to lease, keeping one eighth. For deep wells the Kentucky Oil and Gas Conservation Commission must pool all tracts in a drilling unit on application after notice and hearing, with a carried interest recovery of three times costs (KRS 353.651).", "confidence": "high", "survey_scope": null, "evidence": "primary", "source_ids": [ "SRC-KY-009", "SRC-KY-010", "SRC-KY-011" ] }, "surface_damages": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "Yes. KRS 353.595 (1990) applies to new oil or gas wells where the oil and gas are fully severed from the surface, or the surface owner owns part of the oil and gas, and the surface owner has not consented in writing. The operator must give written notice before drilling and offer to meet, and the surface owner is entitled to reasonable compensation for damage to crops, trees, fences, roads, structures, improvements and livestock, tendered within 90 days after completion, with attorney's fees if the operator fails to tender or tenders unreasonably (unless it relied on a third party appraiser).", "confidence": "high", "survey_scope": null, "evidence": "primary", "source_ids": [ "SRC-KY-012" ] }, "june_2026": { "state": "Kentucky", "abbr": "KY", "category": "special", "unused_minerals": "Special mechanism", "lapse_period": "see note", "surface_damages_act": "yes", "forced_pooling": "yes", "risk_score": 45, "rank": 17, "statute": "Ky. Rev. Stat. 353.460 to 353.470", "source_status": "Sourced", "source_url": "https://law.justia.com/codes/kentucky/chapter-353/", "preservation": "Special statutory mechanism rather than a simple nonuse lapse; see statute.", "note": "Kentucky does not lapse minerals by simple nonuse. For unknown or missing owners it uses a court supervised trust and can convey their interest to the surface owner after commercial production and seven years unlocated. It also protects surface owners." } }, { "id": "LA", "name": "Louisiana", "page_url": "https://americanmineralregistry.com/research/states/do-mineral-rights-expire-in-louisiana", "reviewed": true, "reviewed_on": "2026-10-01", "dormancy": { "mechanism": "prescription_nonuse", "mechanism_label": "Prescription of nonuse, 10 years, for mineral servitudes and mineral royalties", "summary": "Under the Louisiana Mineral Code a mineral servitude is extinguished by prescription of nonuse for ten years, counted from its creation and starting anew after each interruption; a mineral royalty is extinguished by its own ten year prescription of nonuse (31:85, 31:86). A servitude is interrupted by good faith drilling or mining operations, actual production, qualifying unit operations or unit production, a tested shut in well, or a written acknowledgment by the owner of the burdened land; a royalty is interrupted by actual production, unit production, a tested shut in well, or an acknowledgment, and the royalty articles list no interruption by operations that do not produce. A mineral lease is not subject to prescription of nonuse: it ends at the end of its agreed term or on an express resolutory condition, and it cannot be continued more than ten years without operations or production.", "period_years": 10, "period_description": "Ten years of nonuse (31:27(1) for servitudes, 31:85(1) for royalties), commencing on the date the right is created (31:28, 31:86). After operations, prescription commences anew from the last day actual drilling or mining operations are conducted (31:30), or from the last day of good faith operations to secure or restore production in paying quantities (31:41). After production, it commences anew from the date actual production ceases (31:36, 31:87). After a tested shut in well, from the date the well is shut in after testing (31:34, 31:90). After unitization with a tested shut in well, from the effective date of the unit order or act (31:35, 31:91). An acknowledgment by the landowner interrupts (31:54, applied to royalties by 31:93); a contractual extension runs for the period it states, which must be shorter than an acknowledgment would give (31:56). Reserved rights in land acquired for a certified economic development project have a 20 year period from acquisition (31:149(I)).", "self_executing": "yes", "procedure": "Nothing is required for extinction: the servitude or royalty is extinguished when ten years of nonuse accrue (31:27(1), 31:85(1)), and no notice, filing or court action is needed. Afterwards the former owner must, within thirty days after written demand by the person in whose favor the right was extinguished, furnish a recordable act evidencing the extinction (31:206(A)). If he does not, he is liable for the resulting damages and a reasonable attorney fee (31:207), unless there is a good faith dispute whether prescription accrued (31:208). A former lessee of a lease extinguished before the end of its primary term must record an act evidencing the extinction within ninety days (31:206(B)).", "qualifying_uses_or_savings": [ "Servitude: good faith operations for the discovery and production of minerals, commenced with reasonable expectation of discovering and producing in paying quantities at a particular point or depth, continued at the site to that depth, and conducted as a single operation (31:29); the interruption occurs when actual drilling or mining starts on the burdened land, and preparations such as geophysical work, surveying or site clearing do not count (31:30)", "Servitude: actual drilling or mining commenced before the prescriptive date interrupts even if completed after it (31:31); a later good faith attempt to complete the well or mine or place it in production (31:32); good faith operations to restore production or secure new production from the same well or mine (31:39)", "Servitude: actual production of any mineral covered by the act creating the servitude, in good faith with intent to save or use it for a beneficial purpose; paying quantities are not required (31:36, 31:38)", "Servitude: a shut in well on the tract or on a unit including it, proved by testing through surface production to be capable of producing in paying quantities (31:34), and unitization with such a well (31:35)", "Servitude: operations or production on a conventional or compulsory unit that includes all or part of the tract; if the unit well is off the tract, the interruption reaches only the part of the tract inside the unit (31:33, 31:37); compulsory unit operations interrupt without formal adoption (31:47)", "Servitude: operations or production by a third party adopted by the servitude owner by an instrument filed for registry within three years of learning of them and before the right would prescribe (31:44 to 31:46)", "Servitude: a written acknowledgment by the owner of the burdened land that expresses the intent to interrupt prescription and identifies the party and the servitude; it must be filed for registry to affect third parties (31:54, 31:55)", "Servitude: a written contractual extension by the landowner that meets the acknowledgment requirements and states the period (31:56, 31:57)", "Servitude: prescription does not run while an obstacle the owner can neither prevent nor remove prevents use (31:59, 31:60); a compulsory unitization order is not an obstacle, but a filed lignite or coal mining plan meeting 31:61(B) is", "Royalty: actual production of any mineral covered by the act creating the royalty, produced and saved; paying quantities are not required (31:87, 31:88)", "Royalty: production from a conventional or compulsory unit including the tract, partial if the unit well is off the tract (31:89); a tested shut in well on the tract or unit (31:90) and unitization with one (31:91)", "Royalty: acknowledgment or contractual extension under the servitude rules (31:93), including an acknowledgment by a later servitude owner, effective only for that owner's proportion, after which the royalty depends on the servitude (31:94 to 31:96)", "Royalty: an obstacle to actual production that would suspend servitude prescription suspends royalty prescription until removed (31:98)", "Land acquired by an acquiring authority with the mineral right reserved in a recorded instrument or judgment: prescription is interrupted while title stays with an acquiring authority (31:149(B))" ], "preservation_filing": "None for the mineral owner acting alone. The Mineral Code articles read provide no statement of claim or notice of intent to preserve that the servitude or royalty owner can record. Recorded instruments matter in three ways only: a written acknowledgment by the owner of the burdened land, which must express the intent to interrupt and identify the party and the right, and must be filed for registry to affect third parties (31:54, 31:55; royalties 31:93); a written contractual extension by the landowner meeting the same requirements and stating the period (31:56); and the servitude owner's adoption instrument filed in the conveyance records, which makes actual operations or production by a third party count as use (31:46). Under the articles read, recording alone, without the landowner's act or actual operations, does not interrupt prescription.", "interest_scope": "Mineral servitudes (31:21) and mineral royalties (31:80), each under its own prescription articles; the Code states that mineral rights are real rights subject either to prescription of nonuse for ten years or to special rules governing their term (31:16). An executive right that accompanies a mineral right is extinguished with it (31:113). Mineral leases (31:114) are not subject to prescription of nonuse (31:115(A)); a lease terminates at the expiration of the agreed term or on an express resolutory condition (31:133) and cannot be continued more than ten years without drilling or mining operations or production, subject to the solid mineral and lignite or coal exceptions in 31:115(B) and (C).", "mineral_scope": "All minerals covered by the act creating the servitude or royalty. Production of any covered mineral interrupts (31:36, 31:87), and an interruption applies to all minerals covered by the act and, for a servitude, to all modes of use (31:40, 31:92). Special rules cover lignite and coal mining plans (31:61(B)).", "exceptions": [ "Land acquired by an acquiring authority (the United States, the state, their subdivisions and agencies, entities with expropriation power, and certified conservation nonprofits) with the mineral right reserved in a recorded instrument or judgment: prescription is interrupted while title stays with an acquiring authority (31:149(A) and (B)); it runs again as to land divested to others (31:149(C)); exclusions include tax and debt enforcement transfers and transfers without an express reservation (31:149(G))", "Atchafalaya Basin Floodway acquisitions with a reserved mineral right: prescription of nonuse does not run, even after transfer to a third person (31:149(H))", "Certified economic development acquisitions with a reserved mineral right: prescription of nonuse is 20 years from the date of acquisition (31:149(I))", "A mineral right that already burdened the land when an acquiring authority acquired it stays subject to prescription; on its extinction the transferor may vest with an identical right if the acquisition instrument reserved it and an acquiring authority still owns the land (31:149(D))", "Prescription is not suspended by minority or other legal disability of the owner (31:58 for servitudes, 31:97 for royalties)", "A royalty burdening a servitude is not extinguished when the servitude ends by inheritance or by an act of the servitude owner unless the royalty owner joins or consents expressly in writing (31:85(5))", "An act creating servitudes on noncontiguous tracts creates as many servitudes as tracts unless it provides for more, so each prescribes separately; a continuous body of land carries a single servitude (31:63, 31:64)", "Mineral leases are outside prescription of nonuse (31:115(A))" ], "effective": "Louisiana Mineral Code, Acts 1974, No. 50, effective January 1, 1975. It applies to all mineral rights, including those existing on that date, but no provision may be applied to divest already vested rights or impair the obligation of contracts (31:214). Among the servitude and royalty prescription articles read, only 31:39 (Acts 2023, No. 88), 31:61 (Acts 1982, No. 780) and 31:90 (Acts 1975, No. 589) show amendments. Related articles: 31:115 last amended by Acts 2025, No. 458, effective October 1, 2025; 31:149 last amended by Acts 2023, No. 150, effective January 10, 2024; 31:206 last amended by Acts 2023, No. 88. Text read from Internet Archive snapshots of the official pages dated July 2025 to August 2026; 31:54 was also the official page, captured October 1, 2026.", "date_model": "illustrative_anniversary", "date_model_note": "Adding ten years to one last use date gives an illustrative date only. The restart point depends on the kind of use (last day of actual operations, cessation of production, shut in after testing, effective date of a unit order or act); unit activity from a well off the tract preserves only the part of the tract inside the unit; an obstacle suspends the running of the period; and a landowner acknowledgment or extension, which may sit only in the conveyance records, changes the date. Servitudes and royalties have different interrupting events, rights reserved in government acquisitions follow 31:149, leases follow their own terms, and an act covering noncontiguous tracts creates separate servitudes that prescribe separately (31:64). Where none of these applies, extinction is automatic when the ten years end, but whether operations were in good faith is a question of fact.", "survey_scope": null, "confidence": "high", "open_questions": [ "When prescription restarts after an acknowledgment: Article 56 implies an acknowledgment gives a longer period than any extension, but the Code articles read do not state the restart date; the Civil Code applies where the Code is silent (31:2). This point is not yet confirmed.", "Calendar computation (day of commencement, legal holidays) is governed by Civil Code rules that were not read.", "Articles were read from Internet Archive snapshots dated July 2025 to August 2026 (31:54 also as captured from the official host on October 1, 2026). Amendments after each snapshot date were not checked against session laws.", "Search results indicate 2026 Regular Session SB 492 proposed to amend 31:149(I) (economic development acquisitions) and was returned to the Senate calendar on April 21, 2026; whether it was enacted was not confirmed on legis.la.gov.", "Leading cases on good faith operations, unit interruption and acknowledgment were not reviewed.", "Search results indicate a 2026 resolution asked the Louisiana State Law Institute to study mineral servitude issues raised by SB 492 and report by February 1, 2027; not verified on legis.la.gov." ], "answer": "Louisiana mineral servitudes and mineral royalties each end by prescription after 10 years of nonuse, automatically, unless something the Mineral Code counts interrupts it, such as good faith operations, production or a written acknowledgment by the landowner. A mineral lease is different: it ends by its own terms. No notice the mineral owner records alone interrupts prescription.", "category": "prescription", "evidence": "primary" }, "dormancy_source_ids": [ "SRC-LA-001", "SRC-LA-002", "SRC-LA-003", "SRC-LA-004", "SRC-LA-005", "SRC-LA-006", "SRC-LA-007", "SRC-LA-008", "SRC-LA-009", "SRC-LA-010", "SRC-LA-011", "SRC-LA-012", "SRC-LA-013", "SRC-LA-014", "SRC-LA-015", "SRC-LA-016", "SRC-LA-017", "SRC-LA-018", "SRC-LA-019", "SRC-LA-020", "SRC-LA-021", "SRC-LA-022", "SRC-LA-023", "SRC-LA-024", "SRC-LA-025", "SRC-LA-026" ], "pooling": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "Yes. When separately owned tracts lie within a drilling unit established under R.S. 30:9(B) and the owners have not agreed to pool, the commissioner (the state conservation regulator, as named in the text read) shall require them to pool and develop their lands as a drilling unit if necessary to prevent waste or avoid drilling unnecessary wells, by order after notice and hearing on just and reasonable terms; production allocated to each tract is treated as produced from it (R.S. 30:10(A)(1)). The section also sets cost recovery and risk charge rules for owners who do not participate.", "confidence": "high", "survey_scope": null, "evidence": "primary", "source_ids": [ "SRC-LA-027" ] }, "surface_damages": { "status": "none_identified", "summary": "No Louisiana statute was found that requires oil and gas operators to compensate surface owners for surface damage. R.S. 30:28(I) requires the regulator to adopt rules for a single pre-entry notice to the surface owner at least thirty days before construction of a drilling location, with exceptions such as a surface owner who has a contract with the operator, but it creates no compensation duty. The Mineral Code requires reasonable regard between landowner and mineral owner (31:11) and has a servitude owner use only the land reasonably necessary and restore the surface insofar as practicable (31:22). These are notice and conduct rules, not a surface damages act.", "confidence": "medium", "survey_scope": "Read R.S. 30:28 in full (drilling permits, including the Subsection I pre-entry notice and Subsection J surface owner identification), Mineral Code 31:11 and 31:22, and the Mineral Code prescription, lease and extinction articles listed in the sources. Web searches for a Louisiana surface damages or surface owner compensation statute found none. Not read: R.S. 30:29 (remediation of oilfield sites and environmental damage claims), the lessee obligations in 31:122, and Office of Conservation rules implementing the pre-entry notice. legis.la.gov full text search was unavailable because the host was not available when AMR checked.", "evidence": "none_found", "source_ids": [ "SRC-LA-028", "SRC-LA-029", "SRC-LA-030", "SRC-LA-031" ] }, "june_2026": { "state": "Louisiana", "abbr": "LA", "category": "lapse", "unused_minerals": "Can lapse / revert", "lapse_period": "10 years", "surface_damages_act": "no", "forced_pooling": "yes", "risk_score": 100, "rank": 1, "statute": "La. Mineral Code, La. Rev. Stat. 31:27", "source_status": "Sourced", "source_url": "https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=87935", "preservation": "Drill in good faith or produce within 10 years; recording a notice does not preserve a servitude (La. Rev. Stat. 31:29).", "note": "Louisiana uses civil law prescription. A mineral servitude reverts to the landowner after 10 years without use, the shortest clock in the country." } }, { "id": "ME", "name": "Maine", "page_url": "https://americanmineralregistry.com/research/states/maine-dormant-mineral-act", "reviewed": true, "reviewed_on": "2026-10-01", "dormancy": { "mechanism": "dormant_mineral_act", "mechanism_label": "Extinguishment by court action after 50 years of nonuse (14 M.R.S. § 6662)", "summary": "The fee simple owner of land subject to a mineral interest may bring a quiet title action, and the court shall find the interest extinguished and order title to it in the complainant if the owner, assignee or lessee made no use of it for 50 consecutive years before the complaint and filed no statement of claim within two years after notice of the complaint was served. Use means paying rents or royalties, paying the mining excise tax, extracting more than exploratory quantities, or recording a statement of claim. Nothing happens automatically; extinguishment requires the suit and a court finding.", "period_years": 50, "period_description": "50 consecutive years without use next prior to the filing of the complaint (§ 6662(4)(A)), followed by two years after service of notice of the complaint during which no statement of claim is filed (§ 6662(4)(B)). Any use, including recording a statement of claim, starts a new 50 year period.", "self_executing": "no", "procedure": "Quiet title action under 14 M.R.S. §§ 6651 to 6654 or 6655 to 6657, brought by the fee simple owner of the land subject to the interest, who need not show the usual 4 years of possession (§ 6662(2)). The court shall find the interest extinguished and order title in the complainant only after both conditions in § 6662(4) are met.", "qualifying_uses_or_savings": [ "Payment of rents or royalties for the option or exercise of mineral rights", "Payment of the excise tax under 36 M.R.S. § 2856 (before PL 2025, c. 469: any excise tax under 36 M.R.S. §§ 2851 to 2865)", "Extraction of minerals from the ground in quantities in excess of that necessary to conduct exploratory activity", "Filing of a statement of claim under § 6662(3), including within two years after service of the complaint" ], "preservation_filing": "Statement of claim filed by an owner, assignee or lessee with the registrar of deeds of the county where the land lies, containing the claimant's name and address, a description of the land subject to the interest and a legal description of the mineral interest (§ 6662(3)).", "interest_scope": "Any mineral interest created by an instrument transferring, by grant, assignment, lease or otherwise, any interest in any mineral, so severed mineral estates and mineral leases.", "mineral_scope": "All naturally occurring mineral deposits, including hydrocarbons and peat, excluding sand, gravel and water.", "exceptions": [ "No statutory carve outs; only the fee simple owner of the land subject to the interest may sue under § 6662(2)" ], "effective": "Enacted by PL 1983, c. 189 (An Act to Extinguish Obsolete Mineral and Mining Rights), effective September 23, 1983. Subsection 1(C)(2) amended by PL 2025, c. 469, § 5 (mining excise tax act, First Special Session; general effective date September 24, 2025), which by § 44 applies to tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2026.", "date_model": "court_determination", "date_model_note": "No lapse date exists. A calculator can show the earliest date a complaint could meet the 50 year test (last use plus 50 years) and that a decree needs at least two more years after service, but the interest ends only by court order.", "survey_scope": "Also read 33 M.R.S. chapter list and chapter 7 subchapters (no marketable record title act) and 14 M.R.S. §§ 6651 and 6655 (quiet title procedure).", "confidence": "high", "open_questions": [ "No Maine decision applying § 6662 was located; case law was not searched for this release.", "Whether property tax paid on a separately assessed mineral interest, or operations by a surface lessee, count as use; the statutory list does not include them.", "Whether excise tax payments made under the pre 2026 sections still count as use for periods before PL 2025, c. 469 applies.", "The official pages were extracted 10/20/2025; laws of the 2026 session were not checked." ], "category": "lapse_statute", "answer": "The fee simple owner of land subject to a mineral interest may bring a quiet title action, and the court shall find the interest extinguished and order title to it in the complainant if the owner, assignee or lessee made no use of it for 50 consecutive years before the complaint and filed no statement of claim within two years after notice of the complaint was served.", "evidence": "primary" }, "dormancy_source_ids": [ "SRC-ME-001", "SRC-ME-002", "SRC-ME-003" ], "pooling": { "status": "none_identified", "summary": "No current compulsory pooling statute was found. Maine's former oil and gas conservation law, including 10 M.R.S. § 2158 (Integration of interests in spacing units, PL 1969, c. 301), was repealed by PL 1977, c. 360, § 2. Since 2019, 38 M.R.S. § 570-BB bars oil and gas exploration, development and production in, on or under the waters of the State.", "confidence": "medium", "survey_scope": "10 M.R.S. chapter 401 (all sections shown repealed) and 38 M.R.S. § 570-BB read on the official site. No full text search of the Maine Revised Statutes was run for this release.", "evidence": "none_found", "source_ids": [ "SRC-ME-004", "SRC-ME-005" ] }, "surface_damages": { "status": "none_identified", "summary": "No statute requiring oil and gas operators to notify or compensate surface owners was found; Maine has no current oil and gas conservation law and bans oil and gas activity in State waters.", "confidence": "medium", "survey_scope": "Same official pages as for pooling, plus 33 M.R.S. chapter list and 14 M.R.S. § 6662. Not searched in full text.", "evidence": "none_found", "source_ids": [] }, "june_2026": { "state": "Maine", "abbr": "ME", "category": "none", "unused_minerals": "Does not lapse", "lapse_period": "none", "surface_damages_act": "no", "forced_pooling": "verify", "risk_score": 0, "rank": 32, "statute": "n/a", "source_status": "No dormant act (surveyed)", "source_url": "", "preservation": "No dormant mineral act; a severed interest does not lapse through nonuse.", "note": "No dormant mineral act in Maine. A severed mineral interest does not lapse through nonuse. Based on national statutory surveys; confirm against the current state code." } }, { "id": "MD", "name": "Maryland", "page_url": "https://americanmineralregistry.com/research/states/maryland-dormant-mineral-act", "reviewed": true, "reviewed_on": "2026-10-01", "dormancy": { "mechanism": "dormant_mineral_act", "mechanism_label": "Maryland Dormant Mineral Interests Act, 20 years, court action by the surface owner required", "summary": "Since October 1, 2011 a surface owner may sue in circuit court to terminate a mineral interest that has been unused, with no notice of it recorded, for 20 or more years before the action. A court order ends the interest and merges it into the surface estate. The mineral owner can stop the suit by recording a late notice of intent to preserve and paying the surface owner's litigation expenses, but not if the interest has been unused for 40 years or more. A separate procedure lets a court place a severed interest of an unknown or missing owner in trust and, after 5 uncontested years, convey it to the surface owners.", "period_years": 20, "period_description": "Unused for 20 or more years preceding commencement of the termination, and no notice of the interest recorded during that period (Env. 15-1203(a)(2)). A qualifying act by or under authority of the owner as to any mineral in the interest counts as use of the entire interest that owner holds (15-1203(c)).", "self_executing": "no", "procedure": "Action in the nature of a quiet title action, with the notice required by Real Property 14-108, brought by the surface owner in the circuit court where the land lies, whether or not the mineral owner is unknown or missing (15-1203(b), (d)(1)). The order merges the interest, with its surface rights and obligations, into the surface estate in proportion to surface ownership, subject to tax liens; it must identify the interest, each surface estate with tax map and parcel number, each surface owner and, if known, each prior mineral owner, and the clerk records it in the land records (15-1203(d)). The court must allow a late notice of intent to preserve as a condition of dismissal if the mineral owner pays the surface owner's litigation expenses, except where the interest has been unused for 40 years or more (15-1205).", "qualifying_uses_or_savings": [ "Active mineral operations on or below the surface of the land or other property utilized or pooled with it, including production, geophysical exploration, exploratory or developmental drilling, mining, exploitation and development", "Recording an instrument that creates, reserves or otherwise evidences a claim to or the continued existence of the interest, including one that transfers, leases or divides it", "Payment by or for the owner of a tax on a separate assessment of the interest, or of a transfer or severance tax relating to a mineral in it, under Tax Property 8-229", "Recording of a judgment or decree that specifically refers to a mineral in the interest", "Recording a notice of intent to preserve (15-1204)", "A late notice of intent to preserve recorded during the suit with payment of litigation expenses, unless the interest has been unused for 40 years or more (15-1205)" ], "preservation_filing": "Notice of intent to preserve, recordable at any time in the county where the land lies; the interest is preserved only in the county where the notice is recorded (15-1204(a)). It may be recorded by the owner, a person legally authorized to act for the owner, or a co-owner for the benefit of any or all co-owners. It must give the owner's name, or state that the owner cannot be determined, and identify the interest by record reference to the creating instrument, by the judgment confirming it, by legal description with the name of the record owner under whom the claimant holds, or by general reference to all the owner's mineral interests in the county if a recorded instrument or judgment evidences them (15-1204(b), (c)).", "interest_scope": "Any interest in a mineral estate however created, including a fee or lesser interest, any kind of royalty, production payment, executive or nonexecutive right, leasehold or lien in minerals (15-1201). The plaintiff must be a surface owner, meaning a holder of a fee or other freehold interest in the surface, not a right of way, easement or leasehold holder.", "mineral_scope": "All minerals listed in 15-1201(b): gas, oil and oil shale, coal, gaseous, liquid and solid hydrocarbons, cement materials, sand and gravel, road materials, building stone, chemical substances, gemstone, metallic, fissionable and nonfissionable ores, clay, steam and geothermal resources.", "exceptions": [ "Mineral interests held by the United States or a Native American tribe, except as federal law permits (15-1202(a)(2)(i))", "Mineral interests held by the State or a State agency or political subdivision, except as State law permits (15-1202(a)(2)(ii))", "Injection of substances for disposal or storage is not use (15-1203(c)(4))", "No late notice cure where the interest has been unused for 40 years or more (15-1205(c))", "Water rights are not affected, and other procedures for clearing abandoned mineral interests are not limited (15-1202(c), (d))", "The section applies notwithstanding contrary provisions in the creating instrument or another recorded document, unless that document provides an earlier termination date (15-1203(e))" ], "effective": "Enacted by 2010 Laws of Maryland ch. 269 (House Bill 320), effective October 1, 2010, with termination actions allowed on or after October 1, 2011 (15-1203(a)(1)). Amended by 2012 ch. 370 (House Bill 402, effective October 1, 2012; contents and recording of the termination order) and 2016 ch. 398 (House Bill 576, effective October 1, 2016; an act as to one mineral counts as use of the owner's entire interest, tax payments count for the taxed interest and certain untaxed interests of the same owner, and a recorded judgment counts for the interest it specifies).", "date_model": "court_determination", "date_model_note": "Nothing happens automatically: the 20 years are counted back from the start of a termination suit, the owner can cure inside the suit unless 40 or more years of nonuse are shown, and the interest ends only by court order. A calculator can show when a 20 year, or 40 year, lookback from the last known use would be complete, not a termination date.", "survey_scope": null, "confidence": "high", "open_questions": [ "No Maryland appellate decisions under 15-1201 to 15-1206 were researched.", "How a 15-1206 trust for an unknown or missing owner interacts with a 15-1203 termination suit on the same interest should be checked by a specialist." ], "category": "lapse_statute", "answer": "Since October 1, 2011 a surface owner may sue in circuit court to terminate a mineral interest that has been unused, with no notice of it recorded, for 20 or more years before the action. A court order ends the interest and merges it into the surface estate.", "evidence": "primary" }, "dormancy_source_ids": [ "SRC-MD-001", "SRC-MD-002", "SRC-MD-003", "SRC-MD-004", "SRC-MD-005", "SRC-MD-006", "SRC-MD-007", "SRC-MD-008", "SRC-MD-009", "SRC-MD-010" ], "pooling": { "status": "none_identified", "summary": "No compulsory pooling or unitization provision was found in Maryland's oil and gas statute (Environment 14-101 to 14-125). It regulates royalties under voluntary unit operation agreements (14-113), bars a production or storage well within 1,000 feet of the property boundary (500 feet for coalbed methane) without agreement of the adjoining owners unless the Department grants an exception after hearing (14-112), and bans hydraulic fracturing (14-107.1).", "confidence": "medium", "survey_scope": "mgaleg.maryland.gov Environment Article Title 14 Subtitle 1: every section from 14-101 to 14-125 (and 14-107.1) fetched and searched for 'pool', 'unitiz' and 'integrat'; one web search for a Maryland compulsory or forced pooling statute found none. Other articles (for example Natural Resources) and COMAR regulations were not searched.", "evidence": "none_found", "source_ids": [ "SRC-MD-011", "SRC-MD-012", "SRC-MD-013" ] }, "surface_damages": { "status": "none_identified", "summary": "No statute requiring oil and gas operators to notify and compensate surface owners for surface damage was found in Environment 14-101 to 14-125. Section 14-111 requires each permit holder to post financial assurance and carry liability and pollution insurance that extend to the owners of the surface and subsurface property; that is security for claims, not a compensation duty.", "confidence": "medium", "survey_scope": "mgaleg.maryland.gov Environment Article Title 14 Subtitle 1, sections 14-101 to 14-125 read in full; other articles and COMAR were not searched.", "evidence": "none_found", "source_ids": [ "SRC-MD-014" ] }, "june_2026": { "state": "Maryland", "abbr": "MD", "category": "lapse", "unused_minerals": "Can lapse / revert", "lapse_period": "20 years", "surface_damages_act": "no", "forced_pooling": "verify", "risk_score": 84, "rank": 6, "statute": "Md. Code, Environment 15-1201 et seq.", "source_status": "Sourced", "source_url": "https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=en§ion=15-1201", "preservation": "Record a notice of intent to preserve, or use the interest within 20 years (Md. Code, Environment 15-1201 et seq.).", "note": "Maryland Dormant Mineral Interests Act of 2010 lets a surface owner terminate a severed interest unused for 20 years or more. Upheld as constitutional in 2016." } }, { "id": "MA", "name": "Massachusetts", "page_url": "https://americanmineralregistry.com/research/states/do-mineral-rights-expire-in-massachusetts", "reviewed": true, "reviewed_on": "2026-10-01", "dormancy": { "mechanism": "none_identified", "mechanism_label": "No dormant mineral or marketable title statute identified", "summary": "No Massachusetts statute was found that ends a severed mineral interest for nonuse or under a marketable title act. The General Laws' title clearing statutes target other interests: G.L. c. 184, §§ 23 and 26 to 30 limit old restrictions, and G.L. c. 260, § 31A bars old rights of entry and possibilities of reverter not preserved by a 1964 filing. A proposed Landowner's Title Protection Act (new chapter 183D, 50 year chain of title) was filed in several sessions but not enacted.", "period_years": null, "period_description": null, "self_executing": null, "procedure": null, "qualifying_uses_or_savings": [], "preservation_filing": null, "interest_scope": "Not applicable; no mechanism identified.", "mineral_scope": "Not applicable.", "exceptions": [], "effective": "No dormancy statute identified in the General Laws provisions reviewed.", "date_model": "not_applicable", "date_model_note": "No lapse mechanism found, so there is no date to compute.", "survey_scope": "Read the G.L. c. 184 section list (archived May 10, 2026) and G.L. c. 260, § 31A (archived October 14, 2025). Bills to insert chapter 183D, the Landowner's Title Protection Act, were found for 2013 (S.700), 2017 (S.796), 2019 (S.893) and 2021 (S.979, marked dead 12/31/2022 by a bill tracker); none was enacted, and no General Laws page for chapter 183D exists in the Internet Archive while pages for chapters 183A to 183C do. A full text search of the General Laws was not possible because malegislature.gov was not available when AMR checked.", "confidence": "medium", "open_questions": [ "The General Laws could not be searched in full text; a mineral specific provision outside the chapters reviewed cannot be ruled out.", "Whether any 2023 to 2026 session bill on marketable title was enacted was not checked after the 2021 bill." ], "category": "none_found", "answer": "No Massachusetts statute was found that ends a severed mineral interest for nonuse or under a marketable title act. The General Laws' title clearing statutes target other interests: G.L. c. 184, §§ 23 and 26 to 30 limit old restrictions, and G.L. c. 260, § 31A bars old rights of entry and possibilities of reverter not preserved by a 1964 filing.", "evidence": "none_found" }, "dormancy_source_ids": [ "SRC-MA-001" ], "pooling": { "status": "none_identified", "summary": "No Massachusetts statute on oil and gas conservation, spacing or compulsory pooling was found.", "confidence": "medium", "survey_scope": "Same limited review as for dormancy; no chapter on oil and gas production was located in the General Laws pages read. Not a full text search.", "evidence": "none_found", "source_ids": [] }, "surface_damages": { "status": "none_identified", "summary": "No Massachusetts surface damages or split estate statute was found.", "confidence": "medium", "survey_scope": "Same limited review as for dormancy. Not a full text search.", "evidence": "none_found", "source_ids": [] }, "june_2026": { "state": "Massachusetts", "abbr": "MA", "category": "none", "unused_minerals": "Does not lapse", "lapse_period": "none", "surface_damages_act": "no", "forced_pooling": "verify", "risk_score": 0, "rank": 33, "statute": "n/a", "source_status": "No dormant act (surveyed)", "source_url": "", "preservation": "No dormant mineral act; a severed interest does not lapse through nonuse.", "note": "No dormant mineral act in Massachusetts. A severed mineral interest does not lapse through nonuse. Based on national statutory surveys; confirm against the current state code." } }, { "id": "MI", "name": "Michigan", "page_url": "https://americanmineralregistry.com/research/states/michigan-dormant-mineral-act", "reviewed": true, "reviewed_on": "2026-10-01", "dormancy": { "mechanism": "dormant_mineral_act", "mechanism_label": "Dormant oil and gas interest statute, 20 years, self executing, oil and gas only", "summary": "A severed interest in oil or gas is deemed abandoned, and vests in the surface owner as of the date of abandonment, if for 20 years it has had no recorded sale, lease, mortgage or transfer, no drilling permit, no production or withdrawal from the land, its lease or pooled or unitized land, and no use in gas storage, unless the owner records a claim of interest. No court action is required. The act covers only oil and gas; other minerals are outside it. A separate rule cuts off severed oil or gas interests in a tax foreclosure of the land unless an instrument evidencing them was recorded in the prior 20 years.", "period_years": 20, "period_description": "Twenty years without any listed event (MCL 554.291(1)). The claim deadline is the later of 3 years after September 6, 1963 or 20 years after the last recorded sale, lease, mortgage or transfer, drilling permit, production or withdrawal, or storage use. A recorded claim of interest preserves for 20 years after recording and can be renewed in each succeeding 20 year period (554.292(3), (4)).", "self_executing": "yes", "procedure": "None. The interest is deemed abandoned and vests in the surface owner by operation of law (554.291(1), (2)). In a tax foreclosure of the land under MCL 211.78k, a severed oil or gas interest is not preserved unless it was sold, leased, mortgaged, transferred, reserved or claimed by an instrument recorded in the 20 years before the foreclosure petition was filed (554.291(3)).", "qualifying_uses_or_savings": [ "Sale, lease, mortgage or transfer of the interest by instrument recorded with the county register of deeds", "Issuance of a permit to drill an oil or gas well as to that interest", "Actual production or withdrawal of oil or gas from the land, from land covered by a lease to which the interest is subject, or from land pooled, unitized or included in unit operations with it", "Use of the interest in underground gas storage operations; a storage operator's recorded good faith affidavit defining the storage field is prima facie evidence of that use (554.293)", "Recording a claim of interest under 554.292" ], "preservation_filing": "Written notice recorded with the register of deeds of the county where the land lies, verified by oath, describing the land and the nature of the interest, giving the name and address of each claimant, and stating that they desire to preserve the interest and do not intend to abandon it (554.292(1)). It preserves for 20 years after recording and may be renewed (554.292(3), (4)). A gas storage operator may record one notice defining the boundaries and formations of the storage field (554.292(2)).", "interest_scope": "Any interest in oil or gas in land owned by a person other than the owner of the surface (554.291(1)). The text does not distinguish mineral, royalty or other interests in oil or gas.", "mineral_scope": "Oil and gas only.", "exceptions": [ "Interests in oil or gas owned by any governmental body or agency (554.292(5))" ], "effective": "1963 PA 42, effective September 6, 1963, with a 3 year window after that date for recording claims (554.291(1)). Sections 554.291, 554.292 and 554.294 were amended by 2006 PA 519, immediately effective December 29, 2006. The official history note records that the act is not unconstitutional as applied in Van Slooten v Larsen, 410 Mich 21 (1980).", "date_model": "illustrative_anniversary", "date_model_note": "Abandonment is automatic 20 years after the latest listed event, so a calculator can illustrate that anniversary. Drilling permits, production on leased, pooled or unitized land and storage use are not visible from a single last recorded date, and the tax foreclosure rule runs from the foreclosure petition date instead.", "survey_scope": null, "confidence": "high", "open_questions": [ "The official site was not available when AMR checked; amendments after the snapshot dates (June 2025 for 554.291, March 2025 for 554.292 to 554.294) were not checked, although a web search found no 2025 or 2026 bill.", "Michigan's Marketable Record Title Act (MCL 565.101, amended by 2018 PA 572 and 2024 PA 20) uses a 20 year chain of title for mineral interests of every kind and refers to interests recorded on or before September 29, 2025; its effect on old severed interests, including non oil and gas minerals, was not analyzed.", "Van Slooten v Larsen and later cases on what counts as a permit or production 'as to that interest' were not read." ], "category": "lapse_statute", "answer": "A severed interest in oil or gas is deemed abandoned, and vests in the surface owner as of the date of abandonment, if for 20 years it has had no recorded sale, lease, mortgage or transfer, no drilling permit, no production or withdrawal from the land, its lease or pooled or unitized land, and no use in gas storage, unless the owner records a claim of interest. No court action is required.", "evidence": "primary" }, "dormancy_source_ids": [ "SRC-MI-001", "SRC-MI-001", "SRC-MI-002", "SRC-MI-003", "SRC-MI-004", "SRC-MI-005", "SRC-MI-006" ], "pooling": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "The supervisor of wells may require pooling, if not agreed, wherever a tract's small size or shape would otherwise deprive its owner of a fair share under a uniform spacing plan, proration or drilling unit, on just and reasonable terms (MCL 324.61513(4)); state owned land under a state leasing program is exempt (61513a), and pooling hearings move to the county on written request of a majority of the owners to be pooled (61516(2)). Part 617 (324.61701 to 324.61738) provides compulsory unitization, effective once owners approve by one of the thresholds in 61706, for example 51 percent of costs plus 51 percent of cost free interests, or 65 percent of production.", "confidence": "high", "survey_scope": null, "evidence": "primary", "source_ids": [ "SRC-MI-007", "SRC-MI-008", "SRC-MI-009" ] }, "surface_damages": { "status": "none_identified", "summary": "No statute requiring oil and gas operators to notify and compensate surface owners for damage was found in Parts 615 and 617 of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act. Section 324.61525 only lists the surface owner among the permit application details the supervisor makes available on request.", "confidence": "medium", "survey_scope": "Michigan Legislature section caption lists for NREPA Part 615 (324.61501 to 324.61527) and Part 617 (324.61701 to 324.61738), from Internet Archive snapshots of January 2026, searched for surface, owner and damage, plus full text of 324.61525. Other Michigan statutes and supervisor of wells rules were not searched.", "evidence": "none_found", "source_ids": [ "SRC-MI-010" ] }, "june_2026": { "state": "Michigan", "abbr": "MI", "category": "lapse", "unused_minerals": "Can lapse / revert", "lapse_period": "20 years", "surface_damages_act": "no", "forced_pooling": "yes", "risk_score": 84, "rank": 7, "statute": "Dormant Minerals Act, MCL 554.291", "source_status": "Sourced", "source_url": "https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-554-291", "preservation": "Record a notice of intent to preserve, or use the oil and gas interest within 20 years (Mich. Comp. Laws 554.291).", "note": "Michigan's Dormant Minerals Act applies to oil and gas and reverts a dormant interest to the surface owner after 20 years with no sale, lease, development or recorded notice." } }, { "id": "MN", "name": "Minnesota", "page_url": "https://americanmineralregistry.com/research/states/do-mineral-rights-expire-in-minnesota", "reviewed": true, "reviewed_on": "2026-10-01", "dormancy": { "mechanism": "registration_or_ancient_claims", "mechanism_label": "Recorded statement of severed mineral interest required; unrecorded interests can be forfeited to the state by court order", "summary": "Minnesota does not end severed mineral interests for nonuse. Since January 1, 1970 every owner of a fee interest in minerals held apart from the surface must record a verified statement with the county recorder or registrar of titles (Minn. Stat. 93.52). An interest not recorded before January 1, 1975 (if owned on or before December 31, 1973) or within one year after it was acquired (if acquired later) forfeits to the state, but only after the commissioner of natural resources gives notice of an order to show cause and a court adjudges the forfeiture absolute; the owner defeats it by showing substantial compliance, which requires both that the county records showed the true owner and that all severed mineral taxes were paid on time (93.55). The obligation is ongoing, not only historical, because each later acquisition starts a new one year recording window.", "period_years": null, "period_description": "No nonuse period. The deadline is a recording deadline: before January 1, 1975 for interests owned on or before December 31, 1973, and within one year after acquiring the interest for interests acquired after December 31, 1973 (93.55 subd. 1). Use or production neither satisfies nor restarts it; only a recorded statement does. Where a statement was recorded but a later conveyance made on or after December 31, 1969 and before July 1, 2007 was not followed by a new statement, the interest is not subject to forfeiture if substantial compliance is shown and a new statement is recorded within one year of any conveyance on or after July 1, 2007 (93.55 subd. 1b).", "self_executing": "no", "procedure": "The commissioner of natural resources notifies the last owner of record, served like a summons in an adverse claims action under chapter 559, of a hearing on an order to show cause why the interest should not forfeit to the state absolutely; the court is asked to adjudge the forfeiture absolute unless substantial compliance is shown (93.55 subd. 2). Before finishing that procedure the commissioner may lease the interest, but the lessee may not mine (exploration excepted) until a court has adjudged the forfeiture absolute (subd. 1a). A person who owned the interest before forfeiture may recover its fair market value, either as an alternative claim at the show cause hearing or in an action brought within six years after the judgment (subd. 4).", "qualifying_uses_or_savings": [ "Recording the verified statement required by 93.52 before the deadline in 93.55 subd. 1", "Substantial compliance: during the filing period the county records showed the true owner, or probate, divorce, bankruptcy, mortgage foreclosure or other title proceedings were timely started and diligently pursued, and all severed mineral taxes, including 273.165 taxes that would have been due had the interest been recorded, were timely paid (93.55 subd. 2(b))", "A timely statement is valid despite a wrong fraction, more than one government section, missing verification, or recording in the wrong office, and may be corrected by amendment (93.551)", "Relief under 93.55 subd. 1b for unrecorded conveyances made on or after December 31, 1969 and before July 1, 2007, if substantial compliance is shown and a new statement is recorded within one year of any conveyance on or after July 1, 2007", "Interests valued and taxed under other mineral tax laws are outside 93.55 forfeiture while a tax is imposed and no tax forfeiture is complete (93.55 subd. 5)" ], "preservation_filing": "Verified statement, in triplicate, citing sections 93.52 to 93.551 and giving the owner's address, the interest in the minerals, the legal description of the land, and the book and page or document number of the instrument by which the interest was created or acquired; one government section per statement unless the source instrument covers more than one; recorded with the county recorder, or the registrar of titles for registered land, in the county where the interest lies (93.52 subd. 2).", "interest_scope": "Every fee simple interest in minerals owned separately from the fee title to the surface (93.52 subd. 2). Exempt owners: the United States, the State of Minnesota, and any American Indian tribe or band owning reservation lands (93.52 subd. 3). The statute does not say whether royalty or other nonfee interests are covered.", "mineral_scope": "All minerals. The companion tax statute defines a mineral interest as an interest in any minerals, including gas, coal, oil or similar interests, owned apart from the surface (273.165 subd. 1).", "exceptions": [ "Interests owned by the United States, the State of Minnesota, or a tribe or band owning reservation lands (93.52 subd. 3)", "Interests valued and taxed under other laws relating to the taxation of minerals, gas, coal, oil or similar interests, so long as a tax is imposed and no tax forfeiture is complete (93.55 subd. 5)", "No condemnation rights over overlying surface interests for a lessee of an interest leased under 93.55 (subd. 3)" ], "effective": "Created by Laws 1969 c 829, with recording required from January 1, 1970. 93.55 history: 1969 c 829 s 4; 1969 c 1129; 1973 c 492; 1973 c 650 art 20 s 6; 1979 c 303 art 10 s 1; 1Sp1985 c 14; 1988 c 508 s 1 to 3; 1989 c 277; 2005 c 4 s 21 to 24; 2007 c 131 art 2 s 3, 4 (subd. 1b added); 2009 c 101. 93.52 last amended 2023 c 25 s 20. 93.551 created 1979 c 303 art 10 s 2. No 2026 session flag on any of these sections on October 1, 2026.", "date_model": "explain_only", "date_model_note": "A last use date is irrelevant: production or use neither keeps nor loses the interest. A calculator can state the recording deadline (before January 1, 1975 for interests held on December 31, 1973; one year after acquisition for later acquisitions), but missing it only exposes the interest to a forfeiture proceeding, and the loss happens on the court's order, so no forfeiture date can be computed.", "survey_scope": "Read in full on the official revisor site: Minn. Stat. 93.52, 93.55, 93.551, 273.165, 272.039, 541.023, 93.513 to 93.516, and the chapter 93 table of sections. 272.039 records the legislature's finding that Wichelman v. Messner (1957) held the 40 year Marketable Title Act (541.023) inapplicable to severed mineral interests, and that Washburn v. Gregory (1914) held a severed mineral interest does not forfeit when the surface forfeits for unpaid taxes. 273.165 subd. 1 imposes an annual tax of 40 cents per acre (minimum 3.20 dollars) on recorded severed mineral interests not taxed under other mineral tax laws; a 1992 DNR report records a tax judgment and forfeiture of severed mineral interests in Cass County for unpaid severed mineral taxes.", "confidence": "high", "open_questions": [ "The statute does not define \"acquiring\"; whether inheritance or devise starts the one year recording window was not researched (93.55 subd. 2(b)(1) treats timely probate as substantial compliance).", "Whether royalty interests or other nonfee mineral interests are a \"fee simple interest in minerals\" under 93.52 was not researched.", "Minnesota appellate decisions applying or testing 93.52 to 93.55 were not read.", "The statutory chain for tax judgment and forfeiture of severed mineral interests for unpaid 273.165 tax (property tax chapters 279 to 282) was not read; the 1992 DNR report shows it has been used.", "Whether DNR still brings 93.55 forfeiture proceedings today, and how many interests remain unrecorded, is not known." ], "answer": "Minnesota does not end mineral interests for nonuse. Owners of severed mineral interests must record a statement with the county, and an unrecorded interest can be forfeited to the state, but only after a show cause proceeding and a court order.", "category": "registration_history", "evidence": "primary" }, "dormancy_source_ids": [ "SRC-MN-001", "SRC-MN-002", "SRC-MN-003", "SRC-MN-004", "SRC-MN-005", "SRC-MN-006", "SRC-MN-007" ], "pooling": { "status": "none_identified", "summary": "No compulsory pooling identified. Minn. Stat. 93.515 (1993) and 93.514(a)(4) (2024) authorize and require DNR rules on spacing, pooling and unitization, but 93.513 bars gas or oil production without a DNR permit that demonstrates control of the extraction area through ownership, lease or agreement, and DNR's 2026 notice of proposed rules says the applicant must control 100 percent of the mineral interests in the spacing unit.", "confidence": "medium", "survey_scope": "Minn. Stat. chapter 93 table of sections; 93.513 to 93.516 and 103I.681 read in full on the official revisor site; DNR notice of intent for proposed rules R-4995 (Minn. R. parts 6124), comment period closed July 2, 2026. Whether those rules were adopted after that date, and their final pooling text, was not checked.", "evidence": "none_found", "source_ids": [ "SRC-MN-008", "SRC-MN-009", "SRC-MN-010" ] }, "surface_damages": { "status": "none_identified", "summary": "No Minnesota statute was found that requires oil and gas operators to notify and compensate surface owners for damage. 93.516 lets DNR require financial assurance for damages only on state gas and oil leases, and 103I.681 does the same for underground storage permits.", "confidence": "medium", "survey_scope": "Minn. Stat. chapter 93 table of sections; 93.513 to 93.516; 103I.601 (exploratory borings) and 103I.681 (underground storage) read on the official revisor site. No section creates a surface owner notice and compensation duty for oil and gas operations. The proposed DNR rules R-4995 were not read in full.", "evidence": "none_found", "source_ids": [ "SRC-MN-011" ] }, "june_2026": { "state": "Minnesota", "abbr": "MN", "category": "special", "unused_minerals": "Special mechanism", "lapse_period": "see note", "surface_damages_act": "no", "forced_pooling": "verify", "risk_score": 45, "rank": 18, "statute": "Minn. Stat. 93.52, 93.55", "source_status": "Sourced", "source_url": "https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/93.52", "preservation": "File the statement of severed mineral interest and pay the annual tax, or forfeit to the State (Minn. Stat. 93.52 and 93.55).", "note": "Minnesota requires severed mineral interests to be registered and can forfeit unregistered interests through a tax forfeiture process rather than simple reversion." } }, { "id": "MS", "name": "Mississippi", "page_url": "https://americanmineralregistry.com/research/states/abandoned-mineral-rights-mississippi", "reviewed": true, "reviewed_on": "2026-10-01", "dormancy": { "mechanism": "none_identified", "mechanism_label": "No dormant mineral statute identified (limited survey)", "summary": "No Mississippi statute was found that ends or transfers a severed mineral interest for nonuse, but the official code could not be searched in full. Nonproducing oil, gas and mineral interests held separately from the surface are exempt from ad valorem tax (Miss. Code 27-31-73, taxes from January 1, 1947; older interests only on application), and a tax sale of the surface does not affect an exempt interest.", "period_years": null, "period_description": null, "self_executing": null, "procedure": null, "qualifying_uses_or_savings": [], "preservation_filing": null, "interest_scope": "Not applicable; no mechanism identified.", "mineral_scope": "Not applicable; no mechanism identified.", "exceptions": [], "effective": "No dormancy statute identified. The ad valorem exemption in 27-31-73 applies to taxes levied on or after January 1, 1947 (2015 edition text).", "date_model": "not_applicable", "date_model_note": "No statutory lapse was identified, so there is no lapse or deadline date for Mississippi.", "survey_scope": "The official Mississippi Code is published by LexisNexis behind a terms of use gate and was not used; law.justia.com was not available, so no full text search of the code was possible. Read: Title 53, chapters 1, 3 and 11 as reproduced in the State Oil and Gas Board Rule Book (June 2025), with no dormancy provision; Title 89 (Real and Personal Property) chapter list (2023 edition) and the chapter 1 section captions (2020 edition) from Internet Archive snapshots of the Justia mirror, with no dormant, abandoned or severed mineral chapter or section and no marketable title act; Title 27, chapter 31, sections 27-31-71 to 27-31-85 (2015 edition, same mirror) on nonproducing mineral interests. Title 89 chapters 11 (Escheats) and 12 (Uniform Disposition of Unclaimed Property Act) were seen only as chapter titles. Titles 11, 15 and 29 were not searched.", "confidence": "low", "open_questions": [ "A specialist with access to the official Mississippi Code should confirm that no dormant, abandoned or unknown owner mineral statute exists, including in Titles 11, 15, 27, 29 and 89.", "27-31-73 was read in the 2015 edition through a mirror; amendments since then were not checked.", "Mississippi case law on severed mineral interests was not reviewed." ], "category": "none_found", "answer": "No Mississippi statute was found that ends or transfers a severed mineral interest for nonuse, but the official code could not be searched in full. Nonproducing oil, gas and mineral interests held separately from the surface are exempt from ad valorem tax (Miss. Code 27-31-73, taxes from January 1, 1947; older interests only on application), and a tax sale of the surface does not affect an exempt interest.", "evidence": "secondary" }, "dormancy_source_ids": [ "SRC-MS-001", "SRC-MS-002" ], "pooling": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "Yes. Under Miss. Code Ann. 53-3-7(1)(a) the State Oil and Gas Board may, after notice and hearing, require owners in a drilling unit who have not agreed to integrate to do so. Where owners of at least 33 percent of the drilling rights consent and the operator made good faith efforts, the Board may allow alternate risk charges of 250 percent (300 percent for a severed mineral interest or lease owned by a nonconsenting owner), with notice by publication to owners whose addresses are unknown.", "confidence": "high", "survey_scope": null, "evidence": "primary", "source_ids": [ "SRC-MS-003" ] }, "surface_damages": { "status": "none_identified", "summary": "No Mississippi statute was found that requires oil and gas operators to notify and compensate surface owners. The oil and gas statutes reproduced by the State Oil and Gas Board contain none, but the full code could not be searched.", "confidence": "low", "survey_scope": "Read the section lists and text of Mississippi Code Title 53, chapters 1, 3 and 11, as reproduced in the State Oil and Gas Board Rule Book (June 2025): no surface owner notice or damage section (53-3-161 concerns a landowner's rights over underground gas storage). Title 89 chapter list (2023 edition, Justia mirror via Internet Archive) shows no surface damage chapter. Board rules mention surface owner notice for some permits, but rules are not statutes. The official code (LexisNexis) could not be searched.", "evidence": "none_found", "source_ids": [] }, "june_2026": { "state": "Mississippi", "abbr": "MS", "category": "none", "unused_minerals": "Does not lapse", "lapse_period": "none", "surface_damages_act": "no", "forced_pooling": "yes", "risk_score": 0, "rank": 34, "statute": "n/a", "source_status": "No dormant act (surveyed)", "source_url": "", "preservation": "No dormant mineral act; a severed interest does not lapse through nonuse.", "note": "No dormant mineral act in Mississippi. A severed mineral interest does not lapse through nonuse. Based on national statutory surveys; confirm against the current state code." } }, { "id": "MO", "name": "Missouri", "page_url": "https://americanmineralregistry.com/research/states/abandoned-mineral-rights-missouri", "reviewed": true, "reviewed_on": "2026-10-01", "dormancy": { "mechanism": "none_identified", "mechanism_label": "No dormant mineral statute identified", "summary": "No Missouri statute was found that ends or transfers a severed mineral interest for nonuse, requires a statement of claim, or provides a court procedure for missing mineral owners, and Missouri has no marketable title act in the chapters read. Severed oil, gas and mineral rights are assessed and taxed separately from the land (RSMo 259.220) and can be sold for delinquent taxes like other real estate (RSMo 140.150); that is ordinary tax sale law, not a dormancy rule.", "period_years": null, "period_description": null, "self_executing": null, "procedure": null, "qualifying_uses_or_savings": [], "preservation_filing": null, "interest_scope": "Not applicable.", "mineral_scope": "Not applicable.", "exceptions": [], "effective": "No dormancy statute identified in the Revised Statutes as published on revisor.mo.gov on 1 Oct 2026.", "date_model": "not_applicable", "date_model_note": "No statutory lapse was identified, so there is no lapse or deadline date for Missouri.", "survey_scope": "Official Revised Statutes of Missouri at revisor.mo.gov, read 1 Oct 2026. Full text of all 24 sections of chapter 259 (Oil and Gas Production) read. Section headings read and searched for mineral, coal, oil, gas, sever, lapse, abandon, dormant, unknown, marketable, ancient, reservation, royalty and surface in chapters 442 (titles and conveyance of real estate), 444 (mines and mining), 446, 447 (unclaimed property), 516 (limitations), 527, 528 (partition), 137, 140 and 141 (property tax and tax sales). No dormant mineral, statement of claim, marketable title or missing mineral owner statute found. Related: 259.220 taxes severed oil, gas and mineral rights separately from the land; 140.150 makes mineral rights and royalty interests subject to tax sale like other real estate. The official site search was not run for this release.", "confidence": "medium", "open_questions": [ "The survey read section headings, not full text, outside chapter 259; a full text search of the Revised Statutes was not possible without using the site's search form.", "A search result described a 2022 bill (H.B. 2862) that would have made unused mineral rights revert to the surface owner after 20 years; its text and history were not read, and no such section appears in chapter 444 on revisor.mo.gov.", "Missouri case law on abandonment or adverse possession of severed mineral interests was not reviewed." ], "category": "none_found", "answer": "No Missouri statute was found that ends or transfers a severed mineral interest for nonuse, requires a statement of claim, or provides a court procedure for missing mineral owners, and Missouri has no marketable title act in the chapters read.", "evidence": "none_found" }, "dormancy_source_ids": [ "SRC-MO-001", "SRC-MO-002", "SRC-MO-003" ], "pooling": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "In the absence of voluntary pooling, the oil and gas council (now within the department of natural resources, RSMo 640.010) shall, on application of any interested person, enter an order pooling all interests in a spacing unit, on just and reasonable terms after notice and hearing (RSMo 259.110, effective 28 Aug 1965).", "confidence": "high", "survey_scope": null, "evidence": "primary", "source_ids": [ "SRC-MO-004" ] }, "surface_damages": { "status": "none_identified", "summary": "No Missouri statute was found requiring oil and gas operators to notify or compensate surface owners for surface damage.", "confidence": "medium", "survey_scope": "Full text of all 24 sections of RSMo chapter 259 (Oil and Gas Production) searched for surface: only the definition of waste in 259.050. Section headings of chapters 444 (mines and mining, including coal surface mining reclamation), 442, 446, 447, 516, 527, 528, 137, 140 and 141 read; no oil and gas surface damages provision found.", "evidence": "none_found", "source_ids": [] }, "june_2026": { "state": "Missouri", "abbr": "MO", "category": "none", "unused_minerals": "Does not lapse", "lapse_period": "none", "surface_damages_act": "no", "forced_pooling": "yes", "risk_score": 0, "rank": 35, "statute": "n/a", "source_status": "No dormant act (surveyed)", "source_url": "", "preservation": "No dormant mineral act; a severed interest does not lapse through nonuse.", "note": "No dormant mineral act in Missouri. A severed mineral interest does not lapse through nonuse. Based on national statutory surveys; confirm against the current state code." } }, { "id": "MT", "name": "Montana", "page_url": "https://americanmineralregistry.com/research/states/do-mineral-rights-expire-in-montana", "reviewed": true, "reviewed_on": "2026-10-01", "dormancy": { "mechanism": "missing_owner_procedure", "mechanism_label": "No dormant mineral act; court trust for unlocatable mineral owners", "summary": "No Montana statute was found that ends a severed mineral interest for nonuse; dormant mineral interest bills in 1981, 1985 and 1993 failed. Instead, any person who owns an interest in the minerals under a tract may ask the district court to declare a trust for co-owners whose whereabouts are unknown and cannot reasonably be ascertained (MCA 82-1-302). The court appoints the clerk of court or the Department of Revenue as trustee to sign leases and division orders and hold the income; the absent owner keeps title.", "period_years": null, "period_description": "No dormancy period. A person holding bonuses, rentals, royalties or other income for unlocatable owners may not hold it personally for longer than 6 months and must petition for a trust within that period (MCA 82-1-305).", "self_executing": "no", "procedure": "Petition in the district court of a county where the tract lies, showing a diligent but unsuccessful effort to locate the absent owner and that a trustee is in the best interest of all mineral owners (82-1-302(2)). The court appoints the clerk of court, or the Department of Revenue if the clerk declines, as trustee with authority to execute leases, ratifications, division orders and related instruments on court approved terms. Income is paid to the trustee, administered under Title 72, and the trust stays in force until the unlocatable owners claim their share and file the address notice under 82-1-306. Trust funds are subject to the abandoned property provisions of Title 70, chapter 9.", "qualifying_uses_or_savings": [], "preservation_filing": "Not a preservation filing against lapse. Under MCA 82-1-306 a person claiming an interest in minerals under a tract that is the subject of a trust proceeding may file, for a $5 fee, with the clerk and recorder of each county where the land lies, a notice containing the person's address and a description of the interest; filing creates a rebuttable presumption that the person owns the interest claimed.", "interest_scope": "Interests in minerals underlying a tract, including mineral, leasehold and royalty interests (part 3 and 82-1-305), owned or claimed by persons whose residence and whereabouts are unknown.", "mineral_scope": "Minerals generally; the trustee may execute an oil, gas, or other mineral lease.", "exceptions": [], "effective": "Part 3 enacted by Ch. 513, L. 1979; amended by Ch. 126, L. 1997 (Department of Revenue as trustee) and other later acts shown in the history notes. Read in the Montana Code Annotated 2025, the current online edition.", "date_model": "not_applicable", "date_model_note": "Nothing lapses. The procedure is triggered by an owner who cannot be located, not by time since last use, so no date can be computed.", "survey_scope": "Crawled the official MCA 2025 section captions for titles 1, 15, 25, 27, 70, 71, 72, 76, 77 and 82 (8,683 sections) and searched for: dormant, severed, abandon, marketable, mineral interest, mineral estate, unknown, unlocatable, pool, surface owner, royalty. No dormant, abandoned or severed mineral interest statute and no marketable title act was found. Related: 82-1-301 to 82-1-306 (trust for unlocatable owners); 15-8-501 (assessment to unknown or absent owners); 15-17-326(4) and (5) and 70-19-421 (royalty interests acquired by a county by tax deed; action to recover limited by 27-2-210); 82-1-201 to 82-1-204 (release of forfeited or expired leases). Bill histories on courts.mt.gov show dormant mineral interest bills failed: 1981 HB758 (Senate committee not concurred), 1985 HB434 (killed), 1993 SB102, the Uniform Dormant Mineral Interests Act (tabled in committee). No surface development notice statute for mineral owners was found in these titles.", "confidence": "high", "open_questions": [ "Montana taxes royalty interests (15-23-505, 15-23-507) and lets counties take royalty interests by tax deed (15-17-326, 70-19-421); whether nonproducing severed mineral interests are assessed and can be lost at tax sale was not researched.", "Montana case law on abandonment or adverse possession of severed minerals was not reviewed.", "Titles outside the ten crawled were not searched by caption." ], "category": "missing_owner", "answer": "No Montana statute was found that ends a severed mineral interest for nonuse; dormant mineral interest bills in 1981, 1985 and 1993 failed. Instead, any person who owns an interest in the minerals under a tract may ask the district court to declare a trust for co-owners whose whereabouts are unknown and cannot reasonably be ascertained (MCA 82-1-302).", "evidence": "primary" }, "dormancy_source_ids": [ "SRC-MT-001", "SRC-MT-002", "SRC-MT-003", "SRC-MT-004", "SRC-MT-005" ], "pooling": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "Yes. Under MCA 82-11-202(1)(b) the Board of Oil and Gas Conservation, after a hearing, may pool all interests in a permanent spacing unit on application of an interested owner or operator who has made an unsuccessful good faith attempt to pool voluntarily. A refusing unleased owner is treated as owning a one eighth landowner royalty until the consenting owners recover costs, including a 200 percent charge on drilling costs.", "confidence": "high", "survey_scope": null, "evidence": "primary", "source_ids": [ "SRC-MT-006" ] }, "surface_damages": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "Yes. MCA 82-10-501 to 82-10-511 (Surface Owner Damage and Disruption Compensation) require written notice to the surface owner 20 to 180 days before surface disturbing activity, require the operator to pay for loss of agricultural production and income, lost land value and lost value of improvements, and make the operator responsible for damage to property caused by oil and gas operations.", "confidence": "high", "survey_scope": null, "evidence": "primary", "source_ids": [ "SRC-MT-007", "SRC-MT-008" ] }, "june_2026": { "state": "Montana", "abbr": "MT", "category": "none", "unused_minerals": "Does not lapse", "lapse_period": "none", "surface_damages_act": "yes", "forced_pooling": "yes", "risk_score": 0, "rank": 36, "statute": "n/a", "source_status": "Sourced", "source_url": "", "preservation": "No dormant mineral act; a severed interest does not lapse through nonuse.", "note": "Montana has no dormant minerals act, so severed minerals do not lapse through nonuse. It does have a surface owner damage and disruption law." } }, { "id": "NE", "name": "Nebraska", "page_url": "https://americanmineralregistry.com/research/states/nebraska-dormant-mineral-act", "reviewed": true, "reviewed_on": "2026-10-01", "dormancy": { "mechanism": "dormant_mineral_act", "mechanism_label": "Dormant mineral statute, 23 years, suit in equity by the surface owner required", "summary": "A surface owner may sue in equity to terminate a severed mineral interest whose record owner has not publicly exercised ownership in the 23 years immediately before the suit, by a recorded instrument, by drilling, mining or production, or by a recorded verified claim of interest. If the court finds the interest abandoned it cancels it and vests title in the surface owners. There is no late filing cure once suit is filed, and the Nebraska Supreme Court requires strict compliance and holds that the record owner must be the one who exercises ownership.", "period_years": 23, "period_description": "The 23 years immediately prior to the filing of the action (Neb. Rev. Stat. 57-229). Each qualifying act extends the interest for 23 years from the date of the act.", "self_executing": "no", "procedure": "Suit in equity by any surface owner, for himself and the other surface owners, in the county where the land lies, naming everyone having or appearing to have an interest, with unknown defendants proceeded against under Chapter 25, article 3 (57-228). If the court finds abandonment it enters judgment terminating and extinguishing the interest, canceling it of record and vesting title in the owners of the surface from which it was severed, in proportion to their surface ownership (57-230).", "qualifying_uses_or_savings": [ "Acquiring, selling, leasing, pooling, utilizing, mortgaging, encumbering or transferring the interest or any part of it by an instrument properly recorded in the county where the land lies", "Drilling or mining for, removing, producing or withdrawing minerals from under the land, or using the geological formations, spaces or cavities below the surface for any purpose consistent with the rights conveyed or reserved", "Recording a verified claim of interest in the county where the land lies", "In actions filed within two years after October 23, 1967, appearing and asserting the interest (57-231)" ], "preservation_filing": "Verified claim of interest recorded in the county where the land lies. It must describe the land and the nature of the interest, properly identify the deed or other instrument under which the interest is claimed, give each claimant's name and address, and state that the claimants claim the interest and do not intend to abandon it (57-229). According to the official annotations, Rice v. Bixler (2014) held that reference to an unrecorded deed does not establish the chain of ownership needed for a valid claim.", "interest_scope": "Severed mineral interests; the statute does not define the term or distinguish royalty interests. Only acts of the record owner count, and the record owner can include a person shown by county probate records (Gibbs Cattle Co. v. Bixler, 2013, per the official annotations).", "mineral_scope": "Not limited by the text to particular minerals.", "exceptions": [ "Mineral interests of which the State of Nebraska or any of its political subdivisions is the record owner (57-229)", "The Nebraska Supreme Court held 57-228 to 57-231 unconstitutional insofar as they could be read to operate retroactively (Monahan Cattle Co. v. Goodwin and Wheelock & Manning 00 Ranches v. Heath, 1978, per the official annotations)" ], "effective": "Laws 1967, c. 348, sections 1 to 4 (57-228 to 57-231). Owners sued within two years after October 23, 1967 could appear and assert their interest and were deemed to have timely exercised ownership (57-231). Sections 57-232 and 57-233 were repealed by Laws 1971, LB 636. No later amendment appears in the Source lines read.", "date_model": "court_determination", "date_model_note": "The 23 years are counted back from the day a surface owner files suit, and the interest ends only by judgment. A calculator can show when a 23 year lookback from the last public act by the record owner would be complete, but not a termination date, and acts by anyone other than the record owner do not count.", "survey_scope": null, "confidence": "high", "open_questions": [ "The official site was not available when AMR checked; amendments after the snapshot dates (May 2025 to August 2026) were not checked against session laws.", "How Monahan and Wheelock limit application to nonuse before October 23, 1967, and how Peterson v. Sanders (2011) treats post 1967 transfers, is set out in the opinions, which were not read for this review.", "Whether production by a lessee, rather than by the record owner, counts as the record owner's public exercise under 57-229(2) should be checked in the case law." ], "category": "lapse_statute", "answer": "A surface owner may sue in equity to terminate a severed mineral interest whose record owner has not publicly exercised ownership in the 23 years immediately before the suit, by a recorded instrument, by drilling, mining or production, or by a recorded verified claim of interest. If the court finds the interest abandoned it cancels it and vests title in the surface owners.", "evidence": "primary" }, "dormancy_source_ids": [ "SRC-NE-001", "SRC-NE-002", "SRC-NE-002", "SRC-NE-003", "SRC-NE-004", "SRC-NE-005", "SRC-NE-006" ], "pooling": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "Absent voluntary pooling, the Nebraska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission may, on application or on its own motion, pool all interests in a spacing unit (57-909); a nonconsenting owner pays out of production after the operator recovers 300 to 500 percent of well costs and 200 to 500 percent of equipment costs depending on well depth, and an unleased owner is treated as a lessee of seven eighths and lessor of one eighth. Compulsory unitization requires written consent of owners of at least 75 percent of unit production and, for the operating plan, 65 percent of costs (57-910.03).", "confidence": "high", "survey_scope": null, "evidence": "primary", "source_ids": [ "SRC-NE-007", "SRC-NE-008" ] }, "surface_damages": { "status": "none_identified", "summary": "No statute requiring oil and gas operators to notify and compensate surface owners for damage was found in Chapter 57 (Oil, Gas, and Minerals).", "confidence": "medium", "survey_scope": "Nebraska Legislature Chapter 57 section caption index (227 sections, Internet Archive snapshot January 23, 2026) searched for surface, damage, owner and notice; the only caption mentioning damages concerns easements across public lands (57-1103), and no caption concerns compensation of surface owners for oil and gas operations. Other chapters and commission rules were not searched.", "evidence": "none_found", "source_ids": [] }, "june_2026": { "state": "Nebraska", "abbr": "NE", "category": "lapse", "unused_minerals": "Can lapse / revert", "lapse_period": "23 years", "surface_damages_act": "no", "forced_pooling": "yes", "risk_score": 79, "rank": 12, "statute": "Neb. Rev. Stat. 57-228 to 57-231", "source_status": "Sourced", "source_url": "https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=57-228", "preservation": "Record an instrument, produce, or record a verified claim within 23 years (Neb. Rev. Stat. 57-229).", "note": "Nebraska treats a severed mineral interest as abandoned unless the record owner has publicly exercised ownership, by recording, leasing, producing or filing a claim, within the prior 23 years." } }, { "id": "NV", "name": "Nevada", "page_url": "https://americanmineralregistry.com/research/states/do-mineral-rights-expire-in-nevada", "reviewed": true, "reviewed_on": "2026-10-01", "dormancy": { "mechanism": "none_identified", "mechanism_label": "No dormant mineral statute identified", "summary": "No Nevada statute was found that ends or transfers a severed private mineral interest for nonuse, requires a statement of claim, or provides a procedure for missing mineral owners. Nevada's mining claim statutes (NRS chapter 517) govern locating, relocating abandoned claims and mill sites, mostly on federal land, which is a different topic from severed private mineral interests.", "period_years": null, "period_description": null, "self_executing": null, "procedure": null, "qualifying_uses_or_savings": [], "preservation_filing": null, "interest_scope": "Not applicable.", "mineral_scope": "Not applicable.", "exceptions": [], "effective": "No dormancy statute identified in the NRS chapters read (archived versions current through the 2023 or 2025 session as stamped on each page).", "date_model": "not_applicable", "date_model_note": "No statutory lapse was identified, so there is no lapse or deadline date for Nevada. Unpatented mining claim maintenance is a separate federal topic.", "survey_scope": "Official Nevada Revised Statutes chapter pages (leg.state.nv.us was not available when AMR checked) read in full from Internet Archive snapshots: chapters 11 (limitation of actions, snapshot September 25, 2026, through 2025 session), 40 (actions concerning property, June 7, 2026, through 2025), 111 (estates in property, conveyancing and recording, January 28, 2026, through 2023), 361 (property tax, September 25, 2026, through 2025), 362 (taxes on patented mines and proceeds of minerals, November 19, 2025), 517 (mining claims, September 15, 2025, through 2023) and 522 (oil and gas, November 13, 2025, through 2023). Searched for mineral, severed, dormant, marketable title, statement of claim, lapse, abandon, unknown owner and surface owner: no dormant mineral, statement of claim, marketable title or missing mineral owner provision found; chapter 111 never uses the word mineral. Related: chapter 517 governs location, relocation of abandoned lode claims (517.080) and mill sites, a mining claim topic; 361 allows assessment to 'unknown owner'. Chapter 120A (unclaimed property) had no archived snapshot and was not searched.", "confidence": "medium", "open_questions": [ "The official host was not available when AMR checked; chapters were read from archive snapshots, and chapters 111, 517 and 522 carry 2023 session revision stamps, so 2025 session amendments to them were not checked.", "Chapter 120A (unclaimed property) and NRS titles other than those listed were not searched.", "Nevada case law on abandonment of severed mineral interests was not reviewed." ], "category": "none_found", "answer": "No Nevada statute was found that ends or transfers a severed private mineral interest for nonuse, requires a statement of claim, or provides a procedure for missing mineral owners. Nevada's mining claim statutes (NRS chapter 517) govern locating, relocating abandoned claims and mill sites, mostly on federal land, which is a different topic from severed private mineral interests.", "evidence": "none_found" }, "dormancy_source_ids": [ "SRC-NV-001" ], "pooling": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "If persons owning drilling rights in separately owned tracts within an established drilling unit do not agree to pool, the Division of Minerals may, to prevent waste, protect correlative rights or avoid unnecessary wells, order their interests pooled after notice and hearing; lessees who refuse to agree bear a 300 percent cost recovery out of production (NRS 522.060(3) and (4)). NRS 522.0824 to 522.0838 also provide for compulsory unitization.", "confidence": "medium", "survey_scope": null, "evidence": "partial", "source_ids": [ "SRC-NV-002", "SRC-NV-003" ] }, "surface_damages": { "status": "none_identified", "summary": "No Nevada statute was found requiring oil and gas operators to notify or compensate surface owners for surface damage.", "confidence": "medium", "survey_scope": "Full text of archived NRS chapter 522 (oil and gas, snapshot November 13, 2025, revision through the 2023 session) searched for surface owner, landowner, damage and surface: only waste and unitization royalty references. Chapters 111, 40, 361 and 517 also contain no surface owner damages provision.", "evidence": "none_found", "source_ids": [] }, "june_2026": { "state": "Nevada", "abbr": "NV", "category": "none", "unused_minerals": "Does not lapse", "lapse_period": "none", "surface_damages_act": "no", "forced_pooling": "yes", "risk_score": 0, "rank": 37, "statute": "n/a", "source_status": "No dormant act (surveyed)", "source_url": "", "preservation": "No dormant mineral act; a severed interest does not lapse through nonuse.", "note": "No dormant mineral act in Nevada. A severed mineral interest does not lapse through nonuse. Based on national statutory surveys; confirm against the current state code." } }, { "id": "NH", "name": "New Hampshire", "page_url": "https://americanmineralregistry.com/research/states/do-mineral-rights-expire-in-new-hampshire", "reviewed": true, "reviewed_on": "2026-10-01", "dormancy": { "mechanism": "none_identified", "mechanism_label": "No dormant mineral or marketable title statute identified", "summary": "No New Hampshire statute was found that ends a severed mineral interest for nonuse or under a marketable title act. RSA 477, the conveyancing chapter, has no mineral lapse or marketable title provision; RSA 477:3-b limits possibilities of reverter, rights of re-entry and executory interests, not mineral interests. RSA 12-E is a mining permit and reclamation law for solid minerals.", "period_years": null, "period_description": null, "self_executing": null, "procedure": null, "qualifying_uses_or_savings": [], "preservation_filing": null, "interest_scope": "Not applicable; no mechanism identified.", "mineral_scope": "Not applicable.", "exceptions": [], "effective": "No dormancy statute identified in the RSA chapters reviewed.", "date_model": "not_applicable", "date_model_note": "No lapse mechanism found, so there is no date to compute.", "survey_scope": "Read the RSA title list and the chapter lists of Titles I, V, XII, XLVIII, L, LII and LV (archived 2025-10 to 2026-09), searching for mine, mining, mineral, oil, gas, petroleum, excavation, quarry, title, abandon, marketable, quiet and severed. Matches were RSA 12-E (Mining and Reclamation), 155-E (Local Regulation of Excavations), 72-B (Excavation Tax), 78-C (Refined Petroleum Products Tax) and 508 (Limitation of Actions). Read the full merged text of RSA 477 and RSA 12-E. A full text search of the RSA was not possible because gc.nh.gov was not available.", "confidence": "medium", "open_questions": [ "Titles not listed above were not searched; a mineral specific provision elsewhere in the RSA cannot be ruled out.", "Amendments after the 2025 to 2026 snapshot dates were not checked." ], "category": "none_found", "answer": "No New Hampshire statute was found that ends a severed mineral interest for nonuse or under a marketable title act. RSA 477, the conveyancing chapter, has no mineral lapse or marketable title provision; RSA 477:3-b limits possibilities of reverter, rights of re-entry and executory interests, not mineral interests.", "evidence": "none_found" }, "dormancy_source_ids": [ "SRC-NH-001" ], "pooling": { "status": "none_identified", "summary": "No New Hampshire statute on oil and gas conservation, spacing or compulsory pooling was found.", "confidence": "medium", "survey_scope": "Same chapter list review as for dormancy; no oil and gas production chapter appears in the titles reviewed.", "evidence": "none_found", "source_ids": [] }, "surface_damages": { "status": "none_identified", "summary": "No New Hampshire surface damages or split estate statute was found. RSA 12-E:3 only provides that a prospecting permit does not authorize entry on another's land without the landowner's written permission.", "confidence": "medium", "survey_scope": "Same chapter list review as for dormancy, plus the full text of RSA 12-E.", "evidence": "none_found", "source_ids": [] }, "june_2026": { "state": "New Hampshire", "abbr": "NH", "category": "none", "unused_minerals": "Does not lapse", "lapse_period": "none", "surface_damages_act": "no", "forced_pooling": "verify", "risk_score": 0, "rank": 38, "statute": "n/a", "source_status": "No dormant act (surveyed)", "source_url": "", "preservation": "No dormant mineral act; a severed interest does not lapse through nonuse.", "note": "No dormant mineral act in New Hampshire. A severed mineral interest does not lapse through nonuse. Based on national statutory surveys; confirm against the current state code." } }, { "id": "NJ", "name": "New Jersey", "page_url": "https://americanmineralregistry.com/research/states/do-mineral-rights-expire-in-new-jersey", "reviewed": true, "reviewed_on": "2026-10-01", "dormancy": { "mechanism": "none_identified", "mechanism_label": "No dormant mineral or marketable title statute identified", "summary": "A full text search of the New Jersey statutes found no provision under which a severed mineral interest lapses for nonuse or is barred by a marketable title act. The only statute on mineral rights in conveyances, N.J.S.A. 46:3-27, says a grant or reservation of mineral rights excludes water rights unless the instrument says otherwise.", "period_years": null, "period_description": null, "self_executing": null, "procedure": null, "qualifying_uses_or_savings": [], "preservation_filing": null, "interest_scope": "Not applicable; no mechanism identified.", "mineral_scope": "Not applicable.", "exceptions": [], "effective": "No dormancy statute identified in the New Jersey statutes text updated through P.L.2025, c.405.", "date_model": "not_applicable", "date_model_note": "No lapse mechanism found, so there is no date to compute.", "survey_scope": "Searched the whole of the Legislature's statutes text file, updated through P.L.2025, c.405, for mineral interest, mineral right(s), mineral estate, severed mineral, dormant, marketable title, marketable record title, oil and gas, pooling, spacing unit, drilling unit and surface owner. Related statutes found: 46:3-27 (mineral rights exclude water rights); 2A:62-1 to 2A:62-26 (quiet title actions; 2A:62-15 states the aim of establishing marketable title), which are general procedures; the Tax Sale Law (54:5-85, 54:5-129), which is general; and the Uniform Unclaimed Property Act, whose 46:30B-6 defines mineral proceeds, reaching unpaid royalty money but not title to the interest.", "confidence": "high", "open_questions": [ "Laws enacted in 2026 (P.L.2026) are not in the text file searched.", "Case law on abandonment or adverse possession of severed minerals was not researched." ], "category": "none_found", "answer": "A full text search of the New Jersey statutes found no provision under which a severed mineral interest lapses for nonuse or is barred by a marketable title act. The only statute on mineral rights in conveyances, N.J.S.A. 46:3-27, says a grant or reservation of mineral rights excludes water rights unless the instrument says otherwise.", "evidence": "none_found" }, "dormancy_source_ids": [ "SRC-NJ-001" ], "pooling": { "status": "none_identified", "summary": "No compulsory pooling or unitization statute was found. New Jersey's oil and gas law, N.J.S.A. 13:1M-1 to 13:1M-18 (P.L.1985, c.432), is a Department of Environmental Protection permit, bonding, restoration and plugging scheme that mentions a proposed drilling unit only as permit application content; offshore exploration and production in State waters is prohibited by 13:19-49.", "confidence": "high", "survey_scope": "Full text search as for dormancy; every 13:1M section heading and every mention of surface, owner, damage, pool and unit in 13:1M was read.", "evidence": "none_found", "source_ids": [ "SRC-NJ-002" ] }, "surface_damages": { "status": "none_identified", "summary": "No statute requiring oil and gas operators to notify and compensate surface owners was found. N.J.S.A. 13:1M-8 requires a permit holder to restore the disturbed land surface under DEP rules, and 13:1M-12 requires the plugging report to name the surface owner; neither creates a compensation duty.", "confidence": "high", "survey_scope": "Full text search for surface owner, landowner, damage and compensation in the oil and gas chapters 13:1M and 13:19.", "evidence": "none_found", "source_ids": [ "SRC-NJ-003" ] }, "june_2026": { "state": "New Jersey", "abbr": "NJ", "category": "none", "unused_minerals": "Does not lapse", "lapse_period": "none", "surface_damages_act": "no", "forced_pooling": "verify", "risk_score": 0, "rank": 39, "statute": "n/a", "source_status": "No dormant act (surveyed)", "source_url": "", "preservation": "No dormant mineral act; a severed interest does not lapse through nonuse.", "note": "No dormant mineral act in New Jersey. A severed mineral interest does not lapse through nonuse. Based on national statutory surveys; confirm against the current state code." } }, { "id": "NM", "name": "New Mexico", "page_url": "https://americanmineralregistry.com/research/states/do-mineral-rights-expire-in-new-mexico", "reviewed": true, "reviewed_on": "2026-10-01", "dormancy": { "mechanism": "none_identified", "mechanism_label": "No dormant mineral statute identified", "summary": "No New Mexico statute was found that ends or transfers a severed mineral interest for nonuse, and no marketable record title act was found. The adverse possession statute (NMSA 1978, 37-1-22) treats possession of the surface as the constructive possession of the severed mineral claimant until the mineral claimant takes actual possession, so occupying the surface alone does not run against severed minerals.", "period_years": null, "period_description": null, "self_executing": null, "procedure": null, "qualifying_uses_or_savings": [], "preservation_filing": null, "interest_scope": "Not applicable; no mechanism identified.", "mineral_scope": "Not applicable; no mechanism identified.", "exceptions": [], "effective": "No dormancy statute identified. Chapter PDFs read were dated 1 July to September 4, 2026 by NMOneSource.", "date_model": "not_applicable", "date_model_note": "No statutory lapse was identified, so there is no lapse or deadline date for New Mexico.", "survey_scope": "Downloaded the full official chapter PDFs from NMOneSource (New Mexico Compilation Commission) for NMSA 1978 Chapters 7 (Taxation), 14 (Records), 37 (Limitation of Actions), 42 (Actions Relating to Property), 47 (Property Law), 69 (Mines), 70 (Oil and Gas) and 71 (Energy and Minerals), and searched for: dormant, severed, mineral interest, abandon, unknown, whereabouts, unlocatable, marketable. Found no dormant, abandoned or unknown owner mineral statute and no marketable title act. Related: 37-1-22 (adverse possession; surface possession is constructive possession for the severed mineral claimant); 70-1-3 (release of forfeited oil, gas or mineral leases); 70-10-3.1 (payor's duty to locate payees and notify the operator); 7-8A-1 (Uniform Unclaimed Property Act defines mineral proceeds, custody of payments only); 42-5A-2(E) (Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act excludes undivided mineral interests). A text search of Chapter 7 found no property tax or tax sale provision aimed at severed mineral interests. Other chapters and case law were not searched.", "confidence": "high", "open_questions": [ "New Mexico case law on abandonment of severed mineral interests was not reviewed.", "NMSA chapters other than 7, 14, 37, 42, 47, 69, 70 and 71 were not searched." ], "category": "none_found", "answer": "No New Mexico statute was found that ends or transfers a severed mineral interest for nonuse, and no marketable record title act was found. The adverse possession statute (NMSA 1978, 37-1-22) treats possession of the surface as the constructive possession of the severed mineral claimant until the mineral claimant takes actual possession, so occupying the surface alone does not run against severed minerals.", "evidence": "none_found" }, "dormancy_source_ids": [ "SRC-NM-001", "SRC-NM-002", "SRC-NM-003" ], "pooling": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "Yes. Under NMSA 1978, 70-2-17(C), where owners in a spacing or proration unit have not agreed to pool and an owner with the right to drill has drilled or proposes a well, the Oil Conservation Division shall pool the unit after notice and hearing. A risk charge of up to 200 percent may apply to nonconsenting working interests, and a pooled unleased mineral interest is treated as seven eighths working interest and one eighth royalty.", "confidence": "high", "survey_scope": null, "evidence": "primary", "source_ids": [ "SRC-NM-004" ] }, "surface_damages": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "Yes. The Surface Owners Protection Act (NMSA 1978, 70-12-1 to 70-12-10, effective July 1, 2007) applies to private fee surface land, requires notice and a proposed surface use and compensation agreement at least 30 days before entry for oil and gas operations, and requires the operator to compensate the surface owner for lost agricultural production and income, lost land value, lost use and access, and lost value of improvements, and to reclaim.", "confidence": "high", "survey_scope": null, "evidence": "primary", "source_ids": [ "SRC-NM-005", "SRC-NM-006" ] }, "june_2026": { "state": "New Mexico", "abbr": "NM", "category": "none", "unused_minerals": "Does not lapse", "lapse_period": "none", "surface_damages_act": "yes", "forced_pooling": "yes", "risk_score": 0, "rank": 40, "statute": "n/a", "source_status": "Sourced", "source_url": "", "preservation": "No dormant mineral act; a severed interest does not lapse through nonuse.", "note": "New Mexico, despite heavy production, has no dormant minerals act, so severed minerals do not lapse through nonuse. It added a surface owner protection law in 2007." } }, { "id": "NY", "name": "New York", "page_url": "https://americanmineralregistry.com/research/states/do-mineral-rights-expire-in-new-york", "reviewed": true, "reviewed_on": "2026-10-01", "dormancy": { "mechanism": "dormant_mineral_act", "mechanism_label": "Allegany State Park only: one time 20 year oil and gas lapse (Real Property Law § 329-a), claim window closed September 22, 2013", "summary": "Real Property Law § 329-a applies only to oil and gas interests severed from land now owned by the State within Allegany State Park. Any such interest unused for the 20 years immediately before September 23, 2011 was extinguished and reverted to the State unless a statement of claim was filed in the Cattaraugus County Clerk's office within two years. No statewide dormant mineral act or marketable title act was identified; outside the park, nonuse does not end a severed interest under any statute found.", "period_years": 20, "period_description": "Unused for a period of twenty years immediately prior to the effective date of the section (September 23, 2011), with a statement of claim due within two years after that date. It is a one time test, not a rolling period.", "self_executing": "yes", "procedure": "Extinguishment and reversion to the State occurred by force of the statute for interests without a timely statement of claim. OPRHP had to publish notice of the enactment within 30 days and may publish and mail notice of lapse; a filed copy with an affidavit of service is prima facie evidence that notice was given (§ 329-a(4), (7)).", "qualifying_uses_or_savings": [ "Oil and gas produced", "Operations conducted for injection, withdrawal, storage or disposal of water, gas or other fluid substances", "Rentals or royalties paid by the owner to delay or enjoy the use or exercise of the rights", "Use on any tract with which the interest is unitized or pooled for production", "Taxes paid on the interest by the owner", "Statement of claim filed by September 22, 2013; late filing saved only for inadvertence after diligent preservation of other interests in the county, within 60 days after notice of lapse or actual knowledge (§ 329-a(6))" ], "preservation_filing": "Statement of claim filed in the office of the clerk of Cattaraugus County within two years after September 23, 2011, giving the owner's name and address and a description of the land, accompanied by a copy of the instrument creating or reserving the interest; any co-owner may file for all (§ 329-a(5)).", "interest_scope": "Oil and gas interests created by grant, assignment, reservation or otherwise in oil and gas on or beneath lands owned by the State within Allegany State Park; a lease for a fixed term is excluded.", "mineral_scope": "Oil and gas only.", "exceptions": [ "A lease for a fixed term (§ 329-a(2))", "All land outside Allegany State Park, and park land not owned by the State" ], "effective": "Added by Laws of 2011, chapter 501, § 2; became law September 23, 2011 and took effect immediately (§ 3). The statement of claim period expired September 22, 2013 according to OPRHP's public notice dated January 16, 2014.", "date_model": "fixed_historical_dates", "date_model_note": "The test used fixed dates: nonuse during the 20 years before September 23, 2011 and a claim deadline of September 22, 2013. A last use date cannot produce a future lapse date, and the rule never applied outside the park.", "survey_scope": "Statewide search: Real Property Law Article 9 section list (329-a is the only oil and gas lapse provision), Environmental Conservation Law Article 23 title and section lists. No general dormant mineral or marketable record title statute was found. Full text search of the Consolidated Laws was not possible because nysenate.gov was not available and the Open Legislation API host was not available when AMR checked.", "confidence": "high", "open_questions": [ "Any litigation over § 329-a or later amendments was not checked; the nysenate.gov version note is September 22, 2014.", "Whether separately assessed oil and gas rights elsewhere in New York can be lost through real property tax enforcement was not researched." ], "answer": "New York has no statewide dormant mineral statute. Real Property Law 329-a extinguished unclaimed severed mineral interests only inside Allegany State Park, through a one time claim window that closed on September 22, 2013. New York does have compulsory integration of oil and gas interests (ECL 23-0901).", "category": "registration_history", "evidence": "primary" }, "dormancy_source_ids": [ "SRC-NY-001", "SRC-NY-002", "SRC-NY-003" ], "pooling": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "Yes. ECL § 23-0901 requires the Department of Environmental Conservation, absent voluntary integration and after notice and hearing, to issue an order integrating all tracts or interests in a spacing unit. Uncontrolled owners elect to be participating, non participating (cost recovery plus a 200 percent risk penalty) or integrated royalty owners (lowest lease royalty in the unit, at least one eighth).", "confidence": "high", "evidence": "primary", "source_ids": [ "SRC-NY-004" ] }, "surface_damages": { "status": "none_identified", "summary": "No New York statute requiring oil and gas operators to notify and compensate surface owners was found.", "confidence": "medium", "survey_scope": "ECL Article 23 title list (Titles 1 to 27) and the section lists of Titles 3, 5 and 9, archived 2025; no title or section addresses surface owner notice or compensation. Section texts other than § 23-0901 were not read and no full text search was possible.", "evidence": "none_found", "source_ids": [] }, "june_2026": { "state": "New York", "abbr": "NY", "category": "none", "unused_minerals": "Does not lapse", "lapse_period": "none", "surface_damages_act": "no", "forced_pooling": "yes", "risk_score": 0, "rank": 41, "statute": "n/a", "source_status": "No dormant act (surveyed)", "source_url": "", "preservation": "No dormant mineral act; a severed interest does not lapse through nonuse.", "note": "No dormant mineral act in New York. A severed mineral interest does not lapse through nonuse. Based on national statutory surveys; confirm against the current state code." } }, { "id": "NC", "name": "North Carolina", "page_url": "https://americanmineralregistry.com/research/states/do-mineral-rights-expire-in-north-carolina", "reviewed": true, "reviewed_on": "2026-10-01", "dormancy": { "mechanism": "registration_or_ancient_claims", "mechanism_label": "Ancient mineral claim acts with fixed historical recording windows (G.S. 1-42.1 to 1-42.9), plus a rolling 30 year rule in Avery County only", "summary": "North Carolina has no general dormant mineral act, and its Marketable Title Act does not extinguish the rights of mineral owners (G.S. 47B-3(5)). Acts passed from 1965 to 1985 declared certain old oil, gas or mineral interests, created by a reservation or exception in a deed of the surface, null and void in favor of surface owners with long record chains unless a sworn notice was recorded within a fixed two year window; four acts are statewide, four are limited to one county, and every window closed by January 1, 1988. The exception is Avery County, where G.S. 1-42.5 has applied a rolling 30 year record chain rule since June 30, 1982. Separately, G.S. 113-423(b) ends an oil or gas lease or other conveyance separating oil or gas rights, if entered into on or after June 15, 2011, at 10 years unless oil or gas is then being produced commercially.", "period_years": null, "period_description": "No rolling statewide period. Each act fixed its own dates. G.S. 1-42.1 (1965): interests founded on reservations or exceptions executed or recorded 50 years or more before September 1, 1965, in favor of surface owners with a 50 year record chain on that date; notice to preserve within two years after September 1, 1965. G.S. 1-42.2 (1971): reservations 50 to 56 years before September 1, 1971; notice within two years after September 1, 1971. G.S. 1-42.3 (1974): reservations 50 years or more before September 1, 1974; notice within two years after September 1, 1974. G.S. 1-42.9 (1983, dates moved by 1985 c. 573): reservations 30 years or more before January 1, 1986, surface chain of 30 years, interest not listed for tax for five years before January 1, 1986; notice within two years after January 1, 1986. County acts: Ashe (1-42.4, September 1, 1977), Chatham (1-42.7, September 1, 1979), Alleghany (1-42.6, July 1, 1981), Rutherford (1-42.8, September 1, 1982), each with a two year notice window. Avery County (1-42.5): interests founded on a reservation or exception recorded before the surface owner's unbroken 30 year record chain are void unless a notice is recorded within that 30 year period. G.S. 113-423(b): 10 years from execution of the lease or conveyance, then reversion if commercial production stops for six months or more.", "self_executing": "yes", "procedure": "None by the surface owner. Each act deemed a qualifying surface owner to hold marketable title free of the qualifying interests and declared those interests null and void unless the claimant recorded the sworn notice in time. In practice the question arises in a title examination or a quiet title action, where the conditions (instrument date, surface chain, working status, tax listing, county, absence of a timely notice) must be shown from the public records. G.S. 113-423(b) states that the lease or conveyance 'shall expire' and the rights 'shall revert'; no filing is prescribed.", "qualifying_uses_or_savings": [ "The interest was in actual course of being mined, drilled, worked or operated, or was in the adverse possession of another (each act reaches only interests not so used)", "Listing the interest for ad valorem taxes in the county: G.S. 1-42.1 to 1-42.4 and 1-42.6 to 1-42.8 refer to interests not listed for 10 years before the stated date, joined to the nonworking condition by 'or'; G.S. 1-42.9 requires both nonworking and five years without listing ('and')", "Recording the sworn preservation notice within the act's two year window (Avery County: within the surface owner's 30 year record period)", "The act did not operate if the surface owner lacked the required unbroken record chain (50 years, or 30 years under 1-42.5 and 1-42.9) or the surface estate was in the adverse possession of another", "Governmental claims, State or federal, and claims under unexpired oil, gas or mineral leases are excluded", "G.S. 113-423(b): commercial production at the end of 10 years; 'production' includes injection, withdrawal, storage or disposal activities by the lessee and payment of rentals or royalties by the lessee" ], "preservation_filing": "A written notice sworn to before an official authorized to take probate by G.S. 47-1 and probated as required by G.S. 47-14, recorded with the register of deeds of the county where the land or any part lies, in the book kept under G.S. 1-42 for severances of surface and subsurface rights. It must set forth the nature of the interest and the book and page where it is recorded, state the claimant's name and address and, if known, the surface owner's name (required in Avery County), and describe the land or incorporate the recorded reservation by reference. It may be made by the claimant or on behalf of a claimant under disability, unable to act, or one of an uncertain class; under 1-42.9 also by an authorized agent. The statewide windows ended September 1, 1967 (1-42.1), September 1, 1973 (1-42.2), September 1, 1976 (1-42.3) and January 1, 1988 (1-42.9, with the earlier 1983 deadline kept for some reservations in counties that published the 1983 notice). In Avery County the notice must fall within the surface owner's 30 year record period, which is a continuing requirement.", "interest_scope": "Fee simple oil, gas or mineral interests severed from the surface fee and founded upon a reservation or exception in an instrument conveying the surface estate in fee simple (Avery: interests whose existence depends on such a reservation or exception). Interests created by a separate grant of minerals are not expressly within the wording. The county lists in the (d) subsections of 1-42.1 to 1-42.4 and 1-42.6 to 1-42.8 also required all severed oil, gas or mineral interests in those counties to be listed for tax and noticed by a fixed date to be effective against the surface owner, creditors and purchasers. G.S. 113-423(b) reaches any lease of oil or gas rights or other conveyance separating oil or gas rights from the surface, entered into on or after June 15, 2011.", "mineral_scope": "Oil, gas and minerals generally ('any oil, gas or mineral interests') for G.S. 1-42.1 to 1-42.9; oil and gas only for G.S. 113-423(b).", "exceptions": [ "Governmental claims, State or federal", "Claims by reason of unexpired oil, gas or mineral leases; the codified text of G.S. 1-42.1 to 1-42.8 reads 'releases', while the 1965 session law for 1-42.1 and the 1984 amended text of 1-42.9 read 'leases'", "Interests in actual course of being mined, drilled, worked or operated, or in the adverse possession of another", "G.S. 1-42.3 was repealed in its application to Avery County by 1981 c. 329, s. 2, effective June 30, 1982", "1983 c. 502 and 1985 c. 573 state that they do not revive interests rendered ineffective under the earlier acts", "The Real Property Marketable Title Act does not extinguish 'Rights of any owners of mineral rights' (G.S. 47B-3(5))" ], "effective": "G.S. 1-42.1: 1965 c. 1072, ratified June 16, 1965, effective September 1, 1965, statewide; subsection (d) added by 1967 c. 905, ratified June 23, 1967, applying only to Anson, Buncombe, Durham, Franklin, Guilford, Hoke, Jackson, Montgomery, Person, Richmond, Swain, Transylvania, Union, Wake and Warren. G.S. 1-42.2: 1971 c. 235, effective September 1, 1971, statewide; (d) added by 1971 c. 855 for 25 listed counties. G.S. 1-42.3: 1973 c. 1435, ratified and effective April 13, 1974, statewide; (d) for 21 listed counties, Avery removed and the whole section repealed as to Avery by 1981 c. 329, s. 2. G.S. 1-42.4 (Ashe): 1977 c. 751, effective June 27, 1977. G.S. 1-42.7 (Chatham): 1979 c. 343. G.S. 1-42.6 (Alleghany): 1981 c. 333. G.S. 1-42.5 (Avery): 1981 c. 329, ratified May 5, 1981, effective June 30, 1982, still in force. G.S. 1-42.8 (Rutherford): 1981 (Reg. Sess. 1982) c. 1391. G.S. 1-42.9: 1983 c. 502, effective July 1, 1983, statewide; amended 1984 c. 1096 (late publishing counties use 1984), 1985 c. 160 (agents may record) and 1985 c. 573 (dates moved to January 1, 1986, effective July 3, 1985). G.S. 113-423: S.L. 2011-276, approved June 23, 2011, for leases or contracts entered into on or after June 15, 2011; rewritten by S.L. 2012-143, which became law July 2, 2012 and applies to leases or contracts entered into on or after that date.", "date_model": "fixed_historical_dates", "date_model_note": "The statewide and county acts ran on fixed statutory dates and every window closed between 1967 and 1988, so no present day deadline can be computed from a last use date and none should be shown as a rolling 21 year, 30 year or two year clock. Whether a particular old interest was extinguished depends on the instrument date, the county, tax listing, working status, the surface chain and whether a notice was recorded in time, which only a title examination can settle. The Avery County rule is rolling but keys on recording dates and the surface owner's 30 year record chain, not on last use. G.S. 113-423(b) keys on the execution date of a post June 15, 2011 lease or conveyance and on commercial production, not on last use.", "survey_scope": "Not a none_identified record. Read in full: G.S. 1-42 and 1-42.1 to 1-42.9 (the archive holds no 1-42.10), G.S. 47B-2 to 47B-4, G.S. 113-389 (definitions), 113-393, 113-420 to 113-425 and 113-423.1, and the enacting session laws listed in the sources. North Carolina tax foreclosure of separately assessed subsurface interests under Chapter 105 was not surveyed.", "confidence": "high", "open_questions": [ "Whether courts read G.S. 1-42.1 and 1-42.3 subsections (a) to (c) as statewide: the 1965 and 1974 session laws contain no county limit except for subsection (d), but the codified catchlines say 'in certain counties'", "Whether G.S. 1-42.4 (a) to (c) reach beyond Ashe County: the act's title says Ashe County, while its text limits only subsection (d)", "What the (d) subsections mean today for severed interests in the listed counties that were not listed for tax and noticed by the fixed dates, and whether they reach interests created after those dates", "Whether 'any other conveyance of any kind separating rights to oil or gas' in G.S. 113-423(b) reaches mineral deeds and reservations as well as leases, and how reversion is evidenced of record; no appellate decision was found", "The codified 'releases' in (c) of G.S. 1-42.1 to 1-42.8 against 'leases' in the 1965 session law and in 1-42.9: confirm the operative word", "ncleg.gov was not available when AMR checked; sections were read from Internet Archive snapshots dated March 12, 2025 to June 16, 2026 (Chapter 113 snapshots are from March 2025), and amendments after each snapshot date were not checked against 2025 and 2026 session laws", "No North Carolina appellate decision applying G.S. 1-42.1 to 1-42.9 was found in a brief search; case law was not surveyed in depth" ], "answer": "North Carolina's ancient mineral claim statutes voided certain old interests unless a notice was recorded in fixed windows that all closed by 1988; there is no rolling statewide clock today. Avery County has its own 30 year rule, and a 2011 statute ends oil and gas leases and certain conveyances after 10 years without commercial production.", "category": "registration_history", "evidence": "primary" }, "dormancy_source_ids": [ "SRC-NC-001", "SRC-NC-002", "SRC-NC-003", "SRC-NC-004", "SRC-NC-005", "SRC-NC-006", "SRC-NC-007", "SRC-NC-008", "SRC-NC-009", "SRC-NC-010", "SRC-NC-011", "SRC-NC-012", "SRC-NC-013", "SRC-NC-014", "SRC-NC-015", "SRC-NC-016" ], "pooling": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "G.S. 113-393(a) provides that where owners of separately owned tracts within an established drilling unit have not agreed to integrate their interests, the North Carolina Oil and Gas Commission shall require them to integrate and develop their lands as a drilling unit, by order made after notice and hearing on just and reasonable terms, with the designated operator recovering reasonable costs out of production.", "confidence": "high", "survey_scope": null, "evidence": "primary", "source_ids": [ "SRC-NC-017" ] }, "surface_damages": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "Part 3 of Article 27 of Chapter 113 (Landowner Protection) requires an oil or gas developer or operator that is not the surface owner to give the surface owner written notice by certified mail 14 days before entry that does not disturb the surface and 30 days before entry that does (G.S. 113-420), to compensate the surface owner for damage to water supplies, personal property, livestock, crops and timber, to reclaim the surface within two years under a bond, and to replace contaminated water, with a presumption of liability for contamination within one half mile of a wellhead (G.S. 113-421), to indemnify the surface owner (G.S. 113-422), and to minimize intrusion on the surface (G.S. 113-423.1). The current text came from S.L. 2012-143 and applies to wells drilled and leases or contracts entered into on or after July 2, 2012.", "confidence": "high", "survey_scope": null, "evidence": "primary", "source_ids": [ "SRC-NC-018", "SRC-NC-019", "SRC-NC-020", "SRC-NC-015" ] }, "june_2026": { "state": "North Carolina", "abbr": "NC", "category": "none", "unused_minerals": "Does not lapse", "lapse_period": "none", "surface_damages_act": "no", "forced_pooling": "yes", "risk_score": 0, "rank": 42, "statute": "n/a", "source_status": "No dormant act (surveyed)", "source_url": "", "preservation": "No dormant mineral act; a severed interest does not lapse through nonuse.", "note": "No dormant mineral act in North Carolina. A severed mineral interest does not lapse through nonuse. Based on national statutory surveys; confirm against the current state code." } }, { "id": "ND", "name": "North Dakota", "page_url": "https://americanmineralregistry.com/research/states/north-dakota-dormant-mineral-act", "reviewed": true, "reviewed_on": "2026-10-01", "dormancy": { "mechanism": "dormant_mineral_act", "mechanism_label": "Termination of mineral interest statute, 20 years before published notice", "summary": "N.D.C.C. chapter 38-18.1 deems a severed mineral interest abandoned if it was unused for the 20 years immediately preceding the first publication of a surface owner's notice of lapse, unless a statement of claim was recorded; title then vests in the surface owner as of the date of abandonment. The surface owner must publish the notice for three weeks and, where the mineral owner's address is shown of record or can be found by reasonable inquiry, mail it within ten days after the last publication. Even after publication, the record owner keeps the interest by recording a statement of claim, or proof of a use in the 20 year window, within 60 days after first publication. The chapter reaches all minerals but not interests owned by a governmental body.", "period_years": 20, "period_description": "Twenty years immediately preceding the first publication of the notice required by 38-18.1-06 (38-18.1-02). Any use listed in 38-18.1-03(1) during that window, including recording a statement of claim, means the interest was used; a timely statement of claim makes the interest in use at the date of recording (38-18.1-04). The window is anchored to the notice, whose timing the surface owner chooses.", "self_executing": "no", "procedure": "The surface owner publishes a notice of lapse once each week for three weeks in the official county newspaper and, if the mineral owner's address is shown of record or can be determined upon reasonable inquiry, mails a copy within ten days after the last publication (38-18.1-06(1) and (2)). The notice names the record owner, describes the land and names the surface owner giving it (38-18.1-06(3)). A copy of the notice and an affidavit of service are recorded with the county recorder and are prima facie evidence that notice was given (38-18.1-06(4)); the surface owner may record a statement of succession in interest (38-18.1-02, 38-18.1-06(5)). Reasonable inquiry means a search of county recorder records for uses, clerk of court records for judgments, liens or probate records, the social security death index, and one or more free public internet databases (38-18.1-06(6)). No court action is required. The surface owner may bring a quiet title action to perfect title, in which it must prove every step and a subsection 6 reasonable inquiry; the judgment is conclusive except for fraud, misrepresentation or other misconduct (38-18.1-06.1). The Supreme Court calls the procedure wholly self executing once notice is completed, meaning no later court action is needed, not that the interest lapses without notice (Nelson v. McAlester Fuel Co., 2017 ND 49, quoting Peterson v. Jasmanka, 2014 ND 40).", "qualifying_uses_or_savings": [ "Any minerals are produced under the interest (38-18.1-03(1)(a)).", "Operations are being conducted on it for injection, withdrawal, storage, or disposal of water, gas, or other fluid substances (38-18.1-03(1)(b)).", "For solid minerals, production from a common vein or seam by the owners of the interest (38-18.1-03(1)(c)).", "The interest is subject to a lease, mortgage, assignment, or conveyance of the mineral interest recorded with the recorder of the county where it is located (38-18.1-03(1)(d)).", "The interest is subject to an order or an agreement to pool or unitize recorded with the county recorder (38-18.1-03(1)(e)).", "A proper statement of claim is recorded under 38-18.1-04 (38-18.1-03(1)(f)).", "After notice, 38-18.1-05: within 60 days after first publication, the owner of record records a statement of claim, or documentation that a 38-18.1-03(1) use took place in the 20 years immediately preceding first publication; or a person other than the owner of record records a sworn affidavit or declaration explaining the factual and legal basis of its claimed title, with supporting documentation or an explanation why none is available." ], "preservation_filing": "Statement of claim under 38-18.1-04, recorded by the owner of the mineral interest or the owner's representative with the recorder of the county where the interest is located, before the end of the 20 year period. It must contain the owner's name and address, a legal description of the land, and the type of mineral interest. A joint tenant, but not a tenant in common, may record for all joint tenants. A claim filed after July 31, 2009 by a person other than the owner of record is not effective unless it references the record owner under whom the claimant claims. The Department of Mineral Resources posts a statement of claim form as a convenience.", "interest_scope": "Any interest in the listed minerals, whether created by grant, assignment, reservation, or otherwise, owned by a person other than the owner of the surface estate (38-18.1-01). Interests owned by a governmental body or agency are excluded (38-18.1-08). The text does not separately address royalty, executive or leasehold interests.", "mineral_scope": "Oil, gas, coal, clay, gravel, uranium, and all other minerals of any kind and nature (38-18.1-01).", "exceptions": [ "Mineral interests owned by any governmental body or agency (38-18.1-08).", "Not a use: payment of royalties, bonus or any other payment into a named or unnamed interest bearing, trust, escrow or similar account for a person who cannot be located; such an account in existence for three years is abandoned property under chapter 47-30.2, and a lease given by a trustee remains valid (38-18.1-03(2)).", "A statement of claim filed after July 31, 2009 by someone other than the owner of record does not preserve the interest unless it references the record owner under whom the claimant claims (38-18.1-04)." ], "effective": "The chapter applies both prospectively and retrospectively (38-18.1-08). The original enactment was not read; the 2009 act struck a transition clause allowing a statement of claim within two years after July 1, 1983. Amendments found in the official session law section tables: S.L. 2005, ch. 320 (HB 1344, approved April 11, 2005) put the uses into subsection 1 and added subsection 2 on payments into accounts; S.L. 2007, ch. 313 (HB 1045, approved March 2, 2007) added the statement of succession; S.L. 2009, ch. 317 (HB 1370, approved April 24, 2009) made the surface owner the notice giver, defined reasonable inquiry, replaced the 60 day cure in 38-18.1-05, added the rule for claims by non record owners after July 31, 2009, and created 38-18.1-06.1; S.L. 2015, ch. 62 (SB 2053, approved March 19, 2015) deleted payment of taxes as a use; S.L. 2021, ch. 337 (SB 2048, approved April 19, 2021) changed the unclaimed property cross reference to chapter 47-30.2. The Supreme Court states the 2007 and 2009 amendments to 38-18.1-06 took effect August 1, 2007 and August 1, 2009 and are not retroactive (Sorenson v. Felton, 2011 ND 33). No entries for the chapter in the 2003, 2011, 2013, 2017, 2019, 2023 or 2025 tables. Code text read from the official PDF built July 1, 2025.", "date_model": "notice_lookback", "date_model_note": "A calculator cannot turn one last use date into a lapse date. The 20 years run back from the first publication of a surface owner's notice, which may never happen; until then nothing lapses, and a later recorded lease, conveyance, pooling order or statement of claim is a new use. Even after publication, the record owner has 60 days to record a statement of claim or proof of use. Last use plus 20 years is only the earliest date on which a published notice could find an empty 20 year window; it is illustrative, not a deadline or a loss date, and must not be labeled window closed. Given an actual first publication date, a calculator could show the 20 year look back window, the mailing deadline (ten days after the last of the three weekly publications) and the owner's 60 day response deadline.", "survey_scope": "Not a none_identified record.", "confidence": "high", "open_questions": [ "Under the 2009 text, is a reasonable inquiry required even when an address is shown of record? Sorenson v. Felton (2011) and Nelson (2017) read the disjunctive wording of the 2004 text to require inquiry only when no address is of record, and Nelson requires mailing to the most recent address of record; but 38-18.1-06.1(2) now requires proof of a subsection 6 reasonable inquiry in a perfecting title action. No decision applying the 2009 text was read.", "Whether royalty, overriding royalty, executive rights or leasehold interests are mineral interests under 38-18.1-01 was not checked against case law.", "The original enactment (the 2009 act refers to July 1, 1983) and any amendments before 2003 were not read; special sessions of 2021 and 2023 were not checked; the 2026 special sessions were limited by their convening orders to rural health funding and kratom.", "Effective dates of the 2005, 2015 and 2021 acts were not read; only approval dates were.", "Decisions cited inside the opinions read (Johnson v. Taliaferro, 2011 ND 34; Sorenson v. Alinder, 2011 ND 36; Capps v. Weflen, 2014 ND 201; Peterson v. Jasmanka, 2014 ND 40) were not themselves read. The official court site was not available when AMR checked; the two opinions read are archived copies of the court's own PDFs." ], "answer": "North Dakota deems a severed mineral interest abandoned if it went unused for the 20 years immediately before a surface owner first publishes a notice of lapse, unless a statement of claim was recorded. The owner of record can still record a claim or proof of use within 60 days after first publication. Nothing is lost by time alone.", "category": "lapse_statute", "evidence": "primary" }, "dormancy_source_ids": [ "SRC-ND-001", "SRC-ND-002", "SRC-ND-003", "SRC-ND-004", "SRC-ND-005", "SRC-ND-006", "SRC-ND-007", "SRC-ND-008", "SRC-ND-009", "SRC-ND-010", "SRC-ND-011", "SRC-ND-012", "SRC-ND-013", "SRC-ND-014", "SRC-ND-015", "SRC-ND-016", "SRC-ND-017", "SRC-ND-018" ], "pooling": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "N.D.C.C. 38-08-08 requires the Industrial Commission, in the absence of voluntary pooling and on application of any interested person, to pool all interests in a spacing unit after notice and hearing on just and reasonable terms. A nonparticipating owner bears a risk penalty of 200 percent of its share of drilling and completion costs if leased and 50 percent if unleased, recoverable from production only after a good faith attempt to lease it or obtain its participation and notice of the intended penalty; an unleased interest pooled after July 31, 2009 receives a cost free royalty equal to the acreage weighted average royalty of the leased tracts or, at the operator's election, 16 percent. Statutory unitization is separate, under 38-08-09.1 to 38-08-09.16, and a unit order takes effect only when approved by those paying more than 55 percent of unit costs and owners of more than 55 percent of the royalty interests.", "confidence": "high", "survey_scope": null, "evidence": "primary", "source_ids": [ "SRC-ND-019", "SRC-ND-020", "SRC-ND-021", "SRC-ND-022" ] }, "surface_damages": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "N.D.C.C. chapter 38-11.1 (Oil and Gas Production Damage Compensation) requires the mineral developer to pay the surface owner for lost land value, lost use of and access to the land, and lost value of improvements caused by drilling operations (38-11.1-04), and for loss of agricultural production and income (38-11.1-08.1). The developer must give at least seven days' notice before first entry for activities that do not disturb the surface and at least twenty days' written notice before drilling operations, with the plan of work, a plat and a state form on the owner's rights, unless the parties waive notice by agreement (38-11.1-04.1), and must make a written settlement offer with that twenty day notice (38-11.1-08). A claimant must notify the developer within two years after the injury occurs or would become apparent (38-11.1-07) and obtain an appraisal before suing (38-11.1-07.1); if the court awards more than the developer offered, the court awards the claimant reasonable attorney's fees, costs and interest from the day drilling commenced (38-11.1-09). For this chapter minerals means oil and gas, and drilling operations covers drilling commenced after June 30, 1979 and geophysical work commenced after June 30, 1983 (38-11.1-03).", "confidence": "high", "survey_scope": null, "evidence": "primary", "source_ids": [ "SRC-ND-023", "SRC-ND-024", "SRC-ND-025", "SRC-ND-026" ] }, "june_2026": { "state": "North Dakota", "abbr": "ND", "category": "lapse", "unused_minerals": "Can lapse / revert", "lapse_period": "20 years", "surface_damages_act": "yes", "forced_pooling": "yes", "risk_score": 84, "rank": 8, "statute": "N.D.C.C. 38-18.1", "source_status": "Sourced", "source_url": "https://ndlegis.gov/cencode/t38c18-1.html", "preservation": "Record a statement of claim, or use the interest within 20 years (N.D.C.C. 38-18.1-03).", "note": "North Dakota terminates a severed mineral interest after 20 years of nonuse unless the owner records a statement of claim, with notice by publication and mail." } }, { "id": "OH", "name": "Ohio", "page_url": "https://americanmineralregistry.com/research/states/ohio-dormant-mineral-act", "reviewed": true, "reviewed_on": "2026-10-01", "dormancy": { "mechanism": "dormant_mineral_act", "mechanism_label": "Dormant Mineral Act, surface owner notice with a 20 year look back", "summary": "R.C. 5301.56 lets the surface owner take over a severed mineral interest held by someone else, but only through a notice and recording procedure. The interest is deemed abandoned and vests in the surface owner if none of six savings events occurred in the 20 years immediately preceding the date the surface owner's notice is served or published, and the holder does not record a claim to preserve or a savings event affidavit within 60 days after that notice. Coal interests and interests held by the United States, Ohio or a political subdivision are excluded. Nothing lapses by the passage of time alone: the Supreme Court of Ohio held the 1989 version was not self executing, and the 2006 procedure governs every claim asserted after June 30, 2006.", "period_years": 20, "period_description": "The 20 years immediately preceding the date on which the surface owner's notice of intent to declare the interest abandoned is served by certified mail or, if service cannot be completed, published (R.C. 5301.56(B)(3)). Any savings event in (B)(3)(a) to (f) inside that window blocks abandonment, and successive savings events, including successive claims to preserve, preserve the interest indefinitely (R.C. 5301.56(D)(1)). Separately, a claim to preserve recorded within 60 days after the notice defeats that notice even if nothing happened in the 20 year window (R.C. 5301.56(H)(1); Dodd v. Croskey, 2015-Ohio-2362).", "self_executing": "no", "procedure": "Surface owner serves notice of intent to declare the interest abandoned by certified mail, return receipt requested, on each holder or successor at the last known address; if service cannot be completed to any holder, publishes the notice at least once in a newspaper of general circulation in each county where the land lies (R.C. 5301.56(E)(1)). The notice must contain the items in (F), including a statement that no (B)(3) event occurred in the 20 years preceding notice. At least 30 but not later than 60 days after service or publication, the surface owner records an affidavit of abandonment with the (G) contents (R.C. 5301.56(E)(2)). Within 60 days after service or publication the holder may record a claim to preserve or an affidavit identifying a (B)(3) event in the window, and must notify the surface owner (R.C. 5301.56(H)(1)). If the holder does not file in time, the surface owner records a notice of failure to file, and on recording the interest vests in the surface owner, only as to that owner's property (R.C. 5301.56(H)(2)). No court action is required by the statute. Before relying on publication the surface owner must use reasonable diligence to identify and locate holders, judged case by case, with county property and court records, including probate, as the usual baseline (Gerrity v. Chervenak, 2020-Ohio-6705).", "qualifying_uses_or_savings": [ "(B)(3)(a) The mineral interest has been the subject of a title transaction filed or recorded with the recorder of the county where the lands are located. A recorded oil and gas lease is such a title transaction; the unrecorded expiration of a recorded lease is not (Chesapeake Exploration v. Buell, 2015-Ohio-4551, syllabus).", "(B)(3)(b) Actual production or withdrawal of minerals by the holder from the lands, from lands covered by a lease to which the interest is subject, from a mine partly beneath the lands, or, for oil or gas, from lands pooled, unitized or in unit operations under R.C. 1509.26 to 1509.28 in which the interest participates, if the pooling or unitization instrument or order is recorded in the county.", "(B)(3)(c) The mineral interest has been used in underground gas storage operations by the holder.", "(B)(3)(d) A drilling or mining permit under R.C. Chapter 1509, 1513 or 1514 has been issued to the holder, if an affidavit stating the permit holder, permit number, permit type and a legal description of the lands is recorded in the county under R.C. 5301.252.", "(B)(3)(e) A claim to preserve has been filed under R.C. 5301.56(C).", "(B)(3)(f) For a separated mineral interest, a separately listed tax parcel number has been created for it on the county auditor's tax list and the county treasurer's duplicate tax list.", "After notice, R.C. 5301.56(H)(1): within 60 days after service or publication, the holder records either a claim to preserve under (C) or an affidavit identifying a (B)(3) event in the 20 years preceding the notice. A timely claim to preserve alone is enough (Dodd v. Croskey, 2015-Ohio-2362; Walker v. Shondrick-Nau, 2016-Ohio-5793)." ], "preservation_filing": "Claim to preserve under R.C. 5301.56(C), filed for record by a holder with the county recorder and recorded under R.C. 5301.56(H), 317.18 to 317.20 and 5301.52. It must state the nature of the mineral interest claimed and any recording information on which the claim is based, otherwise comply with R.C. 5301.52, and state that the holder does not intend to abandon, but instead to preserve, the holder's rights. One compliant claim preserves the rights of all holders of a mineral interest in the same lands; a gas storage holder may file a single claim for the whole storage field. Filed before any notice it is a savings event for 20 years; filed within 60 days after a notice it defeats that notice.", "interest_scope": "Any mineral interest, defined as a fee interest in at least one mineral, however created, absolute or fractional, divided or undivided (R.C. 5301.56(A)(3)), held by a person other than the owner of the surface (R.C. 5301.56(B)). Holder includes the record holder and anyone deriving rights from or sharing a common source with the record holder whose claim is not adverse (R.C. 5301.56(A)(1)). Whether royalty or leasehold interests are fee interests within (A)(3) was not resolved in the material read.", "mineral_scope": "All minerals as defined in R.C. 5301.56(A)(4): gas, oil, coal, coalbed methane gas, other hydrocarbons, sand, gravel, clay, shale, gypsum, halite, limestone, dolomite, sandstone, other stone, metalliferous or nonmetalliferous ore, and other commercially valuable material excavated in a solid state. Interests in coal are excluded by (B)(1), so in practice it reaches oil, gas and non coal minerals.", "exceptions": [ "Coal: an interest in coal, or in mining or other rights pertinent to or exercisable in connection with an interest in coal, as described in R.C. 5301.53(E). Where one interest covers coal and other minerals, the non coal part can still be deemed abandoned (R.C. 5301.56(B)(1)).", "Government: interests held by the United States, Ohio, or any political subdivision, body politic or agency of either, as described in R.C. 5301.53(G) (R.C. 5301.56(B)(2)).", "Vesting is effective only as to the property of the surface owner who filed the affidavit of abandonment (R.C. 5301.56(H)(2)).", "A claim to preserve does not affect a lessor's right to obtain forfeiture of an oil or gas lease under R.C. 5301.332 (R.C. 5301.56(D)(2))." ], "effective": "Enacted by Sub.S.B. 223 (117th General Assembly), effective March 22, 1989 according to Walker v. Shondrick-Nau at paragraph 8 (the official code page for the companion R.C. 5301.53 shows March 23, 1989), with a three year grace period before any interest could be deemed abandoned, to March 22, 1992 (former R.C. 5301.56(B)(2), Walker footnote 2). Rewritten by Sub.H.B. 288 (151 Ohio Laws, Part III, 5960, cited in Dodd footnote 3), effective June 30, 2006, which added the notice, affidavit and 60 day response procedure; under Corban the 2006 version applies to every claim asserted after June 30, 2006, including claims that an interest was abandoned before then. Current text effective January 30, 2014 (House Bill 72, 130th General Assembly), word for word the same in official site snapshots of March 12, 2025 and July 8, 2025. 2019 H.B. 100 (133rd General Assembly), which proposed to amend the section, shows only its introduced version on its official status page and was not enacted.", "date_model": "notice_lookback", "date_model_note": "No date can be computed from a single last use date. Abandonment can only follow a surface owner's notice, and the 20 year window is counted back from the date that notice is served or published, which the holder does not control and which may never happen. Even with no savings event in the window, a claim to preserve recorded within 60 days after notice defeats it. Last use plus 20 years is therefore only the earliest date from which a notice could find an empty window; it is not a deadline or a loss date and must not be shown as window closed. Given an actual notice date, a calculator could show the window start (notice date minus 20 years), the holder's response deadline (60 days after service or publication) and the surface owner's affidavit window (30 to 60 days after notice). The Marketable Title Act question listed under Open questions for a specialist runs on a different, 40 year root of title computation.", "survey_scope": "Not a none_identified record. Related statute read: Marketable Title Act, R.C. 5301.47 to 5301.55 (40 year marketable record title, preservation notice under 5301.51, exceptions in 5301.53), from the official chapter page archived July 8, 2025.", "confidence": "high", "open_questions": [ "Amendments after the July 8, 2025 snapshot of the official code were not checked on the official site, which was not available when AMR checked. A web search found no 136th General Assembly bill amending R.C. 5301.56, which is not proof of absence.", "What House Bill 72 (130th General Assembly, effective January 30, 2014) changed in the 2006 text was not read.", "Whether the Marketable Title Act, R.C. 5301.47 to 5301.55, can still extinguish a severed oil and gas interest independently of the Dormant Mineral Act. Corban's lead opinion (paragraph 18) describes 1973 amendments under which the Act extinguished oil and gas rights 40 years after the root of title absent a savings event, Erickson (2021) applied the Act's preservation rule to a mineral reservation, and the Blackstone concurrence (2018) called continued application to minerals an open issue. Whether the Dormant Mineral Act is the only route is not settled.", "Whether royalty interests and other non possessory interests are mineral interests within R.C. 5301.56(A)(3) was not resolved in the decisions read.", "When a deed of the surface that repeats an earlier mineral reservation makes the mineral interest the subject of a title transaction under (B)(3)(a) was not resolved in the decisions read; Dodd (paragraph 22) and Walker (paragraph 21) expressly did not reach it.", "Reasonable diligence before publication has no statutory checklist in Ohio; Gerrity declined a bright line rule, so whether a given search suffices is fact dependent." ], "answer": "Ohio's Dormant Mineral Act lets a surface owner take over a severed mineral interest only through notice. The interest can be deemed abandoned if none of the listed savings events happened in the 20 years before the surface owner's notice and the holder does not respond within 60 days. Nothing is lost by the passage of time alone. Coal and government interests are excluded.", "category": "lapse_statute", "evidence": "primary" }, "dormancy_source_ids": [ "SRC-OH-001", "SRC-OH-002", "SRC-OH-003", "SRC-OH-004", "SRC-OH-005", "SRC-OH-006", "SRC-OH-007", "SRC-OH-008", "SRC-OH-009", "SRC-OH-010", "SRC-OH-011", "SRC-OH-012", "SRC-OH-013", "SRC-OH-014", "SRC-OH-015", "SRC-OH-016" ], "pooling": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "R.C. 1509.27 lets an owner whose tract is too small or oddly shaped to meet spacing rules, and who cannot form a voluntary drilling unit on a just and equitable basis, apply to the Division of Oil and Gas Resources Management for a mandatory pooling order; after notice to the mineral owners and a hearing or 30 days, the chief may pool the tracts, with a nonparticipating owner's costs recovered from production up to a total of 200 percent of its share of costs, and no surface operations may occur on a pooled tract without the surface owner's written consent or agreement. R.C. 1509.28 separately allows unit operation of a pool on application backed by owners of at least 65 percent of the land area, effective only when approved by owners paying 65 percent of costs and by royalty or unleased fee owners of 65 percent of the acreage.", "confidence": "high", "survey_scope": null, "evidence": "primary", "source_ids": [ "SRC-OH-017", "SRC-OH-018" ] }, "surface_damages": { "status": "none_identified", "summary": "No Ohio statute was identified that requires an oil and gas operator to give the surface owner notice of drilling and compensate it for surface damage or lost use, in the way North Dakota chapter 38-11.1 does. Chapter 1509 does impose a duty to restore the disturbed surface (R.C. 1509.072), a complaint route for failure to restore (R.C. 1509.32), a duty to replace or compensate for a water supply damaged by oil or gas operations (R.C. 1509.22(F)), mailed notice of urban well permit applications to owners of parcels within 500 feet (R.C. 1509.06(A)(9)), and a bar on surface operations on a tract pooled by order without the surface owner's written consent (R.C. 1509.27).", "confidence": "medium", "survey_scope": "Official Ohio Revised Code chapter 1509 (Oil and Gas), full text on the codes.ohio.gov chapter page archived August 12, 2026: all 77 section headings read and the text searched for surface owner, owner of the surface, surface rights owner, landowner, compensat and damages. Not searched: other Revised Code titles, Ohio Administrative Code 1501:9 rules, and case law.", "evidence": "none_found", "source_ids": [ "SRC-OH-019", "SRC-OH-020", "SRC-OH-021" ] }, "june_2026": { "state": "Ohio", "abbr": "OH", "category": "lapse", "unused_minerals": "Can lapse / revert", "lapse_period": "20 years", "surface_damages_act": "no", "forced_pooling": "yes", "risk_score": 84, "rank": 9, "statute": "Dormant Mineral Act, R.C. 5301.56", "source_status": "Sourced", "source_url": "https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-5301.56", "preservation": "Record a claim to preserve, or show a savings event within 20 years; 60 days after notice (Ohio Rev. Code 5301.56).", "note": "Ohio's Dormant Mineral Act can return a severed mineral interest to the surface owner after 20 years of no use, now through a notice and recording process." } }, { "id": "OK", "name": "Oklahoma", "page_url": "https://americanmineralregistry.com/research/states/do-mineral-rights-expire-in-oklahoma", "reviewed": true, "reviewed_on": "2026-10-01", "dormancy": { "mechanism": "missing_owner_procedure", "mechanism_label": "State judicial sale of mineral interests whose proceeds have been abandoned 15 years under the unclaimed property act; no nonuse lapse", "summary": "Oklahoma has no dormant mineral act, and its Marketable Record Title Act expressly does not bar or extinguish severed mineral or royalty interests (16 O.S. 76). It does have an abandoned mineral interest rule tied to unclaimed money: if the proceeds or other intangible property from a mineral interest have been abandoned for 15 years under the Uniform Unclaimed Property Act, the mineral interest itself becomes subject to judicial sale by the State on a petition by the Attorney General or a district attorney (84 O.S. 271.1, 273 to 277; 60 O.S. 658.1). The sale price goes to the State Treasurer and is treated as unclaimed property, the buyer takes subject to Corporation Commission pooling and drilling orders, and the surface owner of record only receives mailed notice of the sale; title does not pass to the surface owner.", "period_years": 15, "period_description": "Not a nonuse period. The 15 years are a period during which the proceeds or other intangible property generated by the mineral interest have been abandoned, or presumed abandoned, under the Uniform Unclaimed Property Act (84 O.S. 271.1; 60 O.S. 658.1). Mineral proceeds are presumed abandoned when unclaimed by the owner for more than five years after becoming payable or distributable (60 O.S. 658(A)); the text read does not say whether those five years count toward the 15. A district court may also presume abandonment where the interest should have been reported to the State Treasurer but was not (60 O.S. 658.1A).", "self_executing": "no", "procedure": "The Attorney General or the district attorney files a petition in the name of the State in the district court of the county where the interest lies (84 O.S. 273); summons issues and notice is published, and claimants must appear within 30 days of first publication or judgment is entered by default (274, 275). On judgment for the State the interest is sold by the sheriff under court order at no less than a court fixed minimum price; abandoned interests in a single production unit are grouped for sale, the interest stays subject to Corporation Commission pooling and drilling orders, the record surface owner is mailed notice of the sale at least 30 days before, and the buyer pays the costs of the action (271.1, 276). The net sale proceeds are paid to the State Treasurer and treated as unclaimed property (276).", "qualifying_uses_or_savings": [ "Not a use test. Mineral proceeds are presumed abandoned only if unclaimed by the owner for more than five years after becoming payable or distributable (60 O.S. 658(A)), so an owner who claims the proceeds is not in the abandonment chain", "Any person claiming an interest may appear and contest the State's petition, within 30 days of first publication unless the court orders otherwise (84 O.S. 275)", "After a sale, the net proceeds are treated as unclaimed property under the Uniform Unclaimed Property Act (84 O.S. 276), so the former owner's claim shifts to the money" ], "preservation_filing": null, "interest_scope": "Mineral interests in Oklahoma land that generate proceeds or other intangible property (royalties, net revenue and overriding royalty interests, production payments, bonuses, delay rentals, shut in and minimum royalties: 60 O.S. 651(14)) that has been abandoned. A mineral interest that generates no such property is outside the statute's terms (inference from the text).", "mineral_scope": "All minerals (any mineral interest in land in Oklahoma).", "exceptions": [ "Mineral interests subject to sale under 84 O.S. 271.1 are excluded from the seven year absentee escheat rule in 84 O.S. 271(2); they are sold, not escheated", "A sold interest remains subject to all prior valid pooling and drilling orders, rules or regulations of the Corporation Commission (84 O.S. 271.1(2))" ], "effective": "84 O.S. 271.1 and 60 O.S. 658.1 added by Laws 1978, c. 229, effective January 1, 1979; 271.1 amended 1983, 1984 and 2005 (c. 421); 658.1 amended 1988, 1991, 1999 and 2005; 658.1A added 1985. Marketable Record Title Act 16 O.S. 71 to 80 from 1963; section 76 amended 1995. Text from the Oklahoma Legislature's complete title files dated December 31, 2025.", "date_model": "court_determination", "date_model_note": "No last use date applies. The trigger is 15 years of abandoned proceeds under the unclaimed property act, measured from a start point the text does not pin down, followed by a State petition, judgment and sheriff's sale; a calculator cannot produce a date, and nonuse of a mineral interest that generates no proceeds does nothing.", "survey_scope": "Read the Oklahoma Legislature's official complete text of Titles 16, 52, 60 and 84 (PDFs dated December 31, 2025) and searched them for dormant, abandoned mineral, nonuse and similar terms. No dormant mineral act or nonuse lapse statute was found. The Marketable Record Title Act (16 O.S. 71 to 80, 30 years) does not apply to severed mineral or royalty interests (16 O.S. 76(A)). Money owed to unknown or unlocatable owners under pooling orders is escrowed, sent to the State Treasurer's Mineral Owner's Fund after one year, and moved to the Unclaimed Property Fund five years after the pooling date (52 O.S. 551 to 558).", "confidence": "medium", "open_questions": [ "Whether the 15 years in 84 O.S. 271.1 and 60 O.S. 658.1 run from when the proceeds first became payable or from when they were first presumed abandoned (five years later) is not stated in the text read.", "How often the Attorney General or district attorneys have used 271.1 sales, and any Oklahoma Supreme Court decisions on them or on their constitutionality, were not reviewed; how often they are used is not known.", "The text is the Legislature's complete title files dated December 31, 2025; 2026 session amendments were not checked. OSCN, the usual official route, was not available when AMR checked.", "Whether money in the Mineral Owner's Fund from pooling orders counts toward the 15 year abandonment for a 271.1 sale was not researched." ], "category": "missing_owner", "answer": "Oklahoma has no dormant mineral act, and its Marketable Record Title Act expressly does not bar or extinguish severed mineral or royalty interests (16 O.S. 76).", "evidence": "partial" }, "dormancy_source_ids": [ "SRC-OK-001", "SRC-OK-002", "SRC-OK-003", "SRC-OK-004", "SRC-OK-005", "SRC-OK-006" ], "pooling": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "Yes. Where owners in an established spacing unit have not agreed to pool and one owner has drilled or proposes to drill, the Corporation Commission, on application and after notice and hearing, shall require the owners to pool and develop their lands in the unit on just and reasonable terms; an unleased owner is treated as a lessee for seven eighths and a lessor for one eighth until an election under the order (52 O.S. 87.1(e)). The Extended Horizontal Well Development Act (52 O.S. 87.6 to 87.9) adds multiunit horizontal wells and horizontal unitization of targeted reservoirs, the latter effective only with written consent of 63 percent of the working interest and 63 percent of the royalty interest in each spacing unit.", "confidence": "high", "survey_scope": null, "evidence": "primary", "source_ids": [ "SRC-OK-007", "SRC-OK-008" ] }, "surface_damages": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "Yes. The Surface Damages Act (52 O.S. 318.2 to 318.9, operative July 1, 1982) requires the operator to give the surface owner written notice of intent to drill and to negotiate surface damages in good faith; each operator must post a 25,000 dollar bond or equivalent with the Secretary of State. If no agreement is reached, the operator must petition the district court for three appraisers, may enter after filing, and either side may take exceptions or demand a jury; willful entry without notice, agreement or an appraiser petition exposes the operator to treble damages.", "confidence": "high", "survey_scope": null, "evidence": "primary", "source_ids": [ "SRC-OK-009", "SRC-OK-010" ] }, "june_2026": { "state": "Oklahoma", "abbr": "OK", "category": "none", "unused_minerals": "Does not lapse", "lapse_period": "none", "surface_damages_act": "yes", "forced_pooling": "yes", "risk_score": 0, "rank": 43, "statute": "Marketable Record Title Act", "source_status": "Sourced", "source_url": "", "preservation": "No dormant mineral act; a severed interest does not lapse through nonuse.", "note": "Oklahoma has no dormant minerals act, so severed minerals do not lapse through nonuse. Stale interests are cleared through its Marketable Record Title Act. Forced pooling is common and its 1982 Surface Damages Act protects surface owners." } }, { "id": "OR", "name": "Oregon", "page_url": "https://americanmineralregistry.com/research/states/oregon-dormant-mineral-act", "reviewed": true, "reviewed_on": "2026-10-01", "dormancy": { "mechanism": "dormant_mineral_act", "mechanism_label": "Dormant mineral interest statute, 30 year statement of claim or acquisition window, surface owner notice with a 60 day cure", "summary": "ORS 517.180, headed 'Procedure for extinguishing dormant mineral interest', lets an owner of land extinguish a mineral interest held by another person by publishing and mailing a notice of lapse and recording an affidavit, unless within the last 30 years the holder recorded a statement of claim or acquired the interest. It is not a nonuse statute: production, leasing, royalties and tax payment are not listed as savings, so dormancy turns only on the recorded statement of claim and the holder's acquisition date. The holder keeps the interest by recording a statement of claim within 60 days after the last publication. It covers coal, oil, gas, other minerals and geothermal resources, but not sand or gravel, and excludes interests vested in the United States, Oregon or its political subdivisions. Although ORS chapter 517 is mainly about mining claims, 517.170 and 517.180 form a separate dormant mineral interest part.", "period_years": 30, "period_description": "The owner of land may proceed unless 'Within the last 30 years, the holder of the mineral interest has submitted a statement of claim for recording' or 'The holder of the mineral interest acquired the mineral interest within the previous 30 years' (ORS 517.180(1)(a), (b)). Both windows are counted back from the time the owner of land acts. A recorded statement of claim protects for 30 years from recording and can be recorded again; a new acquisition protects that holder for 30 years. Within 60 days after the last publication of a notice of lapse, a statement of claim still prevents extinguishment (517.180(8)).", "self_executing": "no", "procedure": "To extinguish the interest and acquire it, the owner of land publishes notice of the lapse at least once each week for three consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the county, and, if the holder's address is known or can be found with due diligence, mails the notice to the holder before the first publication (ORS 517.180(4)). The notice names the holder of record, identifies the instrument that created the interest and where it is recorded, describes the land, names the person giving notice, gives the first publication date, and states that the holder must submit a statement of claim to the county clerk within 60 days after the last publication or the interest may be extinguished (517.180(5)). Within 15 days after the last publication, a copy of the notice and an affidavit of publication, stating the mailing or describing the due diligence search, are submitted to the county clerk (517.180(6), (7)). If the holder does not submit a statement of claim within 60 days after the last publication, the interest is extinguished and becomes the property of the owner of the land (517.180(8)). The clerk records statements of claim and notices in the Mineral and Mining Record (517.180(9)). No court action is required by the statute.", "qualifying_uses_or_savings": [ "517.180(1)(a): the holder submitted a statement of claim for recording within the last 30 years", "517.180(1)(b): the holder acquired the mineral interest within the previous 30 years", "517.180(8): the holder submits a statement of claim to the county clerk within 60 days after the last publication of the notice of lapse", "Not listed in the statute: production, leasing, payment of rentals or royalties, pooling, or payment of taxes; none of these bars the procedure on the statute's words" ], "preservation_filing": "Statement of claim submitted for recording with the clerk of the county where the land affected lies, containing the name and address of the holder as that name is shown in the instrument that created the original mineral interest, and the name and address of the current holder (ORS 517.180(3)). The clerk records it in the Mineral and Mining Record, cross references the current and original holders, and where possible notes it in the margin of the creating instrument (517.180(9)). To stay outside 517.180(1)(a) the statement must be recorded again within each 30 years.", "interest_scope": "Any interest 'created by an instrument transferring, either by grant, assignment, reservation or otherwise, an interest of any kind' in the listed resources (ORS 517.180(2)(a)). The procedure is available to an 'owner of land', which includes a vested fee simple owner or a contract purchaser (517.180(2)(b)). The text does not separate mineral fee, royalty or leasehold interests.", "mineral_scope": "Coal, oil, gas or other minerals and geothermal resources; sand and gravel are excluded (ORS 517.180(2)(a)).", "exceptions": [ "Interests vested in the United States, the State of Oregon or a political subdivision of the State of Oregon (ORS 517.180(2)(a))", "Interests in sand or gravel (ORS 517.180(2)(a))", "The provisions may not be waived at any time (ORS 517.180(10))" ], "effective": "Enacted by Oregon Laws 1983, chapter 421, sections 1 and 2 (ORS 517.170 policy and 517.180); amended by 1997 c.819 section 10 and 1999 c.654 section 31. Text read in the 2025 edition of ORS. No grace period or transition rule appears in the current text; the 1983 session law was not read.", "date_model": "explain_only", "date_model_note": "The test looks back 30 years from the owner of land's notice for a recorded statement of claim or an acquisition by the holder. A calculator needs the date of the holder's most recent recorded statement of claim and the date the holder acquired the interest; the owner of land may proceed once 30 years have passed since the later of the two, and the holder can still cure within 60 days after the last publication. A last use date is irrelevant under the text, so a calculator driven by last use would give wrong Oregon results.", "survey_scope": "Read ORS 517.170 and 517.180 in the official 2025 edition via an archived copy of oregonlegislature.gov, and compared it with the oregon.public.law page AMR cites (same wording). The rest of chapter 517 concerns mining claims, assessment work and surface mining reclamation.", "confidence": "high", "open_questions": [ "The official text was read from an Internet Archive snapshot dated August 1, 2026 of the 2025 edition; amendments enacted after that edition, including any 2026 session law, were not checked.", "What counts as the holder having 'acquired the mineral interest within the previous 30 years' (recorded deed, devise or inheritance, probate, corporate succession) is not defined; whether an unrecorded acquisition counts is unresolved.", "Whether active production or a recorded lease gives any protection outside 517.180(1); the text lists none, which may surprise producing owners who never recorded a statement of claim. No Oregon appellate decision was checked.", "Oregon Laws 1983 chapter 421 was not read; whether it included a grace period for interests already older than 30 years in 1983 is unknown." ], "answer": "Oregon lets a landowner extinguish a severed mineral interest by published and mailed notice unless, in the last 30 years, the holder recorded a statement of claim or acquired the interest; production and leasing do not count. The holder can still keep it by recording a claim within 60 days after the last publication.", "category": "lapse_statute", "evidence": "primary" }, "dormancy_source_ids": [ "SRC-OR-001", "SRC-OR-002", "SRC-OR-003", "SRC-OR-004", "SRC-OR-005" ], "pooling": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "Yes. In the absence of voluntary integration, the governing board of the State Department of Geology and Mineral Industries, on application of any interested person, shall make an order integrating all tracts or interests in a spacing unit, on just and reasonable terms; the board may also deem royalty interests integrated as part of the spacing order (ORS 520.220(2)).", "confidence": "high", "survey_scope": null, "evidence": "primary", "source_ids": [ "SRC-OR-006" ] }, "surface_damages": { "status": "none_identified", "summary": "No statute was found requiring oil and gas operators to notify and compensate surface owners. The oil and gas conservation chapter mentions the surface owner only in the gas storage ownership provision, and chapter 517 references concern mining exploration permits and surface mining reclamation, not oil and gas surface damages.", "confidence": "medium", "survey_scope": "Searched the full text of ORS chapter 520 (Conservation of Gas and Oil, 2023 edition) and ORS chapter 517 (Mining and Mining Claims, 2025 edition) for 'surface owner', 'owner of the surface', 'landowner', 'compensat' and 'damage'. Chapters 522 (geothermal) and the rest of ORS were not searched.", "evidence": "none_found", "source_ids": [ "SRC-OR-007" ] }, "june_2026": { "state": "Oregon", "abbr": "OR", "category": "lapse", "unused_minerals": "Can lapse / revert", "lapse_period": "30 years", "surface_damages_act": "no", "forced_pooling": "yes", "risk_score": 68, "rank": 14, "statute": "Or. Rev. Stat. 517.180", "source_status": "Sourced", "source_url": "https://oregon.public.law/statutes/ors_517.180", "preservation": "Record a statement of claim within a 30 year window, or within 60 days of a lapse notice (Or. Rev. Stat. 517.180).", "note": "Oregon lets a surface owner extinguish a mineral interest more than 30 years old unless the owner has recorded a statement of claim, through a notice and recording process. Enacted 1983." } }, { "id": "PA", "name": "Pennsylvania", "page_url": "https://americanmineralregistry.com/research/states/do-mineral-rights-expire-in-pennsylvania", "reviewed": true, "reviewed_on": "2026-10-01", "dormancy": { "mechanism": "missing_owner_procedure", "mechanism_label": "Court appointed trustee for unknown or unlocatable oil and gas owners; no lapse", "summary": "Pennsylvania's Dormant Oil and Gas Act (Act 115 of 2006) does not end or transfer any interest for nonuse, and it states that its purpose is not to vest severed oil and gas in the surface owner. Any person who owns an interest in the oil and gas under a tract, in fee, by lease, by royalty or by correlative rights, may petition the county court of common pleas to declare a trust for owners whose identity or address cannot be found by diligent efforts; the court appoints a financial institution as trustee to sign leases. Bonuses, rentals and royalties owed to the missing owners are paid to the trustee, the trust lasts until those owners are identified and paid, and the funds are subject to the Fiscal Code article on unclaimed property.", "period_years": null, "period_description": "No period. The trust has no end date: it remains in force until the unknown owners are identified to the trustee's satisfaction and receive their share of the funds (section 5(c)). Separately, anyone who fails to pay amounts due to unknown owners to the trustee within six months after they become due is liable for attorney fees, court costs and interest (section 7).", "self_executing": "no", "procedure": "Petition to the court of common pleas of the county where the tract or part of it lies. The petitioner must show a diligent effort to locate the owner, that despite it one or more owners cannot be identified or located, and that appointing a trustee is in the best interest of all owners. The court then appoints a financial institution authorized to do business in Pennsylvania as trustee and authorizes it to execute oil or gas leases or other instruments on court approved terms. The trust is administered under 20 Pa.C.S. (decedents, estates and fiduciaries), and a payor who pays the trustee is released from further claims by the unknown owners for that income.", "qualifying_uses_or_savings": [ "Not a use test. The act reaches only owners whose identity, present residence or present address is unknown and cannot be determined by diligent efforts (section 4(a)); an owner who can be found is outside it", "An owner later identified receives the funds held in trust; the trust remains until the unknown owners are identified and paid (sections 5(b) and 5(c))" ], "preservation_filing": null, "interest_scope": "Interests in oil and gas owned by unknown or unlocatable owners; \"owner\" includes any person with a legal or equitable interest and any person who owns a royalty interest. The petitioner's own interest may be in fee, by lease, a royalty, or by ownership of correlative rights in the reservoir (section 4(a)).", "mineral_scope": "Oil and gas only. \"Gas\" excludes methane contained in or produced from coal beds or mined out coal areas; \"oil\" excludes liquid hydrocarbons that were originally in a gaseous phase (section 3).", "exceptions": [ "Coalbed methane is excluded from \"gas\" (section 3)", "The act does not vest the surface owner with title to severed oil and gas (section 2)", "Funds held in the trust remain subject to Article XIII.1 of The Fiscal Code on unclaimed and abandoned property (section 5(d))" ], "effective": "Act of July 11, 2006, P.L. 1134, No. 115, effective immediately (section 8). The official page, as archived on August 20, 2026, shows no amendment notes. Pennsylvania House archive records show HB 70 (2015 to 2016) and HB 91 (2017 to 2018), each proposing to amend the act's purpose, definitions and trust section; neither appears in the official text.", "date_model": "not_applicable", "date_model_note": "Title never passes to anyone under this act, so there is no lapse date to compute. Nonuse has no legal effect under it; the only trigger is that an owner cannot be found, and the court decides that.", "survey_scope": "Dormancy survey: full official text of the Dormant Oil and Gas Act read; no Pennsylvania statute that terminates or transfers severed oil, gas or mineral interests for nonuse was identified. Also read: Oil and Gas Conservation Law (Act 359 of 1961, sections 3 and 8), 58 Pa.C.S. Chapter 32 section list, Act 60 of 1979 as amended. Searched for amendment bills to the 2006 act (House archive records for HB 70 and HB 91). Not searched: a Pennsylvania marketable title statute, and Pennsylvania tax sale case law on unseated lands, which can decide whether severed subsurface interests passed in old tax sales.", "confidence": "high", "open_questions": [ "legis.state.pa.us and palegis.us were not available when AMR checked; the text is the Internet Archive copy of the official page dated August 20, 2026. Changes after that date were not checked.", "The Purdon's citation 58 P.S. 701.1 et seq. used by AMR was not confirmed on an official source; the official page cites the act as P.L. 1134, No. 115.", "Court decisions applying the act's diligent effort and best interest tests were not reviewed.", "When trust funds become reportable as unclaimed property under Fiscal Code Article XIII.1 was not researched." ], "category": "missing_owner", "answer": "Pennsylvania's Dormant Oil and Gas Act (Act 115 of 2006) does not end or transfer any interest for nonuse, and it states that its purpose is not to vest severed oil and gas in the surface owner.", "evidence": "primary" }, "dormancy_source_ids": [ "SRC-PA-001", "SRC-PA-002", "SRC-PA-003", "SRC-PA-004" ], "pooling": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "Limited. The Oil and Gas Conservation Law (Act 359 of 1961) requires the commission, on an operator's application, to integrate all tracts and interests in a spacing unit when owners do not agree, but the act does not apply to wells that do not penetrate the Onondaga horizon (or, where the Onondaga is shallower than 3,800 feet, wells not deeper than 3,800 feet), so it generally does not reach Marcellus Shale wells, which are completed above the Onondaga. Provisions added in 2013 and 2019 let an operator develop its own contiguous leases jointly and drill across units it already holds, but they do not pool unleased owners.", "confidence": "high", "survey_scope": null, "evidence": "primary", "source_ids": [ "SRC-PA-005", "SRC-PA-006", "SRC-PA-007" ] }, "surface_damages": { "status": "none_identified", "summary": "No Pennsylvania statute was found that requires oil and gas operators to compensate surface owners for surface damage. 58 Pa.C.S. Chapter 32 (Act 13 of 2012) requires the permit applicant to send the well plat to the surface landowner by certified mail, gives the surface owner a 15 day objection window, requires the operator to restore the well site, and requires an operator that pollutes or diminishes a water supply to restore or replace it.", "confidence": "medium", "survey_scope": "58 Pa.C.S. Chapter 32 section list and sections 3211, 3212, 3216 and 3218 (official text, Internet Archive copy of October 13, 2024); Act 359 of 1961; Act 60 of 1979 as amended. No surface damage compensation section found. Amendments to Chapter 32 after October 2024 were not checked.", "evidence": "none_found", "source_ids": [ "SRC-PA-008", "SRC-PA-009" ] }, "june_2026": { "state": "Pennsylvania", "abbr": "PA", "category": "special", "unused_minerals": "Special mechanism", "lapse_period": "see note", "surface_damages_act": "no", "forced_pooling": "yes", "risk_score": 45, "rank": 19, "statute": "58 Pa. Stat. 701.1 et seq. (Dormant Oil and Gas Act)", "source_status": "Sourced", "source_url": "https://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/LI/US/HTM/2006/0/0115..HTM", "preservation": "Stay identifiable in the record; a court may place an unlocatable owner interest into a trust (58 Pa. Stat. 701.1 et seq.).", "note": "Pennsylvania's Dormant Oil and Gas Act does not transfer ownership. It places an unlocatable owner's interest into a trust so the oil and gas can be developed." } }, { "id": "RI", "name": "Rhode Island", "page_url": "https://americanmineralregistry.com/research/states/do-mineral-rights-expire-in-rhode-island", "reviewed": true, "reviewed_on": "2026-10-01", "dormancy": { "mechanism": "marketable_title_act", "mechanism_label": "Marketable Record Title Act, 40 years, no mineral exception (R.I. Gen. Laws ch. 34-13.1)", "summary": "A person with an unbroken record chain of title to an interest in land for 40 years holds marketable record title free of every interest that depends on an act, transaction, event or omission before the effective date of the root of title, unless that interest is carried in the muniments by specific reference, preserved by a recorded notice of claim, or excepted. The exceptions (lessor reversions, easements evidenced by physical facilities, and interests of the United States, the State, its subdivisions and public utilities) do not mention mineral interests, so a severed mineral interest outside the surface owner's 40 year chain can be extinguished. Nonuse plays no part; the test is the record.", "period_years": 40, "period_description": "Forty years from the effective date (recording) of the root of title, the most recent title transaction recorded as of a date 40 years before marketability is determined (§§ 34-13.1-1(e), 34-13.1-2). A notice of claim must be recorded during the 40 years after the root of title; any period expiring within two years after the act took effect was extended to two years after that date (§ 34-13.1-11).", "self_executing": "yes", "procedure": "No proceeding is required: prior interests not preserved are declared null and void (§ 34-13.1-4). Disputes are resolved when marketability is determined, for example in a quiet title action under chapter 34-16.", "qualifying_uses_or_savings": [ "Notice of claim, verified by oath, recorded during the 40 year period after the root of title (§ 34-13.1-5(a))", "Continuous possession of a possessory interest by the same record owner for 40 years, which counts as a recorded notice (§ 34-13.1-5(b))", "Specific identification, in the muniments of the chain of title, of the recorded title transaction that created the interest (§ 34-13.1-3(1))", "A title transaction affecting the interest recorded after the root of title (§ 34-13.1-3(4))" ], "preservation_filing": "Notice of claim verified by oath stating the nature of the claim, with an accurate and full description of all land affected in particular terms (or the description in the recorded instrument the claim is founded on) and the current owners of record; recorded in the land records of the town where the land lies and indexed in the grantor index under the record owners and the grantee index under the claimant (§§ 34-13.1-5, 34-13.1-6).", "interest_scope": "Any interest in land not excepted, which on the statute's words includes severed mineral interests and royalties.", "mineral_scope": "All minerals; the chapter has no mineral specific language.", "exceptions": [ "Lessor or successor as reversioner of the right to possession on expiration of a lease", "Easements and similar interests evidenced by a pipe, valve, road, wire, cable, conduit, duct, sewer, track, hole, tower or other physical facility", "Interests of the United States, the State, its political subdivisions and public utility companies (§ 34-13.1-7)", "Conservation and preservation restrictions (§ 34-13.1-3(6))" ], "effective": "Enacted by P.L. 1995, ch. 241, § 1 and P.L. 1995, ch. 299, § 1 (effective date not confirmed); § 34-13.1-3 amended by P.L. 1998, ch. 330, § 1 and § 34-13.1-1 by P.L. 2011, ch. 363, § 14. Section 34-13.1-11 gave two years after the effective date to record notices where the 40 year period had expired or would expire sooner.", "date_model": "explain_only", "date_model_note": "The bar depends on the date of the surface owner's root of title and on what is recorded in the chain, not on a last use date, so no date can be computed from use.", "survey_scope": "Title 34 chapter index searched; besides chapter 34-13.1 it lists chapters on possession and prescription (34-7) and quieting title (34-16), neither mineral specific. No dormant mineral statute appears in the chapter indexes of Titles 34, 42 or 46; full text was not searched.", "confidence": "medium", "open_questions": [ "No Rhode Island decision applying chapter 34-13.1 to a severed mineral interest was located, and how the act treats a mineral owner who holds his own 40 year record chain is untested in the sources read.", "Effective date of P.L. 1995, ch. 241 and ch. 299 not confirmed; § 34-13.1-9 was not retrieved; amendments after the April 2025 snapshots were not checked." ], "category": "marketable_title", "answer": "A person with an unbroken record chain of title to an interest in land for 40 years holds marketable record title free of every interest that depends on an act, transaction, event or omission before the effective date of the root of title, unless that interest is carried in the muniments by specific reference, preserved by a recorded notice of claim, or excepted.", "evidence": "partial" }, "dormancy_source_ids": [ "SRC-RI-001", "SRC-RI-002", "SRC-RI-003" ], "pooling": { "status": "none_identified", "summary": "No Rhode Island statute on compulsory pooling or unitization of oil and gas interests was found, and no oil and gas conservation chapter appears in the titles surveyed.", "confidence": "medium", "survey_scope": "Chapter indexes of Title 34 (Property), Title 42 (State Affairs and Government) and Title 46 (Waters and Navigation), archived December 2025, searched for mine, mining, mineral, oil, gas, petroleum and geology; only oil pollution, oil spill and petroleum allocation chapters matched. Other titles and full text were not searched.", "evidence": "none_found", "source_ids": [] }, "surface_damages": { "status": "none_identified", "summary": "No statute requiring oil and gas operators to notify or compensate surface owners was found.", "confidence": "medium", "survey_scope": "Same chapter index survey as for pooling.", "evidence": "none_found", "source_ids": [] }, "june_2026": { "state": "Rhode Island", "abbr": "RI", "category": "none", "unused_minerals": "Does not lapse", "lapse_period": "none", "surface_damages_act": "no", "forced_pooling": "verify", "risk_score": 0, "rank": 44, "statute": "n/a", "source_status": "No dormant act (surveyed)", "source_url": "", "preservation": "No dormant mineral act; a severed interest does not lapse through nonuse.", "note": "No dormant mineral act in Rhode Island. A severed mineral interest does not lapse through nonuse. Based on national statutory surveys; confirm against the current state code." } }, { "id": "SC", "name": "South Carolina", "page_url": "https://americanmineralregistry.com/research/states/do-mineral-rights-expire-in-south-carolina", "reviewed": true, "reviewed_on": "2026-10-01", "dormancy": { "mechanism": "none_identified", "mechanism_label": "No dormant mineral statute identified", "summary": "No South Carolina statute was found that ends or transfers a severed mineral interest for nonuse, requires a statement of claim, provides a procedure for unknown mineral owners, or makes old mineral reservations unmarketable. The property title of the Code does not use the word mineral at all.", "period_years": null, "period_description": null, "self_executing": null, "procedure": null, "qualifying_uses_or_savings": [], "preservation_filing": null, "interest_scope": "Not applicable.", "mineral_scope": "Not applicable.", "exceptions": [], "effective": "No dormancy statute identified in the Code of Laws as published on scstatehouse.gov on 1 Oct 2026.", "date_model": "not_applicable", "date_model_note": "No statutory lapse was identified, so there is no lapse or deadline date for South Carolina.", "survey_scope": "Official South Carolina Code of Laws at scstatehouse.gov, every chapter page of Titles 27 (Property and Conveyances, 32 chapters), 10 (6), 12 (Taxation, 41), 15 (Civil Remedies and Procedures, 41), 30 (Public Records, 10) and 48 (Environmental Protection and Conservation, 45) downloaded on 1 Oct 2026 and searched in full text. Title 27 contains no use of the word mineral; no marketable title act, dormant mineral, severed mineral, statement of claim or unknown mineral owner provision found in any of the six titles. Related hits only: 10-9-10 (Public Service Authority mineral leases), 10-9-330 (geothermal rights in drilling leases), and the Mining Act and geological survey provisions in Title 48. The official site search was not run for this release.", "confidence": "medium", "open_questions": [ "Titles outside 10, 12, 15, 27, 30 and 48 were not searched in full text.", "South Carolina case law on abandonment, adverse possession or presumption of extinguishment of severed mineral interests was not reviewed.", "The Code pages state no currency date; legislation from the 2026 session was not checked separately." ], "category": "none_found", "answer": "No South Carolina statute was found that ends or transfers a severed mineral interest for nonuse, requires a statement of claim, provides a procedure for unknown mineral owners, or makes old mineral reservations unmarketable. The property title of the Code does not use the word mineral at all.", "evidence": "none_found" }, "dormancy_source_ids": [ "SRC-SC-001" ], "pooling": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "In the absence of voluntary integration, the department on application of any interested person shall order all tracts or interests in a spacing unit integrated for development and sharing of production, on just and reasonable terms (S.C. Code 48-43-340, 1977 Act No. 179). Section 48-43-350 also requires a unit operation order for a pool where it is reasonably necessary to increase ultimate recovery and the added recovery exceeds the added cost.", "confidence": "high", "survey_scope": null, "evidence": "primary", "source_ids": [ "SRC-SC-002", "SRC-SC-003" ] }, "surface_damages": { "status": "none_identified", "summary": "No South Carolina statute was found requiring oil and gas operators to notify or compensate surface owners for surface damage. Chapter 48-43 allows claims for damage from unlawful pollutant discharges (48-43-600) and requires drilling permit bonds payable to the State, which are not surface damages provisions.", "confidence": "medium", "survey_scope": "Full text of S.C. Code Title 48 (45 chapters, including chapter 43 on oil and gas) searched for surface owner and landowner, and chapter 43 for damage; Titles 10, 12, 15, 27 and 30 searched for mineral. No split estate or surface damages provision found.", "evidence": "none_found", "source_ids": [] }, "june_2026": { "state": "South Carolina", "abbr": "SC", "category": "none", "unused_minerals": "Does not lapse", "lapse_period": "none", "surface_damages_act": "no", "forced_pooling": "verify", "risk_score": 0, "rank": 45, "statute": "n/a", "source_status": "No dormant act (surveyed)", "source_url": "", "preservation": "No dormant mineral act; a severed interest does not lapse through nonuse.", "note": "No dormant mineral act in South Carolina. A severed mineral interest does not lapse through nonuse. Based on national statutory surveys; confirm against the current state code." } }, { "id": "SD", "name": "South Dakota", "page_url": "https://americanmineralregistry.com/research/states/south-dakota-dormant-mineral-act", "reviewed": true, "reviewed_on": "2026-10-01", "dormancy": { "mechanism": "dormant_mineral_act", "mechanism_label": "Abandoned mineral interest statute, 23 years of nonuse, surface owner notice with a 60 day cure", "summary": "SDCL chapter 43-30A treats a severed mineral interest as abandoned if it has not been used for 23 years or more, and title then vests in the surface owner. To succeed to the interest the surface owner must publish a notice of lapse for three weeks and mail it to the record owner's address of record, and the record owner still saves the interest by recording a statement of claim within 60 days after publication is completed. The chapter reaches any interest in oil, gas, coal, clay, gravel, uranium and all other minerals owned by someone other than the surface owner, except interests owned by a governmental body. No court action is required by the statute, although the one reported case was a quiet title action brought after the notice (Holsti v. Kimber, 2014 S.D. 21).", "period_years": 23, "period_description": "A mineral interest is abandoned 'if it has not been used for a period of twenty-three years or more' (SDCL 43-30A-2). Any use listed in 43-30A-3 restarts the count; recorded instruments count only if recorded 'within the last twenty-three years' (43-30A-3(4)). A statement of claim recorded before the end of the 23 year period puts the interest in use on its recording date (43-30A-4). After 23 years have run, a statement of claim recorded within 60 days after completion of publication of the surface owner's notice of lapse still prevents abandonment (43-30A-5).", "self_executing": "no", "procedure": "SDCL 43-30A-2 says title vests on the date of abandonment, but 43-30A-6 requires notice 'in order to succeed to the ownership'. The surface owner publishes a notice of lapse once each week for three weeks in the official newspaper of the county and mails a copy by registered or certified mail to the record owner at the address of record no later than ten days after the last publication. The surface owner may rely on the address of record in the register of deeds office; a mineral owner who keeps no address of record waives mailed notice. The notice states the record owner's name, the legal description and the name of the person giving notice. Recording the notice with an affidavit of publication and mailing in the register of deeds office is prima facie evidence that notice was properly given. The interest is not abandoned if the record owner records a statement of claim within 60 days after publication is completed (43-30A-5). The chapter does not require a court order; Holsti v. Kimber was a quiet title action that followed a published notice.", "qualifying_uses_or_savings": [ "43-30A-3(1): minerals are produced by or with the express permission of the record owner of the mineral interest", "43-30A-3(2): operations are conducted for injection, withdrawal, storage, or disposal of water, gas, or other fluid substances to produce or enhance the production of minerals by or with the express permission of the record holder", "43-30A-3(3): for solid minerals, there is production from a common vein or seam by or with the express permission of the record owner", "43-30A-3(4): any valid conveyance, lease, mortgage, assignment, probate distribution, termination of joint tenancy interest affidavit, termination of life estate affidavit, transfer on death deed, or any judgment or decree that makes specific reference to the record owner's mineral interest is recorded within the last 23 years in the register of deeds for the county", "43-30A-3(5): the mineral interest is subject to an agreement to pool or unitize", "43-30A-3(6): a statement of claim is recorded in compliance with 43-30A-4", "43-30A-3(7): a proper instrument describing the mineral interest was recorded before an affidavit recorded under prior law pursuant to SDCL 43-30-7", "43-30A-5: a statement of claim recorded by the record owner within 60 days after completion of publication of the notice of lapse", "Not a use since 2016: payment of taxes and a pooling order were struck from the list by SL 2016 ch 215, section 2; only an agreement to pool or unitize remains" ], "preservation_filing": "Statement of claim recorded in the register of deeds office for the county where the mineral interest is located, for the record owner, before the end of the 23 year period, containing the record owner's name and mailing address and a legal description of the land on or under which the interest lies (SDCL 43-30A-4). A joint tenant, but not a tenant in common, may record on behalf of the other joint tenants. It puts the interest in use on the recording date, so it restarts the 23 years. A statement recorded within 60 days after completion of publication of a notice of lapse also saves the interest (43-30A-5). Keeping an address of record with the register of deeds matters because without one the owner waives mailed notice (43-30A-6).", "interest_scope": "Any interest in minerals 'whether created by grant, assignment, exception, reservation, or otherwise, owned by a person other than the owner of the surface estate' (SDCL 43-30A-1). The text does not separate mineral fee, royalty or fractional interests, and it does not address leasehold or working interests expressly.", "mineral_scope": "Oil, gas, coal, clay, gravel, uranium, and all other minerals of any kind and nature (SDCL 43-30A-1).", "exceptions": [ "Mineral interests owned by any governmental body or agency (SDCL 43-30A-8)", "The chapter may not be waived until the 23 year period has expired (SDCL 43-30A-7)", "Water and water rights are not affected (SDCL 43-30A-10)" ], "effective": "Enacted by SL 1985, ch 338, and both prospective and retrospective in application (SDCL 43-30A-9). The 23 year period dates from the 1985 text. Amended by SL 1987 ch 318, SL 1995 ch 167, SL 2013 ch 222 and SL 2016 ch 215 (HB 1058, signed February 12, 2016). The 2016 act rewrote 43-30A-2 to 43-30A-6, removed tax payment and pooling orders as uses, tied uses to the record owner, made the 60 day cure run from completion of publication, and repealed 43-30A-6.1, 43-30A-11 and 43-30A-12. The 1985 session law was not read, so any original grace period for interests already dormant in 1985 is not confirmed.", "date_model": "illustrative_anniversary", "date_model_note": "Last use plus 23 years gives the earliest date on which the surface owner could start the notice procedure, not a lapse date. Ownership passes only after three weeks of publication, mailing, and 60 days after publication with no statement of claim, and any use or recorded statement of claim inside the 23 years restarts the count. A calculator can show last use plus 23 years if it is labeled as the earliest notice date and says the owner can still cure after notice.", "survey_scope": "Read SDCL chapter 43-30A in full and SL 2016 ch 215 on sdlegislature.gov. Related statute checked: the Marketable Title Act, SDCL 43-30-1 to 43-30-17 (22 year marketable record title, notice of claim within 23 years of the deed), which has no mineral specific exception; 43-30A-3(7) cross refers to its 43-30-7 affidavit of possession.", "confidence": "high", "open_questions": [ "SL 1985 ch 338 was not read; whether it gave owners of interests already dormant in 1985 a grace period to record a statement of claim is not shown in the current code.", "Holsti v. Kimber (2014) read the pre 2016 text, under which heirs without a recorded deed could use the interest and recorded leases counted without a record owner link. Since 2016 uses must be by, with the permission of, or refer to the record owner. How the 2016 text treats unrecorded heirs and wild instruments has not been decided in any case found.", "Holsti left open whether one co owner's use preserves the shares of other tenants in common, and whether the surface owner must make inquiry beyond the address of record before relying on publication.", "Whether a recorded lease or other instrument executed by someone other than the record owner can count as a use under the 2016 wording of 43-30A-3(4).", "No reported decision applying the 2016 amendments was found; later South Dakota Supreme Court decisions were not checked." ], "category": "lapse_statute", "answer": "SDCL chapter 43-30A treats a severed mineral interest as abandoned if it has not been used for 23 years or more, and title then vests in the surface owner.", "evidence": "primary" }, "dormancy_source_ids": [ "SRC-SD-001", "SRC-SD-002", "SRC-SD-003", "SRC-SD-004", "SRC-SD-005", "SRC-SD-006", "SRC-SD-007" ], "pooling": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "Yes. In the absence of voluntary pooling, the Board of Minerals and Environment or the secretary, on application of any interested person, shall enter an order pooling all interests in a spacing unit after notice and opportunity for hearing, on just and reasonable terms (SDCL 45-9-31).", "confidence": "high", "survey_scope": null, "evidence": "primary", "source_ids": [ "SRC-SD-008" ] }, "surface_damages": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "Yes. SDCL chapter 45-5A (1982) requires the mineral developer to give the surface owner written notice of surface disturbing activities at least 30 days before operations start (45-5A-5) and to pay damages for loss of agricultural production, lost land value and lost value of improvements caused by mineral development (45-5A-4), with treble damages possible for failure to negotiate in good faith (45-5A-4.1). Mineral development means exploration or drilling of an oil and gas well or mineral test hole commenced after June 30, 1982, and the ensuing oil and gas production operations (45-5A-3).", "confidence": "high", "survey_scope": null, "evidence": "primary", "source_ids": [ "SRC-SD-009", "SRC-SD-010" ] }, "june_2026": { "state": "South Dakota", "abbr": "SD", "category": "lapse", "unused_minerals": "Can lapse / revert", "lapse_period": "23 years", "surface_damages_act": "yes", "forced_pooling": "yes", "risk_score": 79, "rank": 13, "statute": "S.D.C.L. 43-30A", "source_status": "Sourced", "source_url": "https://sdlegislature.gov/Statutes/43-30A", "preservation": "Record a statement of claim, or use the interest within 23 years (S.D.C.L. 43-30A-3).", "note": "South Dakota's dormant minerals act runs on a 23 year nonuse period before a severed interest can lapse to the surface owner." } }, { "id": "TN", "name": "Tennessee", "page_url": "https://americanmineralregistry.com/research/states/tennessee-dormant-mineral-act", "reviewed": true, "reviewed_on": "2026-10-01", "dormancy": { "mechanism": "dormant_mineral_act", "mechanism_label": "Dormant mineral statute, 20 years with no use and no taxes paid, lapse declared by chancery order", "summary": "Tenn. Code Ann. 66-5-108 extinguishes any interest in coal, oil and gas and other minerals that goes unused for 20 years unless the owner has filed a statement of claim, and ownership reverts to the surface owner. 'Use' includes production, injection or storage operations, rentals or royalties being paid, use on a pooled or unitized tract, and payment of taxes on the mineral interest, so an interest on which taxes are paid is not dormant; tax payment counts only if the owner has identified the interest's location to the county assessor (67-5-809(d)). Lapse is completed through the chancery court: the surface owner files a verified complaint of claim of abandoned mineral interest, the clerk and master publishes and mails a 60 day notice, and if the mineral owner files no answer the chancellor declares the lapse and vests title in the surface owner. A statement of claim filed after 20 years without use did not save the interest in Currence v. Harrogate Energy (Tenn. Ct. App. 2015).", "period_years": 20, "period_description": "Twenty years in which none of the uses defined in 66-5-108(b)(3) occurred (66-5-108(c)). The statement of claim must be filed 'prior to the end of the twenty-year period set forth in subsection (c) or within three (3) years after July 1, 1987, whichever is later' (66-5-108(d)(1)). A timely statement of claim is prima facie evidence that the interest was being used on its filing date (d)(4), so it starts a new 20 years. The Court of Appeals reads the statute to mean an interest expires unless a statement of claim is filed within 20 years of the last use or by July 1, 1990, whichever is later (Cunningham v. Gill, 2004), and measured the window backward from the date the owner's statement of claim was filed (Currence, 2015).", "self_executing": "no", "procedure": "Subsection (c) says an unused interest 'shall' be extinguished, but the statute's own route to title is judicial. A person who will succeed to the interest 'may commence such lapse' by filing with the clerk and master of the county a verified complaint of claim of abandoned mineral interest in the statutory form, which recites inquiry with the property assessor about taxes and inquiry about use (66-5-108(e)(1), (e)(2)). The clerk and master publishes notice that the interest shall lapse in 60 days, once a week for three consecutive weeks, and sends a copy by certified mail within ten days after publication to the owner named in the complaint (e)(3). If the mineral owner files no answer alleging a claim within 60 days after publication, the clerk certifies that to the chancellor, who enters an order declaring the interest lapsed and vesting title in the surface owner (e)(4). For the judicially determined lapse to be effective as to subsequent interest holders, a certified copy of the final order must be recorded with the register of deeds (e)(7). If the owner answers, the case is litigated on whether a statutory use occurred, as in Cunningham v. Gill and Currence v. Harrogate Energy. No complaint could be filed before July 1, 1990 (e)(9). An action to contest a lapse is barred three years after the date the interest lapsed (66-5-108(j)). These procedural subsections were read only in an unofficial mirror.", "qualifying_uses_or_savings": [ "66-5-108(b)(3): any minerals being produced thereunder", "66-5-108(b)(3): operations being conducted thereon for injection, withdrawal, storage or disposal of water, gas or other fluid substances", "66-5-108(b)(3): rentals or royalties being paid to the owner for the purpose of delaying or enjoying the use or exercise of the rights; an unexercised lease option on the tract did not qualify in Currence (2015)", "66-5-108(b)(3): any such use being carried out on any tract with which the mineral interest may be unitized or pooled for production purposes", "66-5-108(b)(3): taxes paid on the mineral interest ('by the owner of the land' in the quoted text); counts only if the owner identified the interest's location to the county property assessor under 67-5-804, per 67-5-809(d)", "66-5-108(c), (d): a statement of claim filed before the end of the 20 year period, or by July 1, 1990 if later; prima facie evidence of use on its filing date", "66-5-108(e)(4): an answer alleging a claim filed with the clerk and master within 60 days after publication stops the default order, but the claim then turns on whether a statutory use occurred" ], "preservation_filing": "Statement of claim filed with the register of deeds of the county where the land lies, containing the name and address of the owner or owners of the mineral interest, the tax map and parcel numbers of the surface owner or owners above the mineral estate, and a reference to the instrument under which the interest is claimed (66-5-108(d)(2), (d)(3)), filed before 20 years pass without use. The register records it in the Dormant Mineral Interest Record (66-5-108(f)). Separately, mineral owners must identify their interests with the county property assessor (67-5-804(b), as quoted in Currence); without that identification, paying taxes cannot be claimed as a use (67-5-809(d)).", "interest_scope": "'Mineral interest' means the interest created by an instrument transferring, by grant, assignment, reservation or otherwise, an interest of any kind in coal, oil and gas, and other minerals (66-5-108(b)(1)). The text does not distinguish mineral fee, royalty or leasehold interests.", "mineral_scope": "Coal, oil and gas, and other minerals (66-5-108(b)(1), (c)).", "exceptions": [ "No exemption for public owners: 66-5-108(h) states that the section applies in all ways to property owned by the state", "Cannot be waived before the 20 year period expires (66-5-108(g), (i))", "No complaint for claim of abandoned mineral interest could be accepted before July 1, 1990 (66-5-108(e)(9))", "Separate county specific recording rules for counties of 32,600 to 32,700 population (66-5-108(e)(6), (f)(2))" ], "effective": "Enacted by Acts 1987, chapter 282, effective July 1, 1987 (Cunningham v. Gill, 2004). Statements of claim for interests already unused for 20 years were due by July 1, 1990, and lapse complaints could not be filed before July 1, 1990. Subsections (j) to (l) (three year contest bar, bad faith attorney fees, parties of interest) appear in the 2021 code text; their enactment dates were not found. Amendments after the 2021 edition were not checked.", "date_model": "court_determination", "date_model_note": "Last use plus 20 years, but not earlier than July 1, 1990, is the earliest date on which a surface owner's lapse complaint could succeed. The reversion takes effect through the chancellor's order after the 60 day notice period and must be recorded, so the date is set by the court, and an owner who answers forces a contested hearing. Because payment of taxes on an identified mineral interest is itself a use, an interest that is being taxed and paid does not age at all; a calculator that ignores tax payments overstates dormancy.", "survey_scope": "Primary text: Tenn. Code Ann. 66-5-108 as reproduced in the Justia 2021 mirror (official LexisNexis code and capitol.tn.gov not available when AMR checked), checked against official Court of Appeals quotations of (b)(3), (c) and (d) in Currence v. Harrogate Energy (2015) and Cunningham v. Gill (2004). Related statutes found: 67-5-804 and 67-5-809 (registration and taxation of mineral interests, as quoted by the courts), 28-2-110 (20 year failure to pay taxes bars recovery of land, with (c) preserving actions to contest a mineral lapse), and 66-7-103 (ten year term for oil and gas leases and conveyances separating oil and gas rights unless there is commercial production).", "confidence": "medium", "open_questions": [ "The official Tennessee Code (LexisNexis) and the General Assembly site were not reachable; the full text, including the lapse procedure in 66-5-108(e) and the three year contest bar, was read only in the Justia 2021 mirror. The current official text and any amendment after 2021 are not confirmed.", "Subsection numbering conflict: Quarles (2010) quotes 28-2-110(c) as referring to 66-5-108(f), Begley Lumber v. Trammell (1999) cites 66-5-108(j) as the limitations period, and the 2021 mirror puts the three year contest bar at (j). Confirm the current cross reference.", "66-5-108(b)(3) counts taxes paid 'by the owner of the land' as a use; Cunningham treated the mineral owner's payments as use. Confirm the official wording and whom it covers.", "Whether a surface owner can establish a lapse without the (e) complaint procedure, for example as a defense in a quiet title suit, given that (c) reads as automatic and (j) runs from 'the date such interest lapsed'.", "What 'applies in all ways to property owned by the state' in 66-5-108(h) means for state owned mineral interests and state owned surface.", "Tenn. Code Ann. 66-7-103(a)(1), quoted in Lueking (2012), makes leases and 'any other conveyance of any kind' separating oil or gas rights from the land expire after ten years unless there is commercial production, with reversion after six months without production. Its scope, effective date, application to severed oil and gas fee interests and any constitutional limits (Layne v. Baggenstoss, 640 S.W.2d 1 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1982), not read) need specialist review before AMR describes Tennessee oil and gas severances.", "Tenn. Code Ann. 28-2-110 bars recovery of land on which no taxes were assessed and paid for more than 20 years; how it interacts with untaxed severed mineral interests outside the 66-5-108 procedure was not researched." ], "category": "lapse_statute", "answer": "Tenn. Code Ann. 66-5-108 extinguishes any interest in coal, oil and gas and other minerals that goes unused for 20 years unless the owner has filed a statement of claim, and ownership reverts to the surface owner. 'Use' includes production, injection or storage operations, rentals or royalties being paid, use on a pooled or unitized tract, and payment of taxes on the mineral interest, so an interest on which taxes are paid is not dormant; tax payment counts only if the owner has identified the interest's location to the county assessor (67-5-809(d)).", "evidence": "partial" }, "dormancy_source_ids": [ "SRC-TN-001", "SRC-TN-002", "SRC-TN-003", "SRC-TN-004", "SRC-TN-005", "SRC-TN-006", "SRC-TN-007", "SRC-TN-008", "SRC-TN-009", "SRC-TN-010" ], "pooling": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "Yes, as quoted by the courts. Tenn. Code Ann. 60-1-202(a)(4)(M) gives the oil and gas board authority to make rules, regulations and orders 'to provide for the forced integration of separately owned tracts and other property ownership into drilling and production units' (quoted in Lueking v. Cambridge Resources, 2012, from Freels v. Northrup, Tenn. 1984). The current statutory text and the board's present name were not read.", "confidence": "medium", "survey_scope": null, "evidence": "partial", "source_ids": [ "SRC-TN-011", "SRC-TN-012" ] }, "surface_damages": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "A surface owner compensation statute exists, but its text was not read. The Court of Appeals states that Tenn. Code Ann. 60-1-601 et seq. vests the oil and gas board with power to compensate landowners for damages caused by oil and gas operators (Lueking v. Cambridge Resources, 2012). Whether it requires notice before entry, how damages are set, and how claims are filed are unverified.", "confidence": "low", "survey_scope": "Official code and capitol.tn.gov unreachable; Justia mirror pages for title 60 was not available live and had no archive snapshot. Located through a CourtListener search for '60-1-601' and read in the official opinion.", "evidence": "partial", "source_ids": [ "SRC-TN-013" ] }, "june_2026": { "state": "Tennessee", "abbr": "TN", "category": "lapse", "unused_minerals": "Can lapse / revert", "lapse_period": "20 years", "surface_damages_act": "yes", "forced_pooling": "yes", "risk_score": 84, "rank": 10, "statute": "Tenn. Code 66-5-108 (Acts 1987, ch. 282)", "source_status": "Sourced", "source_url": "https://law.justia.com/codes/tennessee/title-66/chapter-5/part-1/section-66-5-108/", "preservation": "Exercise ownership within 20 years by producing, leasing, or recording an instrument (Tenn. Code 66-5-108).", "note": "Tennessee has a 20 year dormant mineral act. After 20 years of nonuse a chancery court can declare a severed interest lapsed and vest it in the surface owner, unless a statement of claim is recorded. Tennessee also has a surface owner protection law." } }, { "id": "TX", "name": "Texas", "page_url": "https://americanmineralregistry.com/research/states/do-mineral-rights-expire-in-texas", "reviewed": true, "reviewed_on": "2026-10-01", "dormancy": { "mechanism": "none_identified", "mechanism_label": "No dormant mineral statute identified; court receivership for absent owners and unclaimed proceeds rules instead", "summary": "No Texas statute was found that ends or transfers a severed mineral interest because it went unused. Two statutes deal with owners who cannot be found without moving title: a district court or the business court may appoint a receiver to lease, assign or ratify on behalf of a nonresident or absent owner of an undivided mineral, leasehold or royalty interest who has not paid or rendered taxes on it for five years, with the money held in the court registry for as long as the owner fails to appear (Civ. Prac. and Rem. Code 64.091, 64.093); and mineral proceeds unclaimed for more than three years, together with the owner's underlying right to receive them, are presumed abandoned and handled as unclaimed property (Prop. Code 75.101). Neither statute gives the mineral title to the surface owner.", "period_years": null, "period_description": "No lapse period. Related periods only: the receivership defendant must not have paid or rendered taxes on the interest during the five years before suit (64.091(b-1), 64.093(b)), and unclaimed mineral proceeds are presumed abandoned after more than three years (75.101(a)).", "self_executing": "no", "procedure": "No procedure ends a mineral interest. Receivership: a co-owner of an undivided mineral or leasehold interest files a verified petition naming the last known or record owner, proves a diligent but unsuccessful search and that it will suffer substantial damage without a receiver, and serves by publication; the court may appoint the county judge or another county resident as receiver, without bond; the receiver signs leases, assignments or Railroad Commission approved unitization agreements (64.091) or ratifies leases and pooling agreements (64.093); payments go into the court registry for the absent owner, and the receivership lasts while the owner fails to appear.", "qualifying_uses_or_savings": [ "Not applicable: no lapse statute identified" ], "preservation_filing": null, "interest_scope": "Not applicable to lapse. The receivership statutes reach undivided mineral interests, leasehold interests (including overriding royalties, production payments and working interests) and royalty interests of nonresidents or owners whose residence or identity is unknown; Property Code chapter 75 reaches mineral proceeds and the owner's underlying right to receive them.", "mineral_scope": "Receivership: oil, gas or other minerals. Property Code chapter 75: oil, gas, uranium, sulphur, lignite, coal and any other substance ordinarily and naturally considered a mineral.", "exceptions": [], "effective": "Civ. Prac. and Rem. Code 64.091 from 1985 (amended 1989, 1991, 2009 and 2025); 64.093 added 1999; 2025 amendments added the business court (HB 40, effective September 1, 2025) and repealed subsection (k) of each section (HB 16, 2nd called session, effective December 4, 2025). Property Code chapter 75 from 1985; 75.101 amended 1987.", "date_model": "not_applicable", "date_model_note": "No lapse, so there is no date to compute; There is no Texas lapse date. A receivership never ends the absent owner's title.", "survey_scope": "Official text read through Internet Archive copies of statutes.capitol.texas.gov (the host was not available when AMR checked): Natural Resources Code chapter 91 (every subchapter heading; full text searched for dormant, abandoned mineral, unknown owner and missing), chapters 92 and 102; Civil Practice and Remedies Code chapter 64 (64.091 to 64.093); Property Code chapter 75. No dormant mineral, abandoned mineral or marketable title statute was found in these chapters; a full search of the Property Code was not possible. Search results show bills on reporting severed mineral interests and vesting abandoned mineral interests (HB 2756 and HB 3016 of 1995, HB 834 of 2009, HB 5103 of 2025); their text and fate could not be read because Texas Legislature Online was not available when AMR checked.", "confidence": "medium", "open_questions": [ "statutes.capitol.texas.gov and capitol.texas.gov were not available when AMR checked; text was read from Internet Archive copies dated November and December 2025. Changes after those dates were not checked.", "The fate of the dormant or abandoned mineral bills found in search results (HB 2756 and HB 3016 of 1995, HB 834 of 2009, HB 5103 of 2025) was not verified on Texas Legislature Online.", "Texas common law on whether a fee mineral interest can be abandoned, and adverse possession of severed minerals (Civ. Prac. and Rem. Code 16.021 to 16.034), were not reviewed.", "Tax foreclosure of separately assessed mineral interests (Tax Code) and the surface owner's agency role on Relinquishment Act lands (Natural Resources Code chapter 52) were not reviewed.", "What happens to receivership funds held long term in the court registry was not researched." ], "category": "none_found", "answer": "No Texas statute was found that ends or transfers a severed mineral interest because it went unused.", "evidence": "none_found" }, "dormancy_source_ids": [ "SRC-TX-001", "SRC-TX-002", "SRC-TX-003" ], "pooling": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "Narrow. Under the Mineral Interest Pooling Act (Natural Resources Code chapter 102, 1977) the Railroad Commission, on application by an eligible owner, must form a unit and pool all interests when separately owned tracts lie in a common reservoir with commission set proration units, the owners have not agreed to pool, and a well has been drilled or proposed; the applicant must first have made a fair and reasonable voluntary pooling offer or the application is dismissed. It covers oil and gas only, excludes reservoirs discovered and produced before March 8, 1961 and land in which the State has an interest unless the General Land Office consents, caps units at 160 acres (oil) or 640 acres (gas) plus 10 percent, and limits the risk charge to 100 percent of drilling and completion costs.", "confidence": "high", "survey_scope": null, "evidence": "primary", "source_ids": [ "SRC-TX-004", "SRC-TX-005", "SRC-TX-006" ] }, "surface_damages": { "status": "none_identified", "summary": "No Texas statute was found that requires oil and gas operators to compensate surface owners for surface damage. Since 2007 an operator must give the surface owner written notice within 15 business days after the Railroad Commission issues a permit for a new well or a reentry (Natural Resources Code 91.753), but that subchapter states it does not affect the rule that the mineral estate is dominant (91.755).", "confidence": "medium", "survey_scope": "Natural Resources Code chapter 91 (subchapter list and Subchapter Q) and chapter 92 (qualified subdivisions with designated operations sites, a surface accommodation scheme, not compensation) read via Internet Archive copies of the official site. Search results describing a surface damages chapter with compensation offers refer to introduced bills (for example 2013 HB 3600); those were not read and no such chapter was found. Relinquishment Act lands (chapter 52) were not reviewed.", "evidence": "none_found", "source_ids": [ "SRC-TX-007", "SRC-TX-008" ] }, "june_2026": { "state": "Texas", "abbr": "TX", "category": "none", "unused_minerals": "Does not lapse", "lapse_period": "none", "surface_damages_act": "no", "forced_pooling": "limited", "risk_score": 0, "rank": 46, "statute": "n/a", "source_status": "Sourced", "source_url": "", "preservation": "No dormant mineral act; a severed interest does not lapse through nonuse.", "note": "Texas has no dormant mineral statute. A severed mineral interest does not lapse through nonuse, one reason Texas minerals trade so actively. Forced pooling is deliberately restrictive under the Mineral Interest Pooling Act." } }, { "id": "UT", "name": "Utah", "page_url": "https://americanmineralregistry.com/research/states/do-mineral-rights-expire-in-utah", "reviewed": true, "reviewed_on": "2026-10-01", "dormancy": { "mechanism": "none_identified", "mechanism_label": "No dormant mineral statute identified; the marketable record title act excludes minerals", "summary": "No Utah statute was found that ends a severed mineral interest for nonuse. The Marketable Record Title Act (Utah Code 57-9-1 to 57-9-10, 40 year chain of title) may not be applied to extinguish any interest in minerals. A separate rule covers minerals of a person who dies intestate with no taker: they pass to the state, the School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration administers them and may sue to quiet title (75-2-105 as amended by S.B. 78, 2019). That is escheat on death without heirs, not a nonuse rule.", "period_years": null, "period_description": null, "self_executing": null, "procedure": null, "qualifying_uses_or_savings": [], "preservation_filing": null, "interest_scope": "Not applicable. The marketable record title exclusion covers any right, title, estate, or interest in minerals and related development, mining and production rights and easements.", "mineral_scope": "Not applicable. The exclusion names minerals generally.", "exceptions": [ "Utah Code 57-9-6(5): the Marketable Record Title Act may not be applied to extinguish any right, title, estate, or interest in minerals or related rights and easements" ], "effective": "No dormancy statute identified. 57-9-6 last amended by Chapter 423, 2011 General Session; the chapter text read reflects amendments through Chapter 365, 2024 General Session. 75-2-105 amended by S.B. 78, 2019 General Session.", "date_model": "not_applicable", "date_model_note": "No statutory lapse was identified, so there is no lapse or deadline date for Utah.", "survey_scope": "le.utah.gov and the Utah courts statute mirror was not available when AMR checked, so the Utah Code could not be full text searched. Read through Internet Archive snapshots of official le.utah.gov files: Title 57, Chapter 9 Marketable Record Title (chapter PDF, snapshot January 20, 2026); 40-6-6.5, 40-6-20 and 40-6-21 (snapshots 2024-07); 2019 S.B. 78 enrolled (75-2-105). Reviewed the archive index of Title 40, Chapter 6 section files (40-6-1 to 40-6-24). Web searches for a Utah dormant or abandoned mineral interest statute found none. Related: 75-2-105 (minerals of an intestate decedent with no taker pass to the state; operators and payors must report such minerals to the Trust Lands Administration within 180 days). Utah's unclaimed property rules for mineral proceeds (Title 67, chapter 4a) were not read.", "confidence": "medium", "open_questions": [ "The official Utah Code could not be searched in full; that no dormant or abandoned mineral statute exists is not yet confirmed.", "Amendments to Title 57, Chapter 9 after the January 20, 2026 snapshot (2026 General Session) were not checked.", "The current codified text of 75-2-105 was not read; only the 2019 enrolled bill.", "Whether Utah assesses and sells nonproducing severed mineral interests for unpaid property tax was not researched." ], "category": "none_found", "answer": "No Utah statute was found that ends a severed mineral interest for nonuse. The Marketable Record Title Act (Utah Code 57-9-1 to 57-9-10, 40 year chain of title) may not be applied to extinguish any interest in minerals.", "evidence": "none_found" }, "dormancy_source_ids": [ "SRC-UT-001", "SRC-UT-002" ], "pooling": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "Yes. Under Utah Code 40-6-6.5(2) the Board of Oil, Gas, and Mining may, absent a written pooling agreement, order all interests in a drilling unit pooled on just and reasonable terms. Nonconsenting owners bear a cost recovery charge of 150 to 400 percent of drilling costs set by the board, and an unleased nonconsenting owner receives a royalty (the area weighted average landowner royalty, or 16 2/3 percent) until costs are recovered.", "confidence": "high", "survey_scope": null, "evidence": "primary", "source_ids": [ "SRC-UT-003" ] }, "surface_damages": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "Yes, in limited form. Utah Code 40-6-20 (2012) requires an owner or operator, except as reasonably necessary for operations, to mitigate access effects, minimize interference and compensate the surface land owner for unreasonable crop loss, loss of value to existing improvements and permanent damage; 40-6-21 offers non binding mediation on the amount. A lease or surface use agreement controls where one exists. No statutory notice requirement was found in the sections read.", "confidence": "medium", "survey_scope": null, "evidence": "partial", "source_ids": [ "SRC-UT-004" ] }, "june_2026": { "state": "Utah", "abbr": "UT", "category": "none", "unused_minerals": "Does not lapse", "lapse_period": "none", "surface_damages_act": "no", "forced_pooling": "yes", "risk_score": 0, "rank": 47, "statute": "n/a", "source_status": "No dormant act (surveyed)", "source_url": "", "preservation": "No dormant mineral act; a severed interest does not lapse through nonuse.", "note": "No dormant mineral act in Utah. A severed mineral interest does not lapse through nonuse. Based on national statutory surveys; confirm against the current state code." } }, { "id": "VT", "name": "Vermont", "page_url": "https://americanmineralregistry.com/research/states/vermont-dormant-mineral-act", "reviewed": true, "reviewed_on": "2026-10-01", "dormancy": { "mechanism": "dormant_mineral_act", "mechanism_label": "Oil and gas abandonment statute, 10 years of nonuse (29 V.S.A. § 563); a 40 year marketable record title act also applies", "summary": "An interest in oil and gas is deemed abandoned when it has been unused for a continuous 10 years after July 1, 1973 and no statement of interest has been filed within the preceding five years; the abandoned interest reverts to and merges with the surface estate from which it was severed. Interests kept by the owner who originally severed the minerals are exempt, and other minerals are covered only if created in the same instrument that expressly creates an oil and gas interest. The surface owner may publish, mail and record a notice with an affidavit, which makes the interest presumed abandoned unless a court finds otherwise. Separately, the Marketable Record Title Act (27 V.S.A. §§ 601 to 606) bars pre root interests after 40 years unless a notice of claim is recorded, and it has no exception for mineral interests.", "period_years": 10, "period_description": "Unused for a continuous period of 10 years after July 1, 1973, and no statement of interest filed at any time within the preceding five years (§ 563(b)). Any qualifying use under § 563(e) starts a new 10 year period; a recorded statement of interest prevents abandonment for the five years after it is filed.", "self_executing": "yes", "procedure": "Nothing is required for the interest to be deemed abandoned and to revert (§ 563(a) and (b)). To clear the record, the surface owner may publish a notice of abandonment in a newspaper of general circulation in the town, mail a copy by certified or registered mail within 10 days to the owner's address if shown of record (§ 563(g)), and record a copy of the notice with an affidavit that the § 563(b) criteria are met and notice was given; the interest is then presumed abandoned unless a court finds to the contrary (§ 563(h)).", "qualifying_uses_or_savings": [ "Actual production of oil or gas, including production from lands covered by a lease to which the interest is subject, or from lands pooled or unitized with such lands", "Oil and gas operations conducted under the terms of the instrument creating the interest", "Payment of rental or royalties for the purpose of delaying or continuing the use of the interest", "Payment of taxes on the oil and gas interest", "A currently valid permit under 10 V.S.A. chapter 151, or a currently valid drilling permit under chapter 14 (the drilling permit provisions were repealed in 2023)", "A statement of interest recorded within the preceding five years (§ 563(b)(2) and (f))" ], "preservation_filing": "Statement of interest recorded in the land records of any municipality where the land lies, containing a description of the land, the nature of the interest claimed, the book and page of recording of the original grant, and the claimant's name and address (§ 563(f)). Under the MRTA, a notice of claim verified by oath and recorded within the 40 year period, indexed under the claimant and the current record owner, preserves an interest for 40 years from filing (27 V.S.A. §§ 603, 605).", "interest_scope": "All interests in oil and gas, except an interest retained by the owner who originally severed the mineral estate from the surface (§ 563(c) and (d)). The MRTA reaches any interest in real estate not excepted by 27 V.S.A. § 604, which excepts lessor and lessee interests under leases but not severed mineral interests.", "mineral_scope": "Oil and gas; other minerals only if created inclusively in the same instrument that expressly creates an oil and gas interest. Mineral interests that do not expressly include oil and gas are outside § 563 but within the MRTA.", "exceptions": [ "Interest retained by the owner who originally severed the mineral estate (§ 563(c))", "Mineral interests that do not expressly include an oil and gas interest or were intended to be separate from one (§ 563(d))", "MRTA: lessor and lessee interests under leases, certain mortgages, unrecorded adverse possession, remainders and reverters, visible or recorded easements, conservation rights, and interests of the United States, the State and its subdivisions (27 V.S.A. § 604)" ], "effective": "Former § 563 added by 1981, No. 240 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. April 28, 1982, amended 2017, No. 24, § 2, eff. May 4, 2017; repealed with chapter 14 subchapters 1 to 7 by 2023, No. 53, § 135, eff. June 8, 2023; added again in the same terms by 2024, No. 161, § 36, effective on passage (signed June 6, 2024). MRTA added by 1969, No. 235 (Adj. Sess.), § 2; § 604 last amended 2023, No. 6, § 341.", "date_model": "illustrative_anniversary", "date_model_note": "A calculator can show the later of last qualifying use plus 10 years and July 1, 1983, valid only if no statement of interest was recorded in the five years before that date. It is illustrative because the statute was repealed from June 8, 2023 until June 6, 2024 and the effect of that gap is unsettled. The MRTA runs from the surface owner's root of title, not from use.", "survey_scope": "Read the whole of 29 V.S.A. chapter 14 as captured in 2025 and in 2020, 27 V.S.A. chapter 5 (including the MRTA subchapter), the 2023 and 2024 session laws, and the chapter lists of Titles 10, 27 and 29. No other Vermont statute on lapse of mineral interests was found in those titles.", "confidence": "high", "open_questions": [ "Acts of the 2025 and 2026 sessions were not checked; the newest archived chapter page includes only the 2024 session.", "Effect of the June 8, 2023 repeal on interests already deemed abandoned under the former section, and whether the 2024 re-enactment, which has no retroactivity clause for § 36, counts nonuse during the gap.", "§ 563(b)(2) refers to a statement of interest under subsection (e), but the statement is in subsection (f); the cross reference error was carried into the 2024 text.", "Use (5) refers to a drilling permit under chapter 14, whose permit provisions were repealed in 2023.", "No Vermont decision applying § 563, or applying the MRTA to severed minerals such as talc, slate or granite, was located; case law was not searched for this release." ], "category": "lapse_statute", "answer": "An interest in oil and gas is deemed abandoned when it has been unused for a continuous 10 years after July 1, 1973 and no statement of interest has been filed within the preceding five years; the abandoned interest reverts to and merges with the surface estate from which it was severed.", "evidence": "primary" }, "dormancy_source_ids": [ "SRC-VT-001", "SRC-VT-002", "SRC-VT-003", "SRC-VT-004" ], "pooling": { "status": "none_identified", "summary": "Vermont had compulsory pooling: former 29 V.S.A. § 523 let the Natural Gas and Oil Resources Board pool all tracts and interests in a drilling unit. It was repealed with the rest of chapter 14 subchapters 1 to 7 effective June 8, 2023, and no current pooling statute was found. Hydraulic fracturing is prohibited by 29 V.S.A. § 571.", "confidence": "high", "survey_scope": "Current 29 V.S.A. chapter 14 (archived May 12, 2025) and chapter 13, and the chapter lists of Titles 10, 27 and 29 (archived 2026-04), searched for oil, gas, mineral, mining, pool and unit. Only §§ 561, 563 and 571 remain in force in chapter 14.", "evidence": "none_found", "source_ids": [ "SRC-VT-005", "SRC-VT-006" ] }, "surface_damages": { "status": "none_identified", "summary": "No statute requiring oil and gas operators to compensate surface owners was found. Former 29 V.S.A. § 541(e) required 15 days' written notice by certified mail to the surface landowner before drilling, without any compensation duty, and was repealed effective June 8, 2023.", "confidence": "medium", "survey_scope": "Current and 2020 text of 29 V.S.A. chapter 14 searched for surface, landowner and damage; chapter lists of Titles 10, 27 and 29 reviewed. No full text search of the whole V.S.A. was possible.", "evidence": "none_found", "source_ids": [ "SRC-VT-007" ] }, "june_2026": { "state": "Vermont", "abbr": "VT", "category": "none", "unused_minerals": "Does not lapse", "lapse_period": "none", "surface_damages_act": "no", "forced_pooling": "verify", "risk_score": 0, "rank": 48, "statute": "n/a", "source_status": "No dormant act (surveyed)", "source_url": "", "preservation": "No dormant mineral act; a severed interest does not lapse through nonuse.", "note": "No dormant mineral act in Vermont. A severed mineral interest does not lapse through nonuse. Based on national statutory surveys; confirm against the current state code." } }, { "id": "VA", "name": "Virginia", "page_url": "https://americanmineralregistry.com/research/states/virginia-dormant-mineral-act", "reviewed": true, "reviewed_on": "2026-10-01", "dormancy": { "mechanism": "dormant_mineral_act", "mechanism_label": "Court action to extinguish old, unused, untaxed mineral claims, 35 years, lands east of the Blue Ridge only", "summary": "Where a claim to coal, minerals, ore, oil or subsurface substances, or a right to enter and mine, comes from a writing 35 or more years old, and for 35 years the right has not been exercised, the claimant was never taxed on it, the surface holder paid all taxes and no deed of the claim was recorded, the law presumes no minerals exist (Va. Code 45.2-400). The landowner may sue to extinguish the claim; after at least six months for the defendant to explore, the court extinguishes it unless commercial minerals are proven (45.2-401). The rule does not reach lands west of the Blue Ridge Mountains and is never automatic.", "period_years": 35, "period_description": "The claim must derive from a writing made 35 years or more before the action is filed, and for 35 years or more the right to explore or mine must not have been exercised, with no taxes ever charged to the claimant, all land taxes charged to and paid by the landholder, and no recorded deed of bargain and sale of the claim. Alternatively, the right was exercised, the minerals were exhausted, and mining or boring was abandoned for 35 years or more.", "self_executing": "no", "procedure": "The landowner brings a circuit court action naming the person who derived or reserved the claim, or successors, by name or as unknown defendants (venue under Va. Code 8.01-261(3)). The court allows at least six months from docketing for the defendant to explore. Absent satisfactory evidence of commercial minerals, the court declares the claim a cloud on title and extinguishes it; if commercial minerals are proven, the court orders them charged with taxes instead.", "qualifying_uses_or_savings": [ "Exercise of the right to explore or mine within the 35 years", "The claimant having been charged with taxes on the claim or right", "A deed of bargain and sale of the claim or reservation recorded in the clerk's office of the county where the land lies", "Proof in the action that commercial coal, mineral, ore, oil or subsurface substance exists in or on the land" ], "preservation_filing": null, "interest_scope": "A claim to coal, minerals, ore, oil or subsurface substances, or a right to enter the land to explore, mine, bore and sink shafts for them, derived or reserved by a writing. Royalty interests and leases are not addressed by name.", "mineral_scope": "Coal, minerals, ore, oil and subsurface substances. Natural gas and coalbed methane are not named separately.", "exceptions": [ "Lands lying west of the Blue Ridge Mountains", "Claims on which the claimant has been charged with taxes", "Claims conveyed by a deed of bargain and sale recorded in the county clerk's office", "Claims where the defendant proves commercial minerals exist, which are then charged with taxes rather than extinguished" ], "effective": "Enacted 1924 (Acts 1924, pp. 719 and 720), amended 1930 and 1944; Code 1950 sections 55-154 and 55-155, with 55-154 amended repeatedly from 1956 to 1984 and 55-155 in 1977; recodified 2019 (c. 712) as 45.1-161.311:9 and :11 and in 2021 (Sp. Sess. I, c. 387) as 45.2-400 and 45.2-401. Text read on LIS pages dated 10/1/2026.", "date_model": "explain_only", "date_model_note": "No date follows from a last use date alone. The presumption needs a 35 year old writing, 35 years without exercise, no taxes charged to the claimant, all taxes paid by the landholder and no recorded deed of the claim, and the claim ends only by court order after a six month exploration window, which commercial minerals defeat.", "survey_scope": "Official Code of Virginia at law.lis.virginia.gov. Full text of Title 55.1 (Property and Conveyances) and Title 45.2 (Mines, Minerals, and Energy) downloaded as vacodefull pages and searched for mineral, coal, oil, gas, lapse, extinguish, abandon, unknown and missing. Full text of Title 8.01 searched for mineral (only 8.01-81, partition of mineral rights). Title 58.1 chapter 32 headings read (58.1-3286 separate assessment of mineral lands; 58.1-3288 assessment in the name of unknown owner). No marketable title act and no statement of claim lapse statute found. Former 55-154 and 55-155 are now 45.2-400 and 45.2-401.", "confidence": "high", "open_questions": [ "No case law applying 45.2-400 and 45.2-401 or former 55-154 and 55-155 was reviewed.", "Earlier versions (amended 1956 to 1984) may have used different periods or geographic exclusions; history not checked.", "Whether 'oil, or subsurface substances' reaches natural gas and coalbed methane, and whether a royalty is a 'claim' under 45.2-400, is not settled by the text.", "Which counties or parts of counties a court treats as lying west of the Blue Ridge was not checked." ], "answer": "Virginia lets a landowner east of the Blue Ridge sue to extinguish a mineral claim from a writing at least 35 years old that has gone unused and untaxed for 35 years; the court ends it only if no commercial minerals are shown after a six month exploration period. It is never automatic.", "category": "lapse_statute", "evidence": "primary" }, "dormancy_source_ids": [ "SRC-VA-001", "SRC-VA-002", "SRC-VA-003", "SRC-VA-004" ], "pooling": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "On application of any gas or oil owner, the Virginia Gas and Oil Board shall enter an order pooling all interests in a drilling unit where owners have not agreed (Va. Code 45.2-1620); unknown owners are deemed to lease at a Board set rate and their proceeds are escrowed and treated as unclaimed property. Section 45.2-1622 adds compulsory pooling with escrow where coal and gas claimants dispute coalbed methane ownership; 45.2-1617 covers voluntary pooling only.", "confidence": "high", "survey_scope": null, "evidence": "primary", "source_ids": [ "SRC-VA-005", "SRC-VA-006", "SRC-VA-007" ] }, "surface_damages": { "status": "none_identified", "summary": "No statute was found requiring oil and gas operators to compensate surface owners for surface damage. The Gas and Oil Act requires notice of permit applications to every surface owner on the tract (45.2-1632), allows surface owners limited permit objections (45.2-1637), and requires replacement of a domestic water supply harmed by a gas well within 1,320 feet (45.2-1649).", "confidence": "medium", "survey_scope": "Full text of Code of Virginia Title 45.2 (law.lis.virginia.gov/vacodefull/title45.2/) searched for 'surface owner' together with 'damage' or 'compensat', no match; chapter 16 (Gas and Oil Act, 45.2-1600 to 45.2-1649) section bodies read for surface owner provisions. Full text of Title 55.1 searched for mineral, no surface damages provision.", "evidence": "none_found", "source_ids": [ "SRC-VA-008", "SRC-VA-009" ] }, "june_2026": { "state": "Virginia", "abbr": "VA", "category": "none", "unused_minerals": "Does not lapse", "lapse_period": "none", "surface_damages_act": "no", "forced_pooling": "yes", "risk_score": 0, "rank": 49, "statute": "n/a", "source_status": "No dormant act (surveyed)", "source_url": "", "preservation": "No dormant mineral act; a severed interest does not lapse through nonuse.", "note": "No dormant mineral act in Virginia. A severed mineral interest does not lapse through nonuse. Based on national statutory surveys; confirm against the current state code." } }, { "id": "WA", "name": "Washington", "page_url": "https://americanmineralregistry.com/research/states/washington-dormant-mineral-act", "reviewed": true, "reviewed_on": "2026-10-01", "dormancy": { "mechanism": "dormant_mineral_act", "mechanism_label": "Dormant mineral interest statute, 20 years unused, surface owner notice and claim of abandonment", "summary": "Chapter 78.22 RCW lets the surface owner extinguish a mineral interest held by another person if the interest has been unused for 20 years. After the 20 years have run (and not before June 7, 1986), the surface owner gives 60 days notice of intent to file a claim of abandonment and extinguishment, then files the claim with the notice and an affidavit, and the interest is conclusively presumed extinguished unless the owner filed a statement of claim within the 60 days. Use is defined broadly and includes payment of taxes, rents or royalties, pooled or unitized use, and recorded transfers or leases. Interests retained or owned by any public entity, or resulting from land exchanges between public and private owners, are exempt.", "period_years": 20, "period_description": "Any mineral interest 'if unused for a period of twenty years' may be extinguished (RCW 78.22.010). Each use listed in 78.22.030 restarts the period. A statement of claim, and a recorded sale, lease, mortgage or other transfer, count if filed or recorded before the end of the 20 year period or within two years after June 7, 1984, whichever is later (78.22.030(8), 78.22.040). The surface owner may start the procedure only after the later of the 20 year period or two years after June 7, 1984 (78.22.050(1)).", "self_executing": "no", "procedure": "The surface owner serves the current mineral owner with 60 days notice of intention to file a claim of abandonment and extinguishment, by personal service or registered mail to the last known address; the county treasurer must supply the owner's name and address from the property tax records free of charge. If the owner is unknown to the treasurer and cannot be found with due diligence, notice is published once each week for three consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the county (RCW 78.22.050(1)). The notice must identify the record holder, the instrument that created the interest and where it is recorded, the land, the person giving notice, the first publication date, and state that a claim of abandonment will be filed 60 days after the last publication or completed service unless the owner files a statement of claim (78.22.050(2)). A copy of the notice and an affidavit of publication or service go to the county auditor within 15 days after the last publication or service (78.22.050(3), (4)). When the surface owner then files the claim of abandonment and extinguishment with the notice and affidavit and pays the fees, the interest is 'conclusively presumed to be extinguished' (78.22.060). No court action is required by the chapter.", "qualifying_uses_or_savings": [ "78.22.030(1): any minerals produced in connection with the mineral interest", "78.22.030(2): operations for injection, withdrawal, storage or disposal of water, gas, or other fluid substances conducted in connection with the mineral interest", "78.22.030(3): rents or royalties paid for the purpose of delaying or enjoying the use or exercise of the mineral interest", "78.22.030(4): use or exercise of the mineral interest on any tract with which it may be unitized or pooled for production purposes", "78.22.030(5): for coal or other solid minerals, production from a common vein or seam", "78.22.030(6): taxes have been paid on the mineral interest (the text does not say by whom)", "78.22.030(7): any use pursuant to or authorized by the instrument creating the mineral interest", "78.22.030(8): a sale, lease, mortgage, or other transfer of the mineral interest recorded with the county auditor before the end of the 20 year period or within two years after June 7, 1984, whichever is later", "78.22.030(9): a statement of claim filed under 78.22.040 or 78.22.060", "78.22.050(2)(f), 78.22.060: a statement of claim filed by the current owner within the 60 day notice period defeats the claim of abandonment" ], "preservation_filing": "Statement of claim filed by the current owner in the county auditor's office of the county where the land lies, before the end of the 20 year period (or by June 7, 1986 if later), stating the name and address of the current owner and the name of the original holder substantially as shown on the instrument that created the interest, with the recording fee under RCW 36.18.010 (RCW 78.22.040). The auditor records it in the dormant mineral interest index and, where possible, notes it in the margin of the creating instrument (78.22.070). A statement filed within the 60 day notice period also preserves the interest (78.22.060).", "interest_scope": "'The interest which is created by an instrument transferring, either by grant, assignment, or reservation, or otherwise an interest, of any kind, in any subsurface mineral' (RCW 78.22.020). The chapter does not separate mineral fee, royalty or leasehold interests.", "mineral_scope": "Any subsurface mineral (RCW 78.22.020). The chapter does not define mineral; its list of uses covers oil and gas type operations (injection, storage, pooling) and coal or other solid minerals (78.22.030).", "exceptions": [ "Mineral interests retained or owned by any public entity (RCW 78.22.080)", "Mineral interests resulting from land exchanges between public and private owners (RCW 78.22.080)", "The chapter may not be waived before the 20 year period expires (RCW 78.22.090)" ], "effective": "Enacted by Laws 1984, ch. 252, sections 1 to 9; every section still carries only the 1984 history note. The statute uses June 7, 1984 as its reference date and gives a two year grace period: statements of claim and recorded transfers count if made by June 7, 1986, and no surface owner notice could start before then.", "date_model": "illustrative_anniversary", "date_model_note": "Last use plus 20 years, but not earlier than June 7, 1986, is the earliest date on which the surface owner could serve the 60 day notice. Extinction happens only when the claim of abandonment is filed after the notice period with no statement of claim, so the actual date depends on the surface owner. Because tax payments on the interest count as use, a calculator must treat the most recent tax payment as the last use.", "survey_scope": "Read chapter 78.22 RCW in full on app.leg.wa.gov. No amendment after 1984 appears in the history notes.", "confidence": "high", "open_questions": [ "No Washington appellate decision applying chapter 78.22 RCW was found in a brief search; case law, including any constitutional challenge, was not checked.", "78.22.030(6) counts taxes 'paid on such mineral interest' without saying by whom; whether payment by the surface owner, or general land taxes with no separate mineral assessment, counts is unresolved.", "Whether a mineral interest that has been unused for 20 years can be revived by a later use or recorded transfer before the surface owner serves notice; the text measures recorded transfers only against the 20 year period.", "Whether 'any subsurface mineral' includes oil and gas is not stated expressly, though the listed uses assume it." ], "category": "lapse_statute", "answer": "Chapter 78.22 RCW lets the surface owner extinguish a mineral interest held by another person if the interest has been unused for 20 years.", "evidence": "primary" }, "dormancy_source_ids": [ "SRC-WA-001", "SRC-WA-002", "SRC-WA-003", "SRC-WA-004", "SRC-WA-005" ], "pooling": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "Yes. In the absence of voluntary pooling, the department (Department of Natural Resources under chapter 78.52 RCW), on application of any interested person, shall enter an order after notice and hearing pooling all interests, including royalty interests, in a development unit; the applicant must prove reasonable efforts to reach agreement (RCW 78.52.240). Separately, RCW 78.52.560 (2019) prohibits hydraulic fracturing for the exploration and production of oil and natural gas.", "confidence": "high", "survey_scope": null, "evidence": "primary", "source_ids": [ "SRC-WA-006" ] }, "surface_damages": { "status": "none_identified", "summary": "No general statute was found that requires oil and gas operators on private split estates to compensate the surface owner. RCW 78.52.120 only requires a drilling permit applicant to give the surface landowner, tenant and other surface users a copy of the application, with 15 days to send objections or comments to the department. Compensation duties exist only for state owned or state reserved minerals under chapter 79.14 RCW (79.14.040 for state oil and gas leases, 79.14.340 and 79.14.500 for state mineral reservations).", "confidence": "medium", "survey_scope": "Read chapter 78.52 RCW (Oil and Gas Conservation) in full and searched it for surface owner, landowner and damage provisions; read chapter 79.14 RCW (state mineral leases) surface compensation sections; checked chapters 78.04 and 78.60 RCW for surface owner compensation (none). Did not run a full text search of the whole RCW.", "evidence": "none_found", "source_ids": [ "SRC-WA-007", "SRC-WA-008" ] }, "june_2026": { "state": "Washington", "abbr": "WA", "category": "lapse", "unused_minerals": "Can lapse / revert", "lapse_period": "20 years", "surface_damages_act": "no", "forced_pooling": "yes", "risk_score": 84, "rank": 11, "statute": "Wash. Rev. Code 78.22.010 et seq.", "source_status": "Sourced", "source_url": "https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=78.22", "preservation": "Record a statement of claim, or use the interest within 20 years (Wash. Rev. Code 78.22.030).", "note": "Washington allows a surface owner to extinguish a mineral interest unused for 20 years through a 60 day notice and recording procedure. Enacted 1984." } }, { "id": "WV", "name": "West Virginia", "page_url": "https://americanmineralregistry.com/research/states/do-mineral-rights-expire-in-west-virginia", "reviewed": true, "reviewed_on": "2026-10-01", "dormancy": { "mechanism": "missing_owner_procedure", "mechanism_label": "Court lease, then conveyance to the surface owner, of minerals held by missing, unknown or abandoning owners (7 years after the court lease)", "summary": "West Virginia has no statute that ends a mineral interest for nonuse. Under W. Va. Code 55-12A (1986) a surface owner, a fee owner of the minerals, or that owner's lessee may ask the circuit court to appoint a special commissioner to lease minerals owned by someone who cannot be identified or located, or by an \"abandoning owner\" proved to have given up the interest with an expressed intention to end ownership; if that owner stays unknown or missing, or does not disavow the abandonment, for 7 years from the date of the special commissioner's lease, the court orders the interest deeded to the surface owner subject to the lease, and since July 1, 2020 the accrued money goes to the Oil and Gas Reclamation Fund. Later statutes add parallel surface owner routes for oil and gas developed with 75 percent cotenant consent (37B-1-4(g)), for oil and gas in horizontal well units (22C-9-7a(o)), and from June 12, 2026 for coal developed with 75 percent cotenant consent (37B-3-4(g)).", "period_years": 7, "period_description": "Not a nonuse period. Under 55-12A the 7 years run from the date of the special commissioner's lease (55-12A-6(g), 55-12A-7(a)(1), 55-12A-9); within them the owner may reopen the action and recover title and the funds held. Under 37B-1-4(g) (oil and gas) and 37B-3-4(g) (coal, from June 12, 2026) the 7 years run from the date of the first report of reserved amounts to the State Treasurer. Under 22C-9-7a(o)(6) a deed may issue 5 years after first production reported to the state or 1 year after first publication of the surface owner's petition, whichever is later.", "self_executing": "no", "procedure": "55-12A route: verified petition in the circuit court of the county where the minerals or most of them lie, joining the record owners and their unknown heirs, with certified copies of the title instruments; Class III legal advertisement, lis pendens, certified mail to last known addresses, and a guardian ad litem. No lease order sooner than six months after filing. The court must find a diligent search and that development would benefit the defendants and further state policy; it appoints a bonded special commissioner who sells a lease, and proceeds go to a special receiver (up to 10 percent may fund a search). If after 7 years from the lease the owner is still unknown, missing or has not disavowed abandonment, the receiver reports, the court joins the surface owners, and on proof of fee surface ownership orders the special commissioner to deed the mineral interest to them, subject to the lease; accrued funds, after fees, go to the Oil and Gas Reclamation Fund (22-6-29). The 37B routes use a quiet title action that follows 55-12A as far as practical.", "qualifying_uses_or_savings": [ "Not a use test. An owner whose identity and whereabouts are known, can be found by diligent inquiry, or are discovered in the action cannot have a special commissioner's lease imposed, unless proved to be an abandoning owner who fails to answer (55-12A-6(d))", "An owner who appears before judgment confirming the lease and establishes title has the action dismissed as to that interest (55-12A-6(e))", "Within 7 years after the special commissioner's lease, the owner may move to reopen and prove identity and title; the court then documents title, assigns future proceeds and orders the held funds paid over (55-12A-6(g))", "An abandoning owner who disavows the abandonment within the 7 years is not conveyed out (55-12A-7(a)(1))", "Under 37B-2-5(g) the Treasurer must publish notice at least 60 days before the seventh anniversary of the first report on an unknown owner's oil and gas property (the 2026 coal act has the same rule in 37B-4-5(g))" ], "preservation_filing": null, "interest_scope": "55-12A: any interest, real or personal, in coal, oil, gas or any other mineral whose property taxes are not delinquent on the petition date, vested in an unknown or missing owner (identity or location not determinable from the county clerk, sheriff, assessor and circuit clerk records or by diligent inquiry near the last known residence, including heirs not known to be alive) or in an abandoning owner (55-12A-2). The 37B and 22C-9-7a routes reach oil and gas, and from 2026 coal, interests of unknown or unlocatable owners in cotenancy or horizontal unit development.", "mineral_scope": "All minerals under 55-12A (coal, oil, gas and other minerals). Oil and gas only under 37B-1-4(g) and 22C-9-7a(o). Coal only under 37B-3-4(g), from June 12, 2026.", "exceptions": [ "Interests on which property taxes are delinquent when the petition is filed are outside 55-12A (55-12A-2(3))", "Known or locatable owners are excluded unless proved to be abandoning owners who fail to answer (55-12A-6(d))", "Accrued funds under 55-12A go to the Oil and Gas Reclamation Fund, not the surface owner, for funds unclaimed 7 years or more, from July 1, 2020 (55-12A-7(a)(1), (e)); under 37B-1-4(g) the surface owner receives only future proceeds; under the 2026 coal act (37B-3-4(g)(2)) the surface owner also receives its share of funds already remitted to the Treasurer", "Under 22C-9-7a(o)(13), if no surface owner petitions within six years after notice to the surface taxpayers, the unknown owners' unit payments go to the Oil and Gas Reclamation Fund" ], "effective": "55-12A enacted by 1986 HB 1529; 55-12A-2 amended 1994 (HB 4065); 55-12A-7 amended 2020 (HB 4088), fund transfers effective July 1, 2020. 37B-1 and 37B-2 enacted 2018 (HB 4268; 37B-2 effective July 1, 2018); 37B-1-4 amended 2022 (SB 650). 22C-9-7a added 2022 (SB 694). 37B-3 and 37B-4 (coal) enacted by 2026 SB 686, passed March 14, 2026, in effect June 12, 2026.", "date_model": "court_determination", "date_model_note": "Nothing runs from a last use date. Every route needs a court proceeding, and each clock starts at an event a calculator cannot derive from one date: the special commissioner's lease, the first report to the Treasurer, or first reported production from a horizontal unit.", "survey_scope": "Dormancy survey: read W. Va. Code 55-12A-1 to 55-12A-9, 37B-1-3, 37B-1-4, 37B-2-2 to 37B-2-5 and 37B-2-9, 22C-9-7a, and 2026 SB 686 (37B-3, 37B-4). No West Virginia statute terminating a mineral interest for nonuse was identified. 2021 HB 2205 (introduced and referred to committee) would have replaced 55-12A with an abandoned mineral notice and affidavit procedure; the 2025 to 2026 code still contains the 1986 sections it would have repealed. Tax delinquency and tax sale of separately assessed mineral interests (W. Va. Code chapter 11A) were not reviewed, though 55-12A excludes tax delinquent interests.", "confidence": "high", "open_questions": [ "code.wvlegislature.gov was not available when AMR checked; sections 55-12A-2 to 55-12A-9 were read from Internet Archive snapshots dated September 2025 to January 2026 (55-12A-1 from July 2026). 2026 SB 686 does not list 55-12A among the sections it amends, but other 2026 bills affecting 55-12A, 37B-1 or 22C-9-7a were not checked.", "55-12A-6(a) requires compliance with \"the evidentiary requirements of section five-b and the notice requirements of section five-c\", but the article lists no sections 5b or 5c; the 1986 enrolled bill was not checked.", "Whether 37B-1-4(g) reaches unknown owners whose royalties were reported under 37B-2-4 outside a 75 percent cotenancy development is not clear from the text.", "Case law on proving an \"abandoning owner\" and on the 2020 transfer of accrued funds to the Oil and Gas Reclamation Fund was not reviewed." ], "category": "missing_owner", "answer": "West Virginia has no statute that ends a mineral interest for nonuse.", "evidence": "primary" }, "dormancy_source_ids": [ "SRC-WV-001", "SRC-WV-002", "SRC-WV-003", "SRC-WV-004", "SRC-WV-005", "SRC-WV-006", "SRC-WV-007", "SRC-WV-008" ], "pooling": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "Yes, for deep wells and horizontal wells. For deep wells (drilled below the top of the uppermost member of the Onondaga Group) the Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, on an operator's application and after notice and hearing, must pool all tracts and interests in a drilling unit on just and reasonable terms, though drilling may not start on an unleased owner's tract without written consent (22C-9-7). Since 2022, for shallow and deep horizontal wells, the commission unitizes a horizontal well unit when the applicant holds consent from royalty owners with 75 percent or more of the net acreage in the target formation plus a 55 percent operator side threshold and has made good faith offers to the rest; unleased unknown and unlocatable owners are deemed to lease (22C-9-7a). Conventional shallow vertical wells are outside the article.", "confidence": "high", "survey_scope": null, "evidence": "primary", "source_ids": [ "SRC-WV-009", "SRC-WV-010", "SRC-WV-011" ] }, "surface_damages": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "Yes. The Oil and Gas Production Damage Compensation article (W. Va. Code 22-7) obliges the oil and gas developer, for drilling operations commenced after June 9, 1983, to compensate the surface owner for lost use of occupied land, destroyed crops, damage to a water supply in use, repair of personal property, and diminution in value of the surface. The surface owner must notify the developer of the damages within two years after the developer files notice that reclamation is commencing, and the compensation cannot be reduced by a deed, lease or contract made after June 9, 1983.", "confidence": "high", "survey_scope": null, "evidence": "primary", "source_ids": [ "SRC-WV-012", "SRC-WV-013" ] }, "june_2026": { "state": "West Virginia", "abbr": "WV", "category": "special", "unused_minerals": "Special mechanism", "lapse_period": "see note", "surface_damages_act": "yes", "forced_pooling": "yes", "risk_score": 45, "rank": 20, "statute": "W. Va. Code 55-12A-1 et seq.", "source_status": "Sourced", "source_url": "https://code.wvlegislature.gov/55-12A-1/", "preservation": "Special statutory mechanism rather than a simple nonuse lapse; see statute.", "note": "West Virginia has no traditional dormant minerals act. It uses an oil and gas abandonment and lease cancellation mechanism, and has a surface owner protection law." } }, { "id": "WI", "name": "Wisconsin", "page_url": "https://americanmineralregistry.com/research/states/wisconsin-dormant-mineral-act", "reviewed": true, "reviewed_on": "2026-10-01", "dormancy": { "mechanism": "dormant_mineral_act", "mechanism_label": "Dormant mineral interest statute, 20 years, curable until the surface owner records a claim", "summary": "A severed fee simple interest in minerals lapses if it was not used during the previous 20 years. Use means mining, recording a conveyance of the interest, the mineral owner paying property tax on it, or recording a statement of claim. Lapse does not move title by itself: the mineral owner can cure it by recording a statement of claim until the surface owner records a claim, and title reverts to the surface owner only on a court judgment or 3 years after the surface owner's claim if no action is brought. The section does not apply where one person owns both the surface fee and the minerals, and it cannot be waived.", "period_years": 20, "period_description": "Rolling 20 years: the interest lapses if it was not used during the previous 20 years (sub. (3)(a)), so each use listed in sub. (2) starts a new 20 years. The court applied this as the day after the 20th anniversary of the last use (last use January 12, 1987, lapse January 13, 2007, Lakeland para. 43). Transition: an interest not used during the 20 years before July 1, 1984, or used during the period from 17 to 20 years before that date, did not lapse if used by July 1, 1987 (sub. (3)(b) and (c)); after such a use it is again subject to the 20 year rule (Lakeland para. 38).", "self_executing": "no", "procedure": "Lapse arises under sub. (3) without any filing, but it moves no title. The surface owner must record a statement of claim with the county register of deeds giving the surface owner's name and address and a description of the land (sub. (6)(a)). A surface owner claim recorded before lapse takes effect when the interest lapses and is void if no lapse occurs within 6 years of recording (sub. (6)(b)). Until the surface owner's claim is recorded or takes effect, whichever is later, the mineral owner can cure the lapse by recording a statement of claim (sub. (5)). The mineral owner may then sue for a declaratory judgment in the circuit court of the county within 3 years after the surface owner's claim is recorded or takes effect, whichever is later (sub. (9)(a)). Title reverts to the surface owner and merges with the surface on a judgment affirming the claim or, if no action is brought, at the end of that 3 year period (sub. (9)(c)). The section does not require the surface owner to give the mineral owner notice.", "qualifying_uses_or_savings": [ "Any minerals are mined in exploitation of the interest (sub. (2)(a))", "A conveyance of mineral interests is recorded under ch. 706 (sub. (2)(b)); s. 706.01(5) defines that term as a transaction to explore for, mine, develop or extract metalliferous minerals", "Any other conveyance evidencing a transaction by which the interest is created, aliened, reserved, mortgaged or assigned is recorded under ch. 706 (sub. (2)(c))", "Property taxes are paid on the interest in minerals by the owner of the interest (sub. (2)(d))", "The owner of the interest records a statement of claim under sub. (4) or (5) (sub. (2)(e))", "After lapse, a statement of claim meeting sub. (4) recorded before the surface owner's claim is recorded or takes effect, whichever is later, cures the lapse (sub. (5))", "Transition only: use within 3 years after July 1, 1984 prevented lapse of an interest not used during the 20 years before that date, or used during the period from 17 to 20 years before it (sub. (3)(b) and (c))" ], "preservation_filing": "Statement of claim under s. 706.057(4): the name and address of the owner of the interest in minerals, a description of the location and boundary of the interest, and a reference to the recorded instrument that created it, recorded with the register of deeds of the county where the interest is located. The register of deeds supplies a uniform form and indexes the claim against the parcels above the interest; the claimant pays the s. 59.43(2) recording fee (sub. (7)). Recording it counts as a use and starts a new 20 years; recorded after lapse it cures the lapse if it comes before the surface owner's claim is recorded or takes effect (sub. (5)).", "interest_scope": "An interest in minerals as defined in s. 706.01(7m): a fee simple interest in minerals beneath the surface that is separate from the fee simple interest in the surface and was created by an instrument transferring, granting, assigning or reserving the minerals. Excluded where the same person owns the surface fee and the interest in minerals (sub. (1)). The text does not say whether a royalty, a term interest or a lease is a fee simple interest in minerals.", "mineral_scope": "All minerals as defined in s. 706.01(8m): a naturally occurring substance recognized by standard authorities as mineral, whether metalliferous or nonmetalliferous. The definition does not name oil, gas, sand or gravel.", "exceptions": [ "Does not apply to an interest in minerals owned by the same person who owns the fee simple interest in the surface above it (sub. (1))", "Interests outside the s. 706.01(7m) definition (not a fee simple interest in minerals, not separate from the surface fee, or not created by an instrument) are not reached", "No person may waive or agree to waive the section; any waiver or agreement is void (sub. (10))" ], "effective": "Created by 1983 Wis. Act 455 (enacted May 10, 1984, published May 17, 1984), effective July 1, 1984 (Act 455 s. 7). The same act created s. 706.01(7m) and (8m) and repealed former s. 700.30, the mineral registration statute held unconstitutional in Chicago and North Western Transportation Co. v. Pedersen, 80 Wis. 2d 566 (1977). Grace period July 1, 1984 to July 1, 1987 (sub. (3)(b) and (c)). Amended by 1985 Wis. Act 29 and 1995 Wis. Act 201: compared with the 1983 text, the current subs. (5), (6) and (9) add the surface owner claim recorded before lapse and the whichever is later timing, and the fee cross reference moved from s. 59.57 to s. 59.43(2). Current text checked as in effect October 1, 2026 (through 2025 Wis. Act 247); no pending change is flagged.", "date_model": "illustrative_anniversary", "date_model_note": "Last use plus 20 years gives only the first day the interest can be in lapse, not a loss date. After that day the owner can still cure by recording a statement of claim until a surface owner's claim is recorded or takes effect, and title moves only on a judgment or 3 years after that claim, so the transfer date depends on a surface owner filing that a calculator cannot know. Uses are broad and some leave no trace in the land records (the mineral owner paying property tax), so a single last use date is easily wrong. For an interest last used before July 1, 1967 a calculator must not show a lapse date earlier than July 1, 1987.", "survey_scope": null, "confidence": "high", "open_questions": [ "Does 'mineral' in s. 706.01(8m) include oil and gas, and sand and gravel? No Wisconsin decision on the definition was found in this review; Lakeland applied the section to separate subsurface mineral rights under a parcel bought for a gravel mine without discussing it.", "Does a severed royalty or other nonpossessory interest count as a 'fee simple interest in minerals' under s. 706.01(7m)?", "How often are severed mineral interests separately assessed and taxed in Wisconsin, so that the tax payment use in sub. (2)(d) can occur?", "Effect of Wis. Stat. s. 893.33 (limitation on actions founded on recorded instruments over 30 years old) on severed mineral titles was not checked.", "The amending text of 1985 Wis. Act 29 and 1995 Wis. Act 201 was not read; the changes stated in 'effective' are inferred by comparing the 1983 act with the current text.", "Search results indicate the Wisconsin Supreme Court denied review in Lakeland in 2021; not confirmed from the court docket.", "Subsection (8) is absent from both the 1983 act as printed and the current text; no significance is assumed." ], "answer": "Wisconsin has a dormant mineral statute. A severed mineral interest lapses after 20 years without a use the statute counts, but nothing moves by itself: the mineral owner can cure by recording a statement of claim until the surface owner records a claim, and title passes only by court judgment or 3 years after the surface owner's claim if nobody sues.", "category": "lapse_statute", "evidence": "primary" }, "dormancy_source_ids": [ "SRC-WI-001", "SRC-WI-002", "SRC-WI-003", "SRC-WI-004", "SRC-WI-005", "SRC-WI-006", "SRC-WI-007", "SRC-WI-008", "SRC-WI-009", "SRC-WI-010", "SRC-WI-011", "SRC-WI-012", "SRC-WI-013" ], "pooling": { "status": "none_identified", "summary": "No Wisconsin statute was found that lets a regulator force pool or compulsorily integrate separately owned oil and gas interests. The oil and gas subchapter (Wis. Stat. ss. 295.31 to 295.37) requires a Department of Natural Resources license for exploration and production and authorizes rules on waste, including spacing of wells and allocation of allowable production in a field or pool, but it contains no pooling or integration order power.", "confidence": "medium", "survey_scope": "Read Wis. Stat. ch. 295 subch. II (ss. 295.31 to 295.37, created by 1991 Wis. Act 262) in full from the official PDF current through 2025 Wis. Act 103, and searched all of ch. 295 for pool, spacing, unitiz, integrat and correlative; also read ch. 706 provisions on mineral conveyances. A full text search of all Wisconsin statutes and of the DNR administrative code was not possible because docs.legis.wisconsin.gov was not available when AMR checked; Wisconsin has negligible oil and gas production.", "evidence": "none_found", "source_ids": [ "SRC-WI-014" ] }, "surface_damages": { "status": "none_identified", "summary": "No Wisconsin statute was found that requires oil and gas operators to notify surface owners or compensate them for surface damage. The oil and gas subchapter covers licensing, bonding, waste, environmental rules and reclamation only.", "confidence": "medium", "survey_scope": "Read Wis. Stat. ch. 295 subch. II (ss. 295.31 to 295.37) in full and searched all of ch. 295 for surface owner, landowner and damage. The hits concern nonmetallic mining reclamation (subch. I) and ferrous mining (subch. III, for example the private water supply damage claims in s. 295.61(8)), not oil and gas. Ch. 706 (s. 706.057 included) has no surface damage rule. Full text search of all statutes was not possible.", "evidence": "none_found", "source_ids": [ "SRC-WI-015" ] }, "june_2026": { "state": "Wisconsin", "abbr": "WI", "category": "none", "unused_minerals": "Does not lapse", "lapse_period": "none", "surface_damages_act": "no", "forced_pooling": "verify", "risk_score": 0, "rank": 50, "statute": "n/a", "source_status": "No dormant act (surveyed)", "source_url": "", "preservation": "No dormant mineral act; a severed interest does not lapse through nonuse.", "note": "No dormant mineral act in Wisconsin. A severed mineral interest does not lapse through nonuse. Based on national statutory surveys; confirm against the current state code." } }, { "id": "WY", "name": "Wyoming", "page_url": "https://americanmineralregistry.com/research/states/do-mineral-rights-expire-in-wyoming", "reviewed": true, "reviewed_on": "2026-10-01", "dormancy": { "mechanism": "none_identified", "mechanism_label": "No dormant mineral statute identified; the marketable title act excludes minerals", "summary": "No Wyoming statute was found that ends or transfers a severed mineral interest for nonuse. The Wyoming Marketable Title Act (W.S. 34-10-101 to 34-10-109, 40 year chain of title) states that it shall not be applied to bar or extinguish any interest in minerals, including oil and gas. A 2003 bill that would have created an abandoned mineral interest procedure at W.S. 34-10-201 to 34-10-210 failed in the House and is not in the current code.", "period_years": null, "period_description": null, "self_executing": null, "procedure": null, "qualifying_uses_or_savings": [], "preservation_filing": null, "interest_scope": "Not applicable. The marketable title act exclusion covers any title, estate or interest in minerals and related development, mining and production rights and easements.", "mineral_scope": "Not applicable. The exclusion names minerals generally, including oil, gas and other hydrocarbons, and timber.", "exceptions": [ "W.S. 34-10-108(a)(iv): the Marketable Title Act shall not be applied to bar or extinguish any title, estate or interest in minerals or related rights and easements", "W.S. 34-10-104(a)(v): marketable record title is subject to the exceptions in 34-10-108(a), including mineral interests" ], "effective": "No dormancy statute. 2003 HB0176 (Termination of mineral interest) failed in Committee of the Whole and was indefinitely postponed on 1/30/2003. The enactment date of the Marketable Title Act is not shown in the official title PDF.", "date_model": "not_applicable", "date_model_note": "No statutory lapse was identified, so there is no lapse or deadline date for Wyoming.", "survey_scope": "Downloaded all 42 title PDFs of the Wyoming Statutes from wyoleg.gov/statutes/compress/ (created May 9, 2026) and searched the full text for: dormant mineral, abandoned mineral, severed mineral, mineral interest, mineral estate, unknown owner, abandon. Title 30 (Mines and Minerals) and Title 34 (Property) read for structure. Found: Marketable Title Act 34-10-101 to 34-10-109 with a mineral exclusion; 34-2-135 (tax deed curative act does not apply to tax deeds covering only severed minerals); 34-24-117 (Uniform Unclaimed Property Act: mineral proceeds unclaimed for more than three years, and the owner's underlying right to receive them, are deemed abandoned and become subject to state custody; custody of proceeds, not a transfer of the mineral interest). Checked the 2003 bill HB0176 on wyoleg.gov (failed). Case law was not reviewed.", "confidence": "high", "open_questions": [ "Wyoming case law on abandonment of severed mineral interests and on adverse possession of minerals was not reviewed.", "Whether the unclaimed property transfer of the 'underlying right to receive' mineral proceeds has any effect on title was not researched; the text reads as custody of proceeds." ], "category": "none_found", "answer": "No Wyoming statute was found that ends or transfers a severed mineral interest for nonuse. The Wyoming Marketable Title Act (W.S. 34-10-101 to 34-10-109, 40 year chain of title) states that it shall not be applied to bar or extinguish any interest in minerals, including oil and gas.", "evidence": "none_found" }, "dormancy_source_ids": [ "SRC-WY-001", "SRC-WY-002", "SRC-WY-003" ], "pooling": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "Yes. W.S. 30-5-109(f) lets the Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, in the absence of voluntary pooling and after notice and hearing, enter an order pooling all interests in a drilling unit on the application of any interested person, on just and reasonable terms. A pooling order expires after 12 months if operations have not commenced.", "confidence": "high", "survey_scope": null, "evidence": "primary", "source_ids": [ "SRC-WY-004" ] }, "surface_damages": { "status": "statute_found", "summary": "Yes. W.S. 30-5-401 to 30-5-410 (entry to conduct oil and gas operations) require notice to surface owners, condition entry on consent, a surface use agreement, a waiver or a bond, and require the operator to pay the surface owner for loss of production and income, loss of land value and loss of value of improvements. A surface owner gives notice of damages within two years of discovery and may sue if no acceptable offer is made.", "confidence": "high", "survey_scope": null, "evidence": "primary", "source_ids": [ "SRC-WY-005", "SRC-WY-006" ] }, "june_2026": { "state": "Wyoming", "abbr": "WY", "category": "none", "unused_minerals": "Does not lapse", "lapse_period": "none", "surface_damages_act": "no", "forced_pooling": "yes", "risk_score": 0, "rank": 51, "statute": "n/a", "source_status": "No dormant act (surveyed)", "source_url": "", "preservation": "No dormant mineral act; a severed interest does not lapse through nonuse.", "note": "No dormant mineral act in Wyoming. A severed mineral interest does not lapse through nonuse. Based on national statutory surveys; confirm against the current state code." } } ], "sources": [ { "id": "SRC-AL-001", "jurisdiction": "AL", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/code-of-alabama?section=35-19-9", "publisher": "Alabama Legislature (ALISON, Code of Alabama 1975)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Ala. Code 35-19-9(d), the only code hit for the phrase 'dormant mineral'", "excerpt": "An environmental covenant may not be extinguished, limited, or impaired by application of any law relating to marketable title or dormant mineral interests.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/AL-survey-code-searches.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-AL-002", "jurisdiction": "AL", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/code-of-alabama?section=40-20-35", "publisher": "Alabama Legislature (ALISON, Code of Alabama 1975)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Ala. Code 40-20-35", "excerpt": "all nonproducing interests in such oil, gas and other minerals, including royalty interests therein, hereafter conveyed to a grantee or purchaser or excepted or reserved to a grantor separately and apart from the surface shall be exempt from all ad valorem taxes", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/AL-survey-code-searches.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-AL-003", "jurisdiction": "AL", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/code-of-alabama?section=9-17-13", "publisher": "Alabama Legislature (ALISON, Code of Alabama 1975)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Ala. Code 9-17-13(a)", "excerpt": "Where, however, the owners have not agreed to so integrate or pool the interests, the board shall, for the prevention of waste or to avoid the drilling of unnecessary wells, require the persons owning such interests to do so and to develop their interests and the associated lands as a drilling or production unit.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/AL-9-17-13-integration.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-AK-001", "jurisdiction": "AK", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.akleg.gov/basis/statutes.asp?media=print&secStart=34.01.005&secEnd=34.99.999", "publisher": "Alaska State Legislature, Alaska Statutes (akleg.gov)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Survey of AS Titles 09, 27, 31, 34, 38 (full text); excerpt AS 34.45.760(13)", "excerpt": "“mineral proceeds” means amounts payable for the extraction, production, or sale of minerals, or, upon the abandonment of those payments, all payments that become payable after the abandonment;", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/AK-survey-titles.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-AK-002", "jurisdiction": "AK", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://www.akleg.gov/basis/statutes.asp?media=print&secStart=31.01.005&secEnd=31.99.999", "publisher": "Alaska State Legislature, Alaska Statutes (akleg.gov)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "AS 31.05.100(c)", "excerpt": "If the persons do not agree to pool their interests, the commission may enter an order pooling and integrating their interests for the development of their lands as a drilling unit for the prevention of waste, for the protection of correlative rights, or to avoid the drilling of unnecessary wells.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/AK-31-05-100-110-pooling.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-AK-003", "jurisdiction": "AK", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://www.akleg.gov/basis/statutes.asp?media=print&secStart=31.01.005&secEnd=31.99.999", "publisher": "Alaska State Legislature, Alaska Statutes (akleg.gov)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "AS 31.05.110(a)", "excerpt": "Where, however, they have not agreed to integrate their interests, the commission, upon proper petition, after notice and hearing, has jurisdiction, power and authority, and it is its duty to make and enforce orders", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/AK-31-05-100-110-pooling.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-AK-004", "jurisdiction": "AK", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://www.akleg.gov/basis/statutes.asp?media=print&secStart=38.01.005&secEnd=38.99.999", "publisher": "Alaska State Legislature, Alaska Statutes (akleg.gov)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "AS 38.05.130", "excerpt": "Rights may not be exercised by the state, its lessees, successors, or assigns under the reservation as set out in AS 38.05.125 until the state, its lessees, successors, or assigns make provision to pay the owner of the land full payment for all damages sustained by the owner, by reason of entering onto the land.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/AK-38-05-125-130-surface-damages.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-AZ-001", "jurisdiction": "AZ", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.azleg.gov/arsDetail/?title=27", "publisher": "Arizona State Legislature, Arizona Revised Statutes", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Survey of ARS section headings, Titles 12, 27, 33, 37, 42, 44", "excerpt": "Attachment of lien to real and personal property, improvements and severed mineral rights", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/AZ-survey-headings.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-AZ-002", "jurisdiction": "AZ", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://www.azleg.gov/ars/27/00505.htm", "publisher": "Arizona State Legislature, Arizona Revised Statutes", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "ARS § 27-505(A)", "excerpt": "If the persons do not agree to pool their interests, the commissioner may, for prevention of waste, for protection of correlative rights, or to avoid drilling of unnecessary wells, enter an order pooling and integrating their interests for the development of their lands as a drilling unit.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/AZ-27-505-531-532-pooling.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-AZ-003", "jurisdiction": "AZ", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://www.azleg.gov/ars/27/00531.htm", "publisher": "Arizona State Legislature, Arizona Revised Statutes", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "ARS § 27-531(B)", "excerpt": "The commission shall make an order providing for the unitized operation of a pool or part thereof if, after proper petition and notice and hearing it finds that:", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/AZ-27-505-531-532-pooling.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-AZ-004", "jurisdiction": "AZ", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://www.azleg.gov/ars/27/00560.htm", "publisher": "Arizona State Legislature, Arizona Revised Statutes", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "ARS § 27-560", "excerpt": "The lessee shall be liable for damage caused by it to the state's interest in the surface or to the interest of the surface lessee, if any, and may be required by the department at any time to execute a bond", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/AZ-27-560-state-lease-surface.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-AR-001", "jurisdiction": "AR", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://cosl.org/Home/Faq", "publisher": "Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands", "type": "official_agency", "pinpoint": "Commissioner of State Lands, Frequently Asked Questions", "excerpt": "Tax delinquent mineral interests may be redeemed at any time. In some limited situations, the mineral rights may be purchased from the Commissioner of State Lands.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/AR-cosl-tax-delinquent-minerals.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-AR-002", "jurisdiction": "AR", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://coslstorage.blob.core.windows.net/web-resources/rules-and-regs.pdf", "publisher": "Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands (Rules 2023 Edition)", "type": "official_agency", "pinpoint": "Commissioner of State Lands Rules, Subtitle L, Fees (2)", "excerpt": "the fees charged for the redemption of severed mineral interests shall not include the twenty-five-dollar collection fee.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/AR-cosl-tax-delinquent-minerals.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-AR-003", "jurisdiction": "AR", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://opinions.arcourts.gov/ark/courtofappeals/en/512533/1/document.do", "publisher": "Arkansas Judiciary, Arkansas Court of Appeals (opinions.arcourts.gov)", "type": "court_opinion", "pinpoint": "SWN Production Co. (Arkansas), LLC v. Stobaugh, 2021 Ark. App. 324, quoting Ark. Code Ann. 26-26-1110(c)(4)", "excerpt": "When a nonproducing mineral right begins producing minerals, the mineral right shall be assessed for tax purposes in accordance with rules established by the Assessment Coordination Division.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/AR-court-opinions-survey.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-AR-004", "jurisdiction": "AR", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://opinions.arcourts.gov/ark/courtofappeals/en/298441/1/document.do", "publisher": "Arkansas Judiciary, Arkansas Court of Appeals (opinions.arcourts.gov)", "type": "court_opinion", "pinpoint": "SEECO, Inc. v. Holden, 2015 Ark. App. 555, quoting Ark. Code Ann. 18-61-106(a)", "excerpt": "No action for the recovery of any lands or for the possession thereof against any person or persons, their heirs and assigns, who may hold such lands by virtue of a purchase thereof at a sale by the collector, or the Commissioner of State Lands, for the nonpayment of taxes", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/AR-court-opinions-survey.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-AR-005", "jurisdiction": "AR", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://opinions.arcourts.gov/ark/courtofappeals/en/522211/1/document.do", "publisher": "Arkansas Judiciary, Arkansas Court of Appeals (opinions.arcourts.gov)", "type": "court_opinion", "pinpoint": "Flywheel Energy Production, LLC v. Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission, 2023 Ark. App. 483, quoting Ark. Code Ann. 15-72-303", "excerpt": "order integrating all tracts and interests in the drilling unit for the development or operation of the drilling unit and the sharing of production from the drilling unit.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/AR-15-72-303-304-flywheel-2023.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-AR-006", "jurisdiction": "AR", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://opinions.arcourts.gov/ark/courtofappeals/en/522211/1/document.do", "publisher": "Arkansas Judiciary, Arkansas Court of Appeals (opinions.arcourts.gov)", "type": "court_opinion", "pinpoint": "2023 Ark. App. 483, quoting Ark. Code Ann. 15-72-304(d)", "excerpt": "the owner thereof shall be regarded as the owner of a royalty interest to the extent of a one-eighth interest in and to the unleased mineral interest.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/AR-15-72-303-304-flywheel-2023.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-AR-007", "jurisdiction": "AR", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://opinions.arcourts.gov/ark/courtofappeals/en/521558/1/document.do", "publisher": "Arkansas Judiciary, Arkansas Court of Appeals (opinions.arcourts.gov)", "type": "court_opinion", "pinpoint": "Taylor Family Limited Partnership B v. XTO Energy, Inc., 2022 Ark. App. 521", "excerpt": "Taylor first contends that the circuit court erred when it determined that the scope of XTO's implied duty to restore the surfaces of the FLB and EY Hill tracts was governed by AOGC General Rule B-9(e) or the reasonably prudent operator standard established in Arkansas Code Annotated section 15-73-207(b)", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/AR-court-opinions-survey.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-AR-008", "jurisdiction": "AR", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://opinions.arcourts.gov/ark/supremecourt/en/266440/1/document.do", "publisher": "Arkansas Judiciary, Arkansas Supreme Court (opinions.arcourts.gov)", "type": "court_opinion", "pinpoint": "El Paso Production Co. v. Blanchard, 371 Ark. 634 (2007), separate opinion quoting Commission Rule B-42", "excerpt": "No entry shall be made by any person or entity upon the lands upon which such seismic operations are to be conducted without the person or entity having first given notice as provided in Ark. Code Ann. (1987) § 15-72-203 to the surface owner", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/AR-court-opinions-survey.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-CA-001", "jurisdiction": "CA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml?lawCode=CIV&division=2.&title=5.&part=2.&chapter=3.&article=2.", "publisher": "California Legislative Information (Legislative Counsel of California)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Cal. Civ. Code § 883.210", "excerpt": "The owner of real property subject to a mineral right may bring an action to terminate the mineral right pursuant to this article if the mineral right is dormant.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/CA-civ-883.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-CA-002", "jurisdiction": "CA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml?lawCode=CIV&division=2.&title=5.&part=2.&chapter=3.&article=2.", "publisher": "California Legislative Information (Legislative Counsel of California)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Cal. Civ. Code § 883.220", "excerpt": "a mineral right is dormant if all of the following conditions are satisfied for a period of 20 years immediately preceding commencement of the action to terminate the mineral right: (a) There is no production of the minerals and no exploration, drilling, mining, development, or other operations that affect the minerals", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/CA-civ-883.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-CA-003", "jurisdiction": "CA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml?lawCode=CIV&division=2.&title=5.&part=2.&chapter=3.&article=2.", "publisher": "California Legislative Information (Legislative Counsel of California)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Cal. Civ. Code § 883.230(c)(1)", "excerpt": "A mineral right is not dormant for the purpose of this article if: (1) A notice of intent to preserve the mineral right is recorded within 20 years immediately preceding commencement of the action to terminate the mineral right.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/CA-civ-883.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-CA-004", "jurisdiction": "CA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml?lawCode=CIV&division=2.&title=5.&part=2.&chapter=3.&article=2.", "publisher": "California Legislative Information (Legislative Counsel of California)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Cal. Civ. Code § 883.240(b)", "excerpt": "The action shall be brought in the same manner and shall be subject to the same procedure as an action to quiet title pursuant to Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 760.010) of Title 10 of Part 2 of the Code of Civil Procedure, to the extent applicable.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/CA-civ-883.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-CA-005", "jurisdiction": "CA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml?lawCode=CIV&division=2.&title=5.&part=2.&chapter=3.&article=2.", "publisher": "California Legislative Information (Legislative Counsel of California)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Cal. Civ. Code § 883.250", "excerpt": "the court shall permit the owner of the mineral right to record a late notice of intent to preserve the mineral right as a condition of dismissal of the action, upon payment into court for the benefit of the owner of the real property the litigation expenses", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/CA-civ-883.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-CA-006", "jurisdiction": "CA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml?lawCode=CIV&division=2.&title=5.&part=2.&chapter=3.&article=2.", "publisher": "California Legislative Information (Legislative Counsel of California)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Cal. Civ. Code § 883.260", "excerpt": "A mineral right terminated pursuant to this article is unenforceable and is deemed to have expired. A court order terminating a mineral right pursuant to this article is equivalent for all purposes to a conveyance of the mineral right to the owner of the real property.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/CA-civ-883.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-CA-007", "jurisdiction": "CA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml?lawCode=CIV&division=2.&title=5.&part=2.&chapter=3.&article=1.", "publisher": "California Legislative Information (Legislative Counsel of California)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Cal. Civ. Code § 883.110", "excerpt": "“mineral right” means an interest in minerals, regardless of character, whether fugacious or nonfugacious, organic or inorganic, that is created by grant or reservation, regardless of form, whether a fee or lesser interest, mineral, royalty, or leasehold, absolute or fractional", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/CA-civ-883.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-CA-008", "jurisdiction": "CA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml?lawCode=CIV&division=2.&title=5.&part=2.&chapter=3.&article=1.", "publisher": "California Legislative Information (Legislative Counsel of California)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Cal. Civ. Code § 883.120", "excerpt": "This chapter does not apply to a mineral right of the state or a local public entity, or of any other person, to the extent provided in Section 880.240.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/CA-civ-883.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-CA-009", "jurisdiction": "CA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml?lawCode=CIV&division=2.&title=5.&part=2.&chapter=3.&article=2.", "publisher": "California Legislative Information (Legislative Counsel of California)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Cal. Civ. Code § 883.270", "excerpt": "Subject to Section 880.370 (grace period for recording notice), this article applies to all mineral rights, whether executed or recorded before, on, or after January 1, 1985.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/CA-civ-883.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-CA-010", "jurisdiction": "CA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV§ionNum=880.370", "publisher": "California Legislative Information (Legislative Counsel of California)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Cal. Civ. Code § 880.370", "excerpt": "If the period prescribed by statute during which a notice of intent to preserve an interest in real property must be recorded expires before, on, or within five years after the operative date of the statute, the period is extended until five years after the operative date of the statute.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/CA-civ-880-notice.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-CA-011", "jurisdiction": "CA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV§ionNum=880.330", "publisher": "California Legislative Information (Legislative Counsel of California)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Cal. Civ. Code § 880.330(a)", "excerpt": "A notice of intent to preserve an interest in real property shall be in writing and signed and verified by or on behalf of the claimant.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/CA-civ-880-notice.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-CA-012", "jurisdiction": "CA", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml?lawCode=PRC&division=3.&title=&part=&chapter=3.&article=", "publisher": "California Legislative Information (Legislative Counsel of California)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Cal. Pub. Res. Code § 3608", "excerpt": "said land shall, for oil and gas development purposes and to prevent waste and to protect the oil and gas rights of landowners, be deemed included in said oil and gas lease on said other lands, and shall be subject to all the terms and provisions thereof", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/CA-prc-pooling-unitization.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-CA-013", "jurisdiction": "CA", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml?lawCode=PRC&division=3.&title=&part=&chapter=3.&article=", "publisher": "California Legislative Information (Legislative Counsel of California)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Cal. Pub. Res. Code § 3609", "excerpt": "Such plan may include a requirement that, as a prerequisite to approval to drill or redrill a well, all or certain specified parcels of land shall be included in a pooling or unit agreement. The supervisor may provide in the rules and regulations for mandatory pooling agreements in connection with the well-spacing order.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/CA-prc-pooling-unitization.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-CA-014", "jurisdiction": "CA", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml?lawCode=PRC&division=3.&title=&part=&chapter=3.5.&article=3.", "publisher": "California Legislative Information (Legislative Counsel of California)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Cal. Pub. Res. Code § 3642", "excerpt": "consented to by persons who own title to working interests which aggregate at least an undivided three-fourths of the total working interests in the area proposed to be unitized, and by persons who own title to the royalty interest which aggregates at least an undivided three-fourths of the total royalty interest", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/CA-prc-pooling-unitization.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-CA-015", "jurisdiction": "CA", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml?lawCode=PRC&division=3.&title=&part=&chapter=3.5.&article=3.", "publisher": "California Legislative Information (Legislative Counsel of California)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Cal. Pub. Res. Code § 3645", "excerpt": "requiring that the interests of all persons in the unit area be thereafter subject to the unit agreement the same as if all such persons had expressly consented to the unit agreement.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/CA-prc-pooling-unitization.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-CA-016", "jurisdiction": "CA", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml?lawCode=PRC&division=3.&title=&part=&chapter=1.&article=5.5.", "publisher": "California Legislative Information (Legislative Counsel of California)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Cal. Pub. Res. Code § 3322.1", "excerpt": "No order of the supervisor creating a unit and prescribing the plan of unitization applicable thereto shall become effective unless and until the plan of unitization has been signed, or in writing ratified or approved, by working interest owners who are entitled to 65 percent of the proceeds of production", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/CA-prc-pooling-unitization.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-CA-017", "jurisdiction": "CA", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV§ionNum=848", "publisher": "California Legislative Information (Legislative Counsel of California)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Cal. Civ. Code § 848(a)", "excerpt": "the owner of mineral rights, as defined by Section 883.110, in real property shall give a written notice prior to the first entry to the owner of the real property who is listed as the assessee on the current local assessment roll", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/CA-civ-848.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-CO-001", "jurisdiction": "CO", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://content.leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/images/olls/crs2024-title-39.pdf", "publisher": "Colorado General Assembly, Office of Legislative Legal Services (Colorado Revised Statutes 2024)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "C.R.S. 39-11-150", "excerpt": "where the surface estate ownership is coterminous with the severed mineral interest, the owner of the surface estate shall have the right of first refusal to purchase the tax lien on the severed mineral interest", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot September 29, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/CO-39-1-104-5-39-11-150-tax-lien.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-CO-002", "jurisdiction": "CO", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://content.leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/images/olls/crs2024-title-39.pdf", "publisher": "Colorado General Assembly, Office of Legislative Legal Services (Colorado Revised Statutes 2024)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "C.R.S. 39-1-104.5", "excerpt": "Any owner of the surface estate from which a mineral interest has been severed, on behalf of himself and any other owners of such interest in the surface, may require the assessor of the county wherein such real estate is situate to place such severed mineral interest, without regard to value, on the tax roll of the county", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot September 29, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/CO-39-1-104-5-39-11-150-tax-lien.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-CO-003", "jurisdiction": "CO", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://content.leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/images/olls/crs2024-title-39.pdf", "publisher": "Colorado General Assembly, Office of Legislative Legal Services (Colorado Revised Statutes 2024)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "C.R.S. 39-11-120(1)", "excerpt": "Before July 1, 2024, any time after the expiration of the term of three years from the date of the sale of any tax lien on any land, or interest therein or improvements thereon, for delinquent taxes", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot September 29, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/CO-39-1-104-5-39-11-150-tax-lien.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-CO-004", "jurisdiction": "CO", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://content.leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/images/olls/crs2024-title-38.pdf", "publisher": "Colorado General Assembly, Office of Legislative Legal Services (Colorado Revised Statutes 2024)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "C.R.S. title 38, article 42 (38-42-101 to 38-42-106), survey", "excerpt": "When any oil, gas, or other mineral lease given on land situated in any county of Colorado and recorded therein becomes forfeited or expires by its own terms, it is the duty of the lessee", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot September 26, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/CO-title-38-survey.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-CO-005", "jurisdiction": "CO", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://content.leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/images/olls/crs2024-title-24.pdf", "publisher": "Colorado General Assembly, Office of Legislative Legal Services (Colorado Revised Statutes 2024)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "C.R.S. 24-65.5-103(3)", "excerpt": "A mineral estate owner who requests or desires to obtain notice under this article or the mineral estate owner's agent may file in the office of the county clerk and recorder of the county in which the real property is located a request for notification form", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot September 23, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/CO-24-65-5-surface-development-notice.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-CO-006", "jurisdiction": "CO", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/SB26-044", "publisher": "Colorado General Assembly", "type": "session_law", "pinpoint": "SB26-044, 2026 Regular Session, bill record (not enacted, Lost 03/24/2026)", "excerpt": "The bill authorizes a board of county commissioners to cancel any taxes that have been levied on a severed mineral account 5 years after the date the taxes become delinquent.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/CO-SB26-044-lost-bill.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-CO-007", "jurisdiction": "CO", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://content.leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/images/olls/crs2024-title-34.pdf", "publisher": "Colorado General Assembly, Office of Legislative Legal Services (Colorado Revised Statutes 2024)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "C.R.S. 34-60-116(6)(b)(I)", "excerpt": "In the absence of voluntary pooling, the commission, upon the application of a person that owns, or has secured the consent of the owners of, more than forty-five percent of the mineral interests to be pooled, may enter an order pooling all interests in the drilling unit for the development and operation of the drilling unit.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot August 9, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/CO-34-60-116-pooling.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-CO-008", "jurisdiction": "CO", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://content.leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/images/olls/crs2024-title-34.pdf", "publisher": "Colorado General Assembly, Office of Legislative Legal Services (Colorado Revised Statutes 2024)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "C.R.S. 34-60-106(3.5)", "excerpt": "in instances in which the owner of the surface of lands so leased was not a party to such lease, to protect such owner from unreasonable crop losses or land damage from the use of the premises by said lessee", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot August 9, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/CO-34-60-106-127-surface-owner.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-CO-009", "jurisdiction": "CO", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://content.leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/images/olls/crs2024-title-34.pdf", "publisher": "Colorado General Assembly, Office of Legislative Legal Services (Colorado Revised Statutes 2024)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "C.R.S. 34-60-106(14)", "excerpt": "Before an operator commences operations for the drilling of any oil or gas well, such operator shall evidence its intention to conduct such operations by giving the surface owner written notice describing the expected date of commencement, the location of the well, and any associated roads and production facilities.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot August 9, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/CO-34-60-106-127-surface-owner.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-CO-010", "jurisdiction": "CO", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://content.leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/images/olls/crs2024-title-34.pdf", "publisher": "Colorado General Assembly, Office of Legislative Legal Services (Colorado Revised Statutes 2024)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "C.R.S. 34-60-127(2)", "excerpt": "An operator's failure to meet the requirements set forth in this section shall give rise to a cause of action by the surface owner. Upon a determination by the trier of fact that such failure has occurred, a surface owner may seek compensatory damages", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot August 9, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/CO-34-60-106-127-surface-owner.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-CT-001", "jurisdiction": "CT", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://cga.ct.gov/Current/pub/chap_821.htm", "publisher": "Connecticut General Assembly, Legislative Commissioners' Office", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47-33q(a)", "excerpt": "A mineral interest is dormant for the purpose of sections 47-33m to 47-33t, inclusive, if the interest is unused within the meaning of subsection (c) of this section for a period of twenty years immediately preceding commencement of the action.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot August 20, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/CT-cgs-47-33m.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-CT-002", "jurisdiction": "CT", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://cga.ct.gov/Current/pub/chap_821.htm", "publisher": "Connecticut General Assembly, Legislative Commissioners' Office", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47-33q(b)", "excerpt": "the court, upon application of any person alleging to be an owner of a mineral interest in the land described in the complaint shall permit such person to record a late notice of intent to preserve such mineral interest in accordance with section 47-33r upon payment to the plaintiff of such litigation expenses as the court may award.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot August 20, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/CT-cgs-47-33m.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-CT-003", "jurisdiction": "CT", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://cga.ct.gov/Current/pub/chap_821.htm", "publisher": "Connecticut General Assembly, Legislative Commissioners' Office", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47-33q(c)(1)", "excerpt": "Production, geophysical exploration, exploratory or developmental drilling, mining, exploitation, development or other active mineral operations on or below the surface of real property which is subject to a mineral interest. Injection of substances for purposes of disposal or storage is not an active mineral operation within the meaning of this subdivision.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot August 20, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/CT-cgs-47-33m.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-CT-004", "jurisdiction": "CT", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://cga.ct.gov/Current/pub/chap_821.htm", "publisher": "Connecticut General Assembly, Legislative Commissioners' Office", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47-33r(a)", "excerpt": "Any person claiming any kind of mineral interest may preserve and keep effective that interest by recording a notice of intent to preserve the mineral interest or a part thereof. The mineral interest is preserved in each town in which the notice is recorded.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot August 20, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/CT-cgs-47-33m.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-CT-005", "jurisdiction": "CT", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://cga.ct.gov/Current/pub/chap_821.htm", "publisher": "Connecticut General Assembly, Legislative Commissioners' Office", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47-33s", "excerpt": "A court order or decree terminating a mineral interest, when recorded, merges the terminated mineral interest, including express and implied appurtenant surface rights and obligations, with the surface estate in shares proportionate to the ownership of the surface estate, subject to existing tax liens or assessments.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot August 20, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/CT-cgs-47-33m.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-CT-006", "jurisdiction": "CT", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://cga.ct.gov/Current/pub/chap_821.htm", "publisher": "Connecticut General Assembly, Legislative Commissioners' Office", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47-33o(1)", "excerpt": "“Mineral interest” means an interest in a mineral estate, however created and regardless of form, whether absolute or fractional, divided or undivided, corporeal or incorporeal, including a fee simple or any lesser interest or any kind of royalty, production payment, executive right, nonexecutive right, leasehold or security interest in minerals", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot August 20, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/CT-cgs-47-33m.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-CT-007", "jurisdiction": "CT", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://cga.ct.gov/Current/pub/chap_821.htm", "publisher": "Connecticut General Assembly, Legislative Commissioners' Office", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47-33t(b)", "excerpt": "An action may not be maintained to terminate a mineral interest pursuant to sections 47-33m to 47-33t, inclusive, until two years after October 1, 1987.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot August 20, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/CT-cgs-47-33m.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-DE-001", "jurisdiction": "DE", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://delcode.delaware.gov/title25/index.html", "publisher": "Delaware General Assembly, Delaware Code Online", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Del. Code tit. 25 (Property), all chapters searched", "excerpt": "", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-DE-002", "jurisdiction": "DE", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://delcode.delaware.gov/title7/index.html", "publisher": "Delaware General Assembly, Delaware Code Online", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Del. Code tit. 7 (Conservation), all chapters searched", "excerpt": "", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-DE-003", "jurisdiction": "DE", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://delcode.delaware.gov/title7/c061/index.html", "publisher": "State of Delaware, Delaware Code Online", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "7 Del. C. § 6134", "excerpt": "lessees under this chapter and their representatives may unite with each other jointly or separately, or jointly or separately with others owning or operating lands not belonging to the State, in collectively adopting and operating under a cooperative or unit plan of development or operation of the pool or field", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/DE-title7-title25-search.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-DE-004", "jurisdiction": "DE", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://delcode.delaware.gov/title7/c061/index.html", "publisher": "State of Delaware, Delaware Code Online", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "7 Del. C. § 6115", "excerpt": "Sufficient bonding or insurance requirements, as determined by the Secretary shall be specified to secure to the State performance and the faithful compliance by the lessee with the terms of the lease, and further to secure adjacent landowners and the public generally as to all proper claims for damages arising from operations thereunder.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/DE-title7-title25-search.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-DC-001", "jurisdiction": "DC", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/47-1384", "publisher": "Council of the District of Columbia, D.C. Law Library", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "D.C. Code § 47-1384 (only marketable title hit)", "excerpt": "the provision shall be liberally construed as remedial legislation to encourage the foreclosure of the right of redemption by suits in the Superior Court and for the decreeing of marketable titles to real property sold by the Mayor.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "the D.C. Council’s official code, publication of September 30, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/DC-code-fulltext-search.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-FL-001", "jurisdiction": "FL", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/712.04", "publisher": "The Florida Senate", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Fla. Stat. 712.04 (2025)", "excerpt": "Subject to s. 712.03, a marketable record title is free and clear of all estates, interests, claims, covenants, restrictions, or charges, the existence of which depends upon any act, title transaction, event, zoning requirement, building or development permit, or omission that occurred before the effective date of the root of title.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/FL-712-mrta.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-FL-002", "jurisdiction": "FL", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/712.02", "publisher": "The Florida Senate", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Fla. Stat. 712.02 (2025)", "excerpt": "Any person having the legal capacity to own land in this state, who, alone or together with her or his predecessors in title, has been vested with any estate in land of record for 30 years or more, shall have a marketable record title to such estate in said land", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/FL-712-mrta.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-FL-003", "jurisdiction": "FL", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/712.05", "publisher": "The Florida Senate", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Fla. Stat. 712.05(1) (2025)", "excerpt": "may preserve and protect such interest or right from extinguishment by the operation of this chapter by filing for record, at any time during the 30-year period immediately following the effective date of the root of title, a written notice in accordance with s. 712.06.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/FL-712-mrta.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-FL-004", "jurisdiction": "FL", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/712.03", "publisher": "The Florida Senate", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Fla. Stat. 712.03(1) (2025)", "excerpt": "those estates, interests, easements, or use restrictions created before the root of title are preserved by identification in the legal description of the property by specific reference to the official records book and page number, instrument number, or plat name", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/FL-712-mrta.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-FL-005", "jurisdiction": "FL", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/704.05", "publisher": "The Florida Senate", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Fla. Stat. 704.05(1) (2025)", "excerpt": "shall include rights of entry or of an easement, given or reserved in any conveyance or devise of realty, when given or reserved for the purpose of mining, drilling, exploring, or developing for oil, gas, minerals, or fissionable materials", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/FL-704-05.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-FL-006", "jurisdiction": "FL", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/193.481", "publisher": "The Florida Senate", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Fla. Stat. 193.481(1) (2025)", "excerpt": "Such mineral, oil, gas, and other subsurface rights, when separated from the fee or other interest in the fee, shall be subject to separate taxation.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/FL-193-481.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-FL-007", "jurisdiction": "FL", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.lowndes-law.com/newsroom/insights/buying-or-selling-in-florida-beware-of-mineral-rights", "publisher": "Lowndes (law firm)", "type": "secondary", "pinpoint": "Buying or Selling in Florida? Beware of Mineral Rights", "excerpt": "Florida’s Marketable Record Title Act (MRTA) may operate to extinguish a private right of entry for exploration, mining, drilling, etc., pursuant to F.S. 704.05 , even if the mineral reservations themselves remain.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/FL-lowndes-mineral-rights-secondary.md", "official": false }, { "id": "SRC-FL-008", "jurisdiction": "FL", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/377.27", "publisher": "The Florida Senate", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Fla. Stat. 377.27(1) (2025)", "excerpt": "Where, however, such owners have not agreed to integrate their interests, the division shall, for the prevention of waste and to avoid the risks involved in the drilling of unnecessary wells, require such owners to do so and to develop their lands as a drilling unit.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/FL-377-pooling.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-FL-009", "jurisdiction": "FL", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/377.2411", "publisher": "The Florida Senate", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Fla. Stat. 377.2411(2)(a), (b) (2025)", "excerpt": "All notified owners who fail to respond in writing to the applicant’s notice within 30 days after receipt of said notice shall be deemed to be a carried leasehold working interest owner or “carried owner.” (b) A carried owner shall receive no revenue until the applicant and its joint working interest owners have been paid from the sale of production", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/FL-377-pooling.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-FL-010", "jurisdiction": "FL", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/377.244", "publisher": "The Florida Senate", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Fla. Stat. 377.244(1)(b) (2025)", "excerpt": "The applicant shall post a good and sufficient surety bond with the division in such amount as the division may determine is adequate to afford full and complete protection for the owner of the surface rights of the lands described in the application, conditioned upon the full and complete restoration", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/FL-377-surface-survey.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-GA-001", "jurisdiction": "GA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "http://www.lexisnexis.com/hottopics/gacode", "publisher": "Official Code of Georgia Annotated, public access site of the Georgia Code Revision Commission on behalf of the General Assembly, maintained by LexisNexis", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "O.C.G.A. § 44-5-168(a), version [Effective July 1, 2026] (identical wording in the version effective until July 1, 2026)", "excerpt": "the owner of the real property in fee simple or his heirs or assigns may gain title to such mineral rights by adverse possession if the owner of the mineral rights or his heirs or assigns have neither worked nor attempted to work the mineral rights nor paid any taxes due on them for a period of seven years", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/GA-44-5-168-ocga-official.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-GA-002", "jurisdiction": "GA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "http://www.lexisnexis.com/hottopics/gacode", "publisher": "Official Code of Georgia Annotated, public access site of the Georgia Code Revision Commission on behalf of the General Assembly, maintained by LexisNexis", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "O.C.G.A. § 44-5-168(b)(2) and (b)(3)", "excerpt": "the court shall issue a judgment and decree declaring that the mineral rights involved have been lost and that the plaintiff has gained absolute title to such mineral rights; and (3) Service shall be perfected in the same manner as service on defendants in an in rem proceeding, including service by publication.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/GA-44-5-168-ocga-official.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-GA-003", "jurisdiction": "GA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "http://www.lexisnexis.com/hottopics/gacode", "publisher": "Official Code of Georgia Annotated, public access site of the Georgia Code Revision Commission on behalf of the General Assembly, maintained by LexisNexis", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "O.C.G.A. § 44-5-168(f), version [Effective July 1, 2026]", "excerpt": "(f) Nothing in this Code section shall apply to a lease for a specific number of years nor to an owner of mineral rights who has leased the mineral rights in writing to a mining operator as defined in Code Section 12-4-72", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/GA-44-5-168-ocga-official.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-GA-004", "jurisdiction": "GA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "http://www.lexisnexis.com/hottopics/gacode", "publisher": "Official Code of Georgia Annotated, public access site of the Georgia Code Revision Commission on behalf of the General Assembly, maintained by LexisNexis", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "O.C.G.A. § 44-5-168, history line of the version [Effective July 1, 2026]", "excerpt": "Code 1933, § 85-407.1, enacted by Ga. L. 1975, p. 725, § 1; Ga. L. 1987, p. 3, § 44; Ga. L. 2026, p. 1069, § 44(16)/HB 1268 , effective July ...", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/GA-44-5-168-ocga-official.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-GA-005", "jurisdiction": "GA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20252026/246941", "publisher": "Georgia General Assembly", "type": "session_law", "pinpoint": "HB 1268 (Act 723), LC 39 4848/AP as passed House and Senate, Section 44, paragraph (16), lines 987 to 990", "excerpt": "(16) Code Section 44-5-168, relating to adverse possession of mineral rights under certain conditions and procedure to obtain title, by substituting \"mining operator as defined in Code Section 12-4-72.\" for \"licensed mining operator as defined in Part 3 of Article 2 of Chapter 4 of Title 12.\" in subsection (f).", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/GA-HB1268-2026.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-GA-006", "jurisdiction": "GA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73061", "publisher": "Georgia General Assembly", "type": "session_law", "pinpoint": "HB 1268 status history, 2025 to 2026 Regular Session", "excerpt": "07/01/2026 Effective Date; 05/12/2026 Act 723; 05/12/2026 House Date Signed by Governor", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/GA-HB1268-2026.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-GA-007", "jurisdiction": "GA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/legislative-counsel-document-library/sumdoc2026-edit.pdf", "publisher": "Office of Legislative Counsel, Georgia General Assembly", "type": "official_agency", "pinpoint": "Summary of General Statutes Enacted, 2026, Act 723; HB 1268, and index entry for Code Section 44-5-168", "excerpt": "This Act makes extensive editorial amendments to the Official Code of Georgia Annotated to correct typographical, stylistic, capitalization, punctuation, and other errors and omissions and reenacts the statutory portion of the Code as so amended. Effective July 1, 2026.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/GA-sumdoc2026-legislative-counsel.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-GA-008", "jurisdiction": "GA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://media.ca11.uscourts.gov/opinions/unpub/files/202211375.pdf", "publisher": "United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit", "type": "court_opinion", "pinpoint": "P.D. Miller Farms, LLC v. BASF Catalysts, LLC, No. 22-11375 (11th Cir. Jan. 5, 2023) (unpublished)", "excerpt": "when the mineral rights are separately held from the surface rights, \"the owner of the mineral rights loses them by nonuse plus nonpayment of taxes.\" Fisch v. Randall Mill Corp., 262 Ga. 861, 862 (1993)", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/GA-ca11-pd-miller-farms-2023.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-GA-009", "jurisdiction": "GA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://law.onecle.com/georgia/title-44/44-5-168.html", "publisher": "onecle", "type": "unofficial_mirror", "pinpoint": "O.C.G.A. § 44-5-168, text before the 2026 amendment (page last modified October 14, 2016)", "excerpt": "(e) In order to maintain the status quo pending the adjudication of the questions or to preserve equitable rights, the court may grant injunctions and other interlocutory extraordinary relief.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/GA-44-5-168-onecle-unofficial.md", "official": false }, { "id": "SRC-GA-010", "jurisdiction": "GA", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "http://www.lexisnexis.com/hottopics/gacode", "publisher": "Official Code of Georgia Annotated, public access site of the Georgia Code Revision Commission on behalf of the General Assembly, maintained by LexisNexis", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "O.C.G.A. § 12-4-45(a)(1)", "excerpt": "such owners have not agreed to integrate their interests, the board may, for the prevention of waste or to avoid the drilling of unnecessary wells, after ... require such owners to do so and to develop their lands as a drilling unit.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/GA-12-4-45-pooling-and-surface-survey.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-HI-001", "jurisdiction": "HI", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol03_Ch0121-0200D/HRS0182/HRS_0182-0002.htm", "publisher": "Hawaii State Legislature, Hawaii Revised Statutes", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "HRS § 182-2(a)", "excerpt": "All minerals in, on, or under state lands or reserved lands are reserved to the State; provided that the board may release, cancel, or waive the reservation whenever it deems the land use, other than mining, is of greater benefit to the State as provided for in section 182-4.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot April 7, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/HI-hrs-182.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-HI-002", "jurisdiction": "HI", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol03_Ch0121-0200D/HRS0182/HRS_0182-0001.htm", "publisher": "Hawaii State Legislature, Hawaii Revised Statutes", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "HRS § 182-1, definition of reserved lands", "excerpt": "\"Reserved lands\" means those lands owned or leased by any person in which the State or its predecessors in interest has reserved to itself expressly or by implication the minerals or right to mine minerals, or both.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot September 30, 2023", "saved_as": "sources/HI-hrs-182.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-HI-003", "jurisdiction": "HI", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol03_Ch0121-0200D/HRS0182/HRS_0182-0009_0005.htm", "publisher": "Hawaii State Legislature, Hawaii Revised Statutes", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "HRS § 182-9.5", "excerpt": "the board, in its discretion, may order such lessees or owners of mineral rights on adjoining properties to collectively adopt, and operate under, a cooperative or unit plan of development, if the board finds that such a plan will prevent the waste of any mineral, increase the ultimate recovery", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot September 17, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/HI-hrs-182.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-HI-004", "jurisdiction": "HI", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol03_Ch0121-0200D/HRS0182/HRS_0182-0003.htm", "publisher": "Hawaii State Legislature, Hawaii Revised Statutes", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "HRS § 182-3(a)", "excerpt": "the occupier shall be reimbursed the full extent of the damages caused by the mining operations of the lessee to be allocated between the lessee and the fee owner in accordance with the lease terms, if any.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot September 30, 2023", "saved_as": "sources/HI-hrs-182.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-ID-001", "jurisdiction": "ID", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idstat/Title55/", "publisher": "Idaho Legislature, Idaho Statutes", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Survey of Idaho Code Titles 55, 47, 6, 5 and 14 chapters (full text of chapter PDFs)", "excerpt": "\"Mineral proceeds\" means an amount payable for", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshots March 12, 2025 to June 12, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/ID-survey-chapters.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-ID-002", "jurisdiction": "ID", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idstat/Title47/T47CH3/SECT47-320/", "publisher": "Idaho Legislature, Idaho Statutes", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Idaho Code § 47-320(1)", "excerpt": "In the absence of voluntary integration, the department, upon the application of any owner in that proposed spacing unit, shall order integration of all tracts or interests in the spacing unit for drilling of a well or wells, for development and operation thereof and for the sharing of production therefrom.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot March 7, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/ID-47-320-integration.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-ID-003", "jurisdiction": "ID", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idstat/Title47/T47CH3/SECT47-320/", "publisher": "Idaho Legislature, Idaho Statutes", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Idaho Code § 47-320(4)(h)", "excerpt": "An affidavit indicating that at least sixty-seven percent (67%) of the mineral interest acres in the spacing unit support the integration application by leasing or participating as a working interest owner;", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot March 7, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/ID-47-320-integration.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-ID-004", "jurisdiction": "ID", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idstat/Title47/T47CH3/SECT47-334/", "publisher": "Idaho Legislature, Idaho Statutes", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Idaho Code § 47-334(3)(c)", "excerpt": "(c) Compensate a surface landowner for unreasonable: (i) Loss of a surface landowner’s crops on the surface land; (ii) Loss of value to existing improvements owned by a surface landowner on the surface land; and (iii) Permanent damage to the surface land.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot March 16, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/ID-47-334-surface-use.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-ID-005", "jurisdiction": "ID", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idstat/Title47/T47CH3/SECT47-334/", "publisher": "Idaho Legislature, Idaho Statutes", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Idaho Code § 47-334(8)(b)", "excerpt": "The minimum surface use bond shall be in the amount of six thousand dollars ($6,000) per well site", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot March 16, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/ID-47-334-surface-use.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-IL-001", "jurisdiction": "IL", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://ilga.gov/documents/legislation/ilcs/documents/076505150K1.htm", "publisher": "Illinois General Assembly", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "765 ILCS 515/1(a), (b)", "excerpt": "An \"unknown or missing owner\" is any person or entity vested with a severed mineral interest and whose present identity or location cannot be determined from the records of the county in which the severed mineral interest is located and by diligent inquiry in the vicinity of the owner's last known place of residence", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot August 7, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/IL-765-515-severed-mineral-interest-act.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-IL-002", "jurisdiction": "IL", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://ilga.gov/documents/legislation/ilcs/documents/076505150K3.htm", "publisher": "Illinois General Assembly", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "765 ILCS 515/3", "excerpt": "the circuit court of the county in which the minerals or the major portion thereof lies shall have the power to declare a trust therein, appoint a trustee for the unknown or missing owners and authorize the trustee to sell, execute and deliver a valid lease thereon", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot August 17, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/IL-765-515-severed-mineral-interest-act.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-IL-003", "jurisdiction": "IL", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://ilga.gov/documents/legislation/ilcs/documents/076505150K9.htm", "publisher": "Illinois General Assembly", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "765 ILCS 515/9(a)", "excerpt": "Regardless of whether there has been production of the severed mineral interest, if the owners of the severed mineral interests which are the subject of a trustee's lease executed and delivered in accordance with this Act remain unknown or missing for a period of 7 years from the date of entry of the initial judgment authorizing a lease", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot July 28, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/IL-765-515-severed-mineral-interest-act.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-IL-004", "jurisdiction": "IL", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://ilga.gov/documents/legislation/ilcs/documents/076505150K11.htm", "publisher": "Illinois General Assembly", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "765 ILCS 515/11(g)", "excerpt": "the court shall enter a judgment declaring that the severed mineral interests are null and void due to adverse possession by the surface owner and that fee title to such severed mineral interests is vested in such surface owner.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot July 23, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/IL-765-515-severed-mineral-interest-act.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-IL-005", "jurisdiction": "IL", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://ilga.gov/documents/legislation/ilcs/documents/076505150K11.htm", "publisher": "Illinois General Assembly", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "765 ILCS 515/11(g)(2)", "excerpt": "and the severance took place more than 20 years prior to the date of the filing of the original petition, the plaintiff or his then successor in title shall file a motion with the court renewing or supplementing the allegations of the original petition", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot July 23, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/IL-765-515-severed-mineral-interest-act.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-IL-006", "jurisdiction": "IL", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://ilga.gov/Legislation/ILCS/Acts?ChapterID=62", "publisher": "Illinois General Assembly", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Chapter 765 act list, Mineral Rights group", "excerpt": "765 ILCS 515/ Severed Mineral Interest Act. 765 ILCS 520/ Oil and Gas Rights Act. 765 ILCS 525/ Oil and Gas Recovery Act. 765 ILCS 530/ Drilling Operations Act.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot December 22, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/IL-765-ilcs-mineral-rights-index.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-IL-007", "jurisdiction": "IL", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://ilga.gov/documents/legislation/ilcs/documents/022507250K22.2.htm", "publisher": "Illinois General Assembly", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "225 ILCS 725/22.2(b)", "excerpt": "and where at least one of the owners has drilled or has proposed to drill a well on an established drilling unit the Department on the application of an owner shall, for the prevention of waste or to avoid the drilling of unnecessary wells, require such owners to do so and to develop their lands as a drilling unit.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot August 31, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/IL-225-725-22-2-integration.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-IL-008", "jurisdiction": "IL", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://dnr.illinois.gov/oilandgas/programsandregulations.html", "publisher": "Illinois Department of Natural Resources", "type": "official_agency", "pinpoint": "Office of Oil and Gas Resource Management, programs and regulations page", "excerpt": "Illinois Oil and Gas Act (225 ILCS 725) provides for the conservation of oil and gas resources through the protection of correlative rights, proper well spacing, integration and unitization of mineral interests", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/IL-dnr-oil-gas-programs.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-IL-009", "jurisdiction": "IL", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://ilga.gov/documents/legislation/ilcs/documents/076505300K6.htm", "publisher": "Illinois General Assembly", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "765 ILCS 530/6(A)(1), (B)", "excerpt": "The surface owner shall be entitled to reasonable compensation from the operator for damages as follows: (1) To growing crops, trees, shrubs, fences, roads, structures, improvements, personal property, and livestock thereon caused by the drilling of a new well.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot September 10, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/IL-765-530-drilling-operations-act.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-IL-010", "jurisdiction": "IL", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://ilga.gov/documents/legislation/ilcs/documents/076505300K4.htm", "publisher": "Illinois General Assembly", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "765 ILCS 530/4", "excerpt": "certified mail addressed to the surface owner at the address shown in the certification obtained from the assessor, which shall be postmarked at least 15 days prior to the commencement of drilling operations", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot August 24, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/IL-765-530-drilling-operations-act.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-IN-001", "jurisdiction": "IN", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title32/ar23/ch10.html", "publisher": "Indiana General Assembly, Office of Code Revision, Legislative Services Agency", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "IC 32-23-10-2", "excerpt": "An interest in coal, oil and gas, and other minerals, if unused for a period of twenty (20) years, is extinguished and the ownership reverts to the owner of the interest out of which the interest in coal, oil and gas, and other minerals was carved.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot October 24, 2012", "saved_as": "sources/IN-ic-32-23-10.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-IN-002", "jurisdiction": "IN", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title32/ar23/ch10.html", "publisher": "Indiana General Assembly, Office of Code Revision, Legislative Services Agency", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "IC 32-23-10-3(a)(1) to (3)", "excerpt": "(1) minerals are produced under the mineral interest; (2) operations are conducted on the mineral interest for injection, withdrawal, storage, or disposal of water, gas, or other fluid substances; (3) rentals or royalties are paid by the owner of the mineral interest for the purpose of delaying or enjoying the use or exercise of the rights;", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot October 24, 2012", "saved_as": "sources/IN-ic-32-23-10.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-IN-003", "jurisdiction": "IN", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title32/ar23/ch10.html", "publisher": "Indiana General Assembly, Office of Code Revision, Legislative Services Agency", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "IC 32-23-10-4(c)", "excerpt": "Upon the filing of a statement of claim within the time provided in this section, the mineral interest is considered to be in use on the date the statement of claim is filed.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot October 24, 2012", "saved_as": "sources/IN-ic-32-23-10.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-IN-004", "jurisdiction": "IN", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title32/ar23/ch10.html", "publisher": "Indiana General Assembly, Office of Code Revision, Legislative Services Agency", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "IC 32-23-10-5", "excerpt": "does not cause a mineral interest to be extinguished if the owner of the mineral interest: (1) was, at the time of the expiration of the period specified in section 4 of this chapter, the owner of ten (10) or more mineral interests in the county", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot October 24, 2012", "saved_as": "sources/IN-ic-32-23-10.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-IN-005", "jurisdiction": "IN", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://iga.in.gov/ic/2026/Title_32.json", "publisher": "Indiana General Assembly (iga.in.gov)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Indiana Code 2026, Title 32 structure file, chapter 32-23-10", "excerpt": "Chapter 10. Lapse of Mineral Interest", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot September 12, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/IN-iga-2026-code-structure.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-IN-006", "jurisdiction": "IN", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/454/516", "publisher": "Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School (reproduction of the opinion)", "type": "court_opinion", "pinpoint": "Texaco, Inc. v. Short, 454 U.S. 516 (1982)", "excerpt": "In 1971 the Indiana Legislature enacted a statute providing that a severed mineral interest that is not used for a period of 20 years automatically lapses and reverts to the current surface owner of the property, unless the mineral owner files a statement of claim in the local county recorder's office.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/IN-texaco-v-short-1982.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-IN-007", "jurisdiction": "IN", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.theindianalawyer.com/articles/31484-coa-rules-for-first-time-on-retroactivity-of-mineral-lapse-act", "publisher": "The Indiana Lawyer", "type": "secondary", "pinpoint": "Bond v. Templeton Coal Co., No. 42A01-1209-PL-419 (Ind. Ct. App. 2013), as reported", "excerpt": "limited in its retroactive application to only the 20-year period", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/IN-secondary-case-notes.md", "official": false }, { "id": "SRC-IN-008", "jurisdiction": "IN", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title14/ar37/ch9.html", "publisher": "Indiana General Assembly, Office of Code Revision, Legislative Services Agency", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "IC 14-37-9-1(b)", "excerpt": "If the owners of separate tracts of land do not agree to integrate their interests, the commission shall, for the prevention of waste or to avoid the drilling of unnecessary wells, require the owners to integrate their interests and to develop the land as a drilling unit.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot June 16, 2011", "saved_as": "sources/IN-ic-14-37-9-pooling.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-IN-009", "jurisdiction": "IN", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title14/ar37/ch9.html", "publisher": "Indiana General Assembly, Office of Code Revision, Legislative Services Agency", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "IC 14-37-9-3(c)", "excerpt": "The operator is entitled to receive the first production from a well that otherwise would be credited to the other owners of the integrated interests, so that the proportionate share owed by the other owners for expenditures under this chapter is paid to the operator from production.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot June 16, 2011", "saved_as": "sources/IN-ic-14-37-9-pooling.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-IN-010", "jurisdiction": "IN", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://iga.in.gov/ic/2026/Title_14.json", "publisher": "Indiana General Assembly (iga.in.gov)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Indiana Code 2026, Title 14 structure file, chapter 14-37-9", "excerpt": "Chapter 9. Integration and Forced Pooling", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot September 12, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/IN-iga-2026-code-structure.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-IN-011", "jurisdiction": "IN", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title32/ar23/ch7.html", "publisher": "Indiana General Assembly, Office of Code Revision, Legislative Services Agency", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "IC 32-23-7-6(3)", "excerpt": "is accountable to the owner of the surface of the land for the actual damage resulting from the person's activities on the land to: (A) the surface of the land; (B) improvements to the land; or (C) growing crops on the land.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot August 7, 2013", "saved_as": "sources/IN-ic-32-23-7-surface.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-IN-012", "jurisdiction": "IN", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title32/ar23/ch7.html", "publisher": "Indiana General Assembly, Office of Code Revision, Legislative Services Agency", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "IC 32-23-7-6.5(b)", "excerpt": "must provide to the surface owner a written notice of the person's intent to enter the property at least five (5) days before the person's entry.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot August 7, 2013", "saved_as": "sources/IN-ic-32-23-7-surface.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-IN-013", "jurisdiction": "IN", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://iga.in.gov/ic/2026/Title_32.json", "publisher": "Indiana General Assembly (iga.in.gov)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Indiana Code 2026, Title 32 structure file, section 32-23-7-6.5", "excerpt": "Notice to surface owner of intent to enter property", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot September 12, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/IN-iga-2026-code-structure.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-IA-001", "jurisdiction": "IA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/publications/iactc/91.2/CH1176.pdf", "publisher": "Iowa Legislature, Iowa Acts 2026 (session laws)", "type": "session_law", "pinpoint": "2026 Iowa Acts ch. 1176, § 7 (Iowa Code § 557C.1)", "excerpt": "is abandoned if it has not been active in accordance with section 557C.2A for a period of twenty years after its creation, transfer, or preservation, unless a statement of claim is filed in accordance with section 557C.3", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/IA-2026-acts-ch1176-hf2531.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-IA-002", "jurisdiction": "IA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/publications/iactc/91.2/CH1176.pdf", "publisher": "Iowa Legislature, Iowa Acts 2026 (session laws)", "type": "session_law", "pinpoint": "2026 Iowa Acts ch. 1176, § 8 (Iowa Code § 557C.2(2))", "excerpt": "any naturally occurring gases, oil, or other gaseous, liquid, or solid hydrocarbons; oil shale; gemstones; metals; fissionable or nonfissionable ore;", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/IA-2026-acts-ch1176-hf2531.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-IA-003", "jurisdiction": "IA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/publications/iactc/91.2/CH1176.pdf", "publisher": "Iowa Legislature, Iowa Acts 2026 (session laws)", "type": "session_law", "pinpoint": "2026 Iowa Acts ch. 1176, § 9 (new Iowa Code § 557C.2A)", "excerpt": "A severed mineral interest is active when any one of the following conditions exists:", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/IA-2026-acts-ch1176-hf2531.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-IA-004", "jurisdiction": "IA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/publications/iactc/91.2/CH1176.pdf", "publisher": "Iowa Legislature, Iowa Acts 2026 (session laws)", "type": "session_law", "pinpoint": "2026 Iowa Acts ch. 1176, § 6 (Iowa Code § 458A.20(2))", "excerpt": "When the owner of those mineral rights or interests does not pay the total amount due by the deadline, the county shall convey the mineral rights or interests pursuant to section 331.310 to the surface owner of the land.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/IA-2026-acts-ch1176-hf2531.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-IA-005", "jurisdiction": "IA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/557C.pdf", "publisher": "Iowa Legislature, Iowa Code 2026", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Iowa Code § 557C.1 (Code 2026, before amendment)", "excerpt": "A mineral interest in coal shall be extinguished twenty years after its creation, transfer, or preservation, unless a statement of claim is filed in accordance with section 557C.3", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/IA-557C-code2026.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-IA-006", "jurisdiction": "IA", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/publications/iactc/91.2/CH1141.pdf", "publisher": "Iowa Legislature, Iowa Acts 2026 (session laws)", "type": "session_law", "pinpoint": "2026 Iowa Acts ch. 1141, § 10 (Iowa Code § 458A.8(2))", "excerpt": "In the absence of voluntary pooling pursuant to subsection 1, and only if the producer has identified pools of existing natural hydrogen within the spacing unit, the director, upon the application by the owner or owners of not less than twenty-five percent of the area of the spacing unit, shall enter an order pooling all interests in the spacing unit", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/IA-2026-acts-ch1141-sf2490.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-IA-007", "jurisdiction": "IA", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/458A.pdf", "publisher": "Iowa Legislature, Iowa Code 2026", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Iowa Code § 458A.8(1) (Code 2026, before amendment; struck by 2026 ch. 1141)", "excerpt": "In the absence of voluntary pooling, the department, upon the application of any interested person, shall enter an order pooling all interests in the spacing unit for the development and operations of the unit.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/IA-458A-code2026-pooling-tax.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-IA-008", "jurisdiction": "IA", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/3.7.pdf", "publisher": "Iowa Legislature, Iowa Code 2026", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Iowa Code § 3.7(1)", "excerpt": "shall take effect on the first day of July following their passage, unless some other specified time is provided in an Act or resolution.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/IA-3.7-effective-dates.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-IA-009", "jurisdiction": "IA", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/publications/iactc/91.2/CH1141.pdf", "publisher": "Iowa Legislature, Iowa Acts 2026 (session laws)", "type": "session_law", "pinpoint": "2026 Iowa Acts ch. 1141, § 11 (new Iowa Code § 458A.26(2)(a))", "excerpt": "an operator shall negotiate with the surface owner for the payment of any damages that may be caused by the drilling operation. If the parties agree and execute a written contract for payment of damages, the operator may enter the site to drill.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/IA-2026-acts-ch1141-sf2490.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-KS-001", "jurisdiction": "KS", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.ksrevisor.gov/statutes/chapters/ch55/055_016_0002.html", "publisher": "Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "K.S.A. 55-1602", "excerpt": "An interest in coal, oil, gas or other minerals, if unused for a period of 20 years, shall lapse, unless a statement of claim is filed in accordance with K.S.A. 55-1604, and the ownership shall revert to the current surface owner.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/KS-ksa-55-1601.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-KS-002", "jurisdiction": "KS", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.ksrevisor.gov/statutes/chapters/ch55/055_016_0001.html", "publisher": "Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "K.S.A. 55-1601", "excerpt": "As used in this act, \"mineral interest\" means an interest created by an instrument transferring, by grant, assignment, reservation or otherwise, an interest of any kind in coal, oil, gas or other minerals.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/KS-ksa-55-1601.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-KS-003", "jurisdiction": "KS", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.ksrevisor.gov/statutes/chapters/ch55/055_016_0003.html", "publisher": "Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "K.S.A. 55-1603(a)(1) to (2)", "excerpt": "A mineral interest shall be considered to be used when: (1) There are any minerals produced under the interest; (2) operations are being conducted on the interest for injection, withdrawal, storage or disposal of water, gas or other fluid substances;", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/KS-ksa-55-1601.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-KS-004", "jurisdiction": "KS", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.ksrevisor.gov/statutes/chapters/ch55/055_016_0003.html", "publisher": "Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "K.S.A. 55-1603(a)(3) to (4)", "excerpt": "(3) rentals or royalties are being paid by the owner of the interest for the purpose of delaying or enjoying the use or exercise of the mineral rights; (4) the use or exercise of the mineral rights is being carried out on a tract with which the mineral interest may be unitized or pooled for production purposes;", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/KS-ksa-55-1601.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-KS-005", "jurisdiction": "KS", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.ksrevisor.gov/statutes/chapters/ch55/055_016_0004.html", "publisher": "Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "K.S.A. 55-1604(a)", "excerpt": "A statement of claim may be filed by the owner of a mineral interest prior to the end of the twenty-year period specified by K.S.A. 55-1602 or within three years after the effective date of this act, whichever is later.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/KS-ksa-55-1601.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-KS-006", "jurisdiction": "KS", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.ksrevisor.gov/statutes/chapters/ch55/055_016_0004.html", "publisher": "Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "K.S.A. 55-1604(b)", "excerpt": "Failure to file a statement of claim within the time prescribed by subsection (a) shall not cause a mineral interest to be extinguished if the owner of the mineral interest filed the statement of claim within 60 days after (1) publication of notice as prescribed by K.S.A. 55-1605, if such notice is published", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/KS-ksa-55-1601.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-KS-007", "jurisdiction": "KS", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.ksrevisor.gov/statutes/chapters/ch55/055_016_0005.html", "publisher": "Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "K.S.A. 55-1605", "excerpt": "Upon the lapse of a mineral interest under K.S.A. 55-1602, any person who will succeed to the ownership of the interest shall give notice of the lapse of the mineral interest by publishing notice of the lapse in a newspaper of general circulation in the county", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/KS-ksa-55-1601.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-KS-008", "jurisdiction": "KS", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://www.ksrevisor.gov/statutes/chapters/ch55/055_013_0004.html", "publisher": "Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "K.S.A. 55-1304", "excerpt": "The commission may make an order providing for the unitization and unit operation of such pool or part thereof sought to be unitized, if, upon application of any working interest owner and after notice and hearing", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/KS-ksa-pooling-unitization.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-KS-009", "jurisdiction": "KS", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://www.ksrevisor.gov/statutes/chapters/ch55/055_013_0005.html", "publisher": "Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "K.S.A. 55-1305", "excerpt": "has been approved in writing by those persons who, under the commission's order, will be required to pay at least 63% of the costs of the unit operation, and also by the owners of at least 63% of the production or proceeds thereof that will be credited to royalties", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/KS-ksa-pooling-unitization.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-KS-010", "jurisdiction": "KS", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://www.ksrevisor.gov/statutes/chapters/ch55/055_016_0011.html", "publisher": "Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "K.S.A. 55-1611", "excerpt": "it may adopt an ordinance dividing the city into drilling units for the production of those minerals. The ordinance shall require any persons having the right to produce minerals in a drilling unit to pool their rights for the production of such minerals.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/KS-ksa-pooling-unitization.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-KS-011", "jurisdiction": "KS", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://www.ksrevisor.gov/statutes/chapters/ch55/055_016_0013.html", "publisher": "Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "K.S.A. 55-1613", "excerpt": "The provisions of this act shall not apply to any drilling unit in which there is a producing well or wells.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/KS-ksa-pooling-unitization.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-KS-012", "jurisdiction": "KS", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://www.ksrevisor.gov/statutes/chapters/ch55/055_001_0051.html", "publisher": "Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "K.S.A. 55-151(a)", "excerpt": "The commission shall, upon receipt of such application, send a copy of such application to the named surface owner, as well as the contact information, including name, address, phone number, fax or email address, for a designated representative of the applicant.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/KS-ksa-55-169-surface-notice.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-KS-013", "jurisdiction": "KS", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://www.ksrevisor.gov/statutes/chapters/ch55/055_001_0069.html", "publisher": "Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "K.S.A. 55-169", "excerpt": "K.S.A. 55-169 through 55-169b, and amendments thereto, may be cited as the Kansas surface owner notice act.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/KS-ksa-55-169-surface-notice.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-KY-001", "jurisdiction": "KY", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=33095", "publisher": "Kentucky Legislative Research Commission", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "KRS 353.460(2)", "excerpt": "An \"unknown or missing owner\" is any person vested with a severed mineral interest and whose present identity or location cannot be determined from the records of the county in which the land is located or by diligent inquiry in the vicinity of the owner's last known place of residence", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot March 10, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/KY-krs-353-460-476.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-KY-002", "jurisdiction": "KY", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=33097", "publisher": "Kentucky Legislative Research Commission", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "KRS 353.464(1)", "excerpt": "the Circuit Court of the county in which the minerals or the major portion thereof lies shall have the power to declare a trust therein, appoint a trustee for the unknown or missing owners and authorize the trustee to sell, execute and deliver a valid lease thereon", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot March 14, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/KY-krs-353-460-476.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-KY-003", "jurisdiction": "KY", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=33099", "publisher": "Kentucky Legislative Research Commission", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "KRS 353.468(6)", "excerpt": "Within seven (7) years after the date of first commercial production of the severed mineral interests under the trustee's lease, any person being an unknown or missing owner of the severed mineral interest or any undivided portion thereof, may petition the Circuit Court to redocket the action", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot March 15, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/KY-krs-353-460-476.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-KY-004", "jurisdiction": "KY", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=33100", "publisher": "Kentucky Legislative Research Commission", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "KRS 353.470(1)", "excerpt": "the owners of the severed mineral interests remain unknown or missing for a period of seven (7) years from the date of first production under the lease ... the court shall order the trustee to convey to the surface owners by recordable instrument the unknown or missing owners' interest in the severed mineral interests", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot March 10, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/KY-krs-353-460-476.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-KY-005", "jurisdiction": "KY", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=33103", "publisher": "Kentucky Legislative Research Commission", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "KRS 353.476", "excerpt": "After the expiration of seven (7) years from the date of first commercial production of the severed mineral pursuant to the terms of the lease authorized hereunder, no action may be instituted by any unknown or missing owner to recover any right, title or interest in and to the severed mineral interest subject to the lease.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot March 10, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/KY-krs-353-460-476.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-KY-006", "jurisdiction": "KY", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/chapter.aspx?id=38944", "publisher": "Kentucky Legislative Research Commission", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "KRS Chapter 353, section list", "excerpt": ".464 When court may declare trust and appoint trustee -- Persons authorized to institute proceedings.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot June 15, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/KY-krs-ch353-index.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-KY-007", "jurisdiction": "KY", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/00rs/HB990.htm", "publisher": "Kentucky Legislative Research Commission", "type": "official_agency", "pinpoint": "2000 RS HB 990, LRC bill record (introduced, not enacted)", "excerpt": "allow surface owner to take action to terminate dormant mineral interests if interest is unused for fifteen (15) or more years next preceding commencement of the action", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot March 2, 2024", "saved_as": "sources/KY-2000-hb990-dormant-bill.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-KY-008", "jurisdiction": "KY", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=35449", "publisher": "Kentucky Legislative Research Commission", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "KRS 381.430", "excerpt": "the possession of the surface by the original claimant thereof, from whom such mineral, interests or rights passed ... shall be deemed to be for the benefit of the person, his heirs and assigns, to whom the mineral, interests or rights have passed.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot January 28, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/KY-krs-381-430.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-KY-009", "jurisdiction": "KY", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=47762", "publisher": "Kentucky Legislative Research Commission", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "KRS 353.630(2)", "excerpt": "the operator has secured the written consent or agreement from the owners of at least fifty-one percent (51%) of the interests in each tract ... the department shall ... order ... the pooling of all oil and gas interests in all tracts, or portions thereof, that are included within the proposed pooled acreage", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot March 15, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/KY-krs-353-630-640-651.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-KY-010", "jurisdiction": "KY", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=47763", "publisher": "Kentucky Legislative Research Commission", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "KRS 353.640(4)", "excerpt": "An oil or gas owner whose identity and location remain unknown after thirty (30) days has passed from the date of publication ... shall be deemed to have elected to lease the interest to the oil or gas operator, exclusive of one-eighth (1/8) of the production attributable to the unleased interest", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot March 10, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/KY-krs-353-630-640-651.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-KY-011", "jurisdiction": "KY", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=44255", "publisher": "Kentucky Legislative Research Commission", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "KRS 353.651(3)(a)", "excerpt": "In the absence of voluntary pooling and upon application of any operator having an interest in the drilling unit ... the commission shall enter an order pooling all tracts or interests in the drilling unit for the development and operation thereof and for the sharing of production therefrom.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot March 11, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/KY-krs-353-630-640-651.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-KY-012", "jurisdiction": "KY", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=33120", "publisher": "Kentucky Legislative Research Commission", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "KRS 353.595(5)", "excerpt": "The surface owner shall be entitled to reasonable compensation from the operator for damages to growing crops, trees, shrubs, fences, roads, structures, improvements, and livestock thereon caused by the drilling of a new well.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot March 10, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/KY-krs-353-595.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-LA-001", "jurisdiction": "LA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=87858", "publisher": "Louisiana State Legislature", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "La. R.S. 31:16", "excerpt": "Mineral rights are real rights and are subject either to the prescription of nonuse for ten years or to special rules of law governing the term of their existence.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "an Internet Archive snapshot of the official page dated November 11, 2025, because www.legis.la.gov was not available when AMR checked", "saved_as": "sources/LA-31-16-21-22-mineral-rights-nature.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-LA-002", "jurisdiction": "LA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=87915", "publisher": "Louisiana State Legislature", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "La. R.S. 31:21", "excerpt": "A mineral servitude is the right of enjoyment of land belonging to another for the purpose of exploring for and producing minerals and reducing them to possession and ownership.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "an Internet Archive snapshot of the official page dated April 13, 2026, because www.legis.la.gov was not available when AMR checked", "saved_as": "sources/LA-31-16-21-22-mineral-rights-nature.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-LA-003", "jurisdiction": "LA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=87994", "publisher": "Louisiana State Legislature", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "La. R.S. 31:80", "excerpt": "A mineral royalty is the right to participate in production of minerals from land owned by another or land subject to a mineral servitude owned by another.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "an Internet Archive snapshot of the official page dated July 13, 2025, because www.legis.la.gov was not available when AMR checked", "saved_as": "sources/LA-31-80-to-98-royalty-prescription.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-LA-004", "jurisdiction": "LA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=87804", "publisher": "Louisiana State Legislature", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "La. R.S. 31:114", "excerpt": "A mineral lease is a contract by which the lessee is granted the right to explore for and produce minerals.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "an Internet Archive snapshot of the official page dated May 10, 2026, because www.legis.la.gov was not available when AMR checked", "saved_as": "sources/LA-31-114-133-lease.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-LA-005", "jurisdiction": "LA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=87935", "publisher": "Louisiana State Legislature", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "La. R.S. 31:27(1)", "excerpt": "A mineral servitude is extinguished by: (1) prescription resulting from nonuse for ten years;", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "an Internet Archive snapshot of the official page dated August 20, 2026, because www.legis.la.gov was not available when AMR checked", "saved_as": "sources/LA-31-27-to-64-servitude-prescription.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-LA-006", "jurisdiction": "LA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=87936", "publisher": "Louisiana State Legislature", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "La. R.S. 31:28", "excerpt": "Prescription of nonuse of a mineral servitude commences from the date on which it is created.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "an Internet Archive snapshot of the official page dated July 19, 2025, because www.legis.la.gov was not available when AMR checked", "saved_as": "sources/LA-31-27-to-64-servitude-prescription.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-LA-007", "jurisdiction": "LA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=87937", "publisher": "Louisiana State Legislature", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "La. R.S. 31:29", "excerpt": "The prescription of nonuse running against a mineral servitude is interrupted by good faith operations for the discovery and production of minerals. By good faith is meant that the operations must be (1) commenced with reasonable expectation of discovering and producing minerals in paying quantities at a particular point or depth,", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "an Internet Archive snapshot of the official page dated January 17, 2026, because www.legis.la.gov was not available when AMR checked", "saved_as": "sources/LA-31-27-to-64-servitude-prescription.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-LA-008", "jurisdiction": "LA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=87939", "publisher": "Louisiana State Legislature", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "La. R.S. 31:30", "excerpt": "Preparations for the commencement of actual drilling or mining operations, such as geological or geophysical exploration, surveying, clearing of a site, and the hauling and erection of materials and structures necessary to conduct operations do not interrupt prescription. Prescription commences anew from the last day on which actual drilling or mining operations are conducted.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "an Internet Archive snapshot of the official page dated July 14, 2025, because www.legis.la.gov was not available when AMR checked", "saved_as": "sources/LA-31-27-to-64-servitude-prescription.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-LA-009", "jurisdiction": "LA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=87945", "publisher": "Louisiana State Legislature", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "La. R.S. 31:36", "excerpt": "Prescription of nonuse is interrupted by the production of any mineral covered by the act creating the servitude. The interruption occurs on the date on which actual production begins and prescription commences anew from the date of cessation of actual production.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "an Internet Archive snapshot of the official page dated July 19, 2025, because www.legis.la.gov was not available when AMR checked", "saved_as": "sources/LA-31-27-to-64-servitude-prescription.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-LA-010", "jurisdiction": "LA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=87947", "publisher": "Louisiana State Legislature", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "La. R.S. 31:38", "excerpt": "To interrupt prescription it is not necessary that minerals be produced in paying quantities. It is necessary only that minerals actually be produced in good faith with the intent of saving or otherwise using them for some beneficial purpose.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "an Internet Archive snapshot of the official page dated July 17, 2025, because www.legis.la.gov was not available when AMR checked", "saved_as": "sources/LA-31-27-to-64-servitude-prescription.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-LA-011", "jurisdiction": "LA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=87942", "publisher": "Louisiana State Legislature", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "La. R.S. 31:33", "excerpt": "will, if otherwise sufficient to interrupt prescription according to Articles 29 through 32, interrupt prescription only as to that portion of the tract burdened by the servitude included in the unit", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "an Internet Archive snapshot of the official page dated June 13, 2026, because www.legis.la.gov was not available when AMR checked", "saved_as": "sources/LA-31-27-to-64-servitude-prescription.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-LA-012", "jurisdiction": "LA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=87965", "publisher": "Louisiana State Legislature", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "La. R.S. 31:54", "excerpt": "The prescription of nonuse may be interrupted by a gratuitous or onerous acknowledgment by the owner of the land burdened by a mineral servitude. An acknowledgment must be in writing, and, to affect third parties, must be filed for registry.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "the official page, captured October 1, 2026; identical text in the Internet Archive snapshot of January 23, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/LA-31-27-to-64-servitude-prescription.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-LA-013", "jurisdiction": "LA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=87966", "publisher": "Louisiana State Legislature", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "La. R.S. 31:55", "excerpt": "An acknowledgment must express the intent of the landowner to interrupt prescription and clearly identify the party making it and the mineral servitude or servitudes acknowledged.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "an Internet Archive snapshot of the official page dated July 13, 2025, because www.legis.la.gov was not available when AMR checked", "saved_as": "sources/LA-31-27-to-64-servitude-prescription.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-LA-014", "jurisdiction": "LA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=87967", "publisher": "Louisiana State Legislature", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "La. R.S. 31:56", "excerpt": "A landowner may extend a mineral servitude beyond the prescriptive date for a period less than that which would result from an interruption by an acknowledgment. The extension must meet all of the requirements for an acknowledgment and must specify the period for which the servitude is extended.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "an Internet Archive snapshot of the official page dated August 3, 2025, because www.legis.la.gov was not available when AMR checked", "saved_as": "sources/LA-31-27-to-64-servitude-prescription.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-LA-015", "jurisdiction": "LA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=87956", "publisher": "Louisiana State Legislature", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "La. R.S. 31:46", "excerpt": "Adoption of the operations of another is accomplished when the servitude owner files for registry in the conveyance records of the situs of his servitude an instrument describing the land subject to the servitude, identifying the operations, specifying the date on which the operations commenced, and expressing the intent to adopt them as his own.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "an Internet Archive snapshot of the official page dated July 11, 2025, because www.legis.la.gov was not available when AMR checked", "saved_as": "sources/LA-31-27-to-64-servitude-prescription.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-LA-016", "jurisdiction": "LA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=87970", "publisher": "Louisiana State Legislature", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "La. R.S. 31:59", "excerpt": "If the owner of a mineral servitude is prevented from using it by an obstacle that he can neither prevent nor remove, the prescription of nonuse does not run as long as the obstacle remains.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "an Internet Archive snapshot of the official page dated January 17, 2026, because www.legis.la.gov was not available when AMR checked", "saved_as": "sources/LA-31-27-to-64-servitude-prescription.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-LA-017", "jurisdiction": "LA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=87999", "publisher": "Louisiana State Legislature", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "La. R.S. 31:85(1)", "excerpt": "A mineral royalty is extinguished by: (1) prescription resulting from nonuse for ten years;", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "an Internet Archive snapshot of the official page dated July 17, 2025, because www.legis.la.gov was not available when AMR checked", "saved_as": "sources/LA-31-80-to-98-royalty-prescription.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-LA-018", "jurisdiction": "LA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=88001", "publisher": "Louisiana State Legislature", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "La. R.S. 31:87", "excerpt": "Prescription of nonuse running against a mineral royalty is interrupted by the production of any mineral covered by the act creating the royalty. Prescription is interrupted on the date on which actual production begins and commences anew from the date of cessation of actual production.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "an Internet Archive snapshot of the official page dated January 19, 2026, because www.legis.la.gov was not available when AMR checked", "saved_as": "sources/LA-31-80-to-98-royalty-prescription.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-LA-019", "jurisdiction": "LA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=88002", "publisher": "Louisiana State Legislature", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "La. R.S. 31:88", "excerpt": "To interrupt prescription it is not necessary that minerals be produced in paying quantities but only that they actually be produced and saved.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "an Internet Archive snapshot of the official page dated August 3, 2025, because www.legis.la.gov was not available when AMR checked", "saved_as": "sources/LA-31-80-to-98-royalty-prescription.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-LA-020", "jurisdiction": "LA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=88008", "publisher": "Louisiana State Legislature", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "La. R.S. 31:93", "excerpt": "Subject to the special rules provided in Articles 94 through 96, the rules applicable to acknowledgments and extensions of prescription running against mineral servitudes are applicable to mineral royalties.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "an Internet Archive snapshot of the official page dated July 17, 2025, because www.legis.la.gov was not available when AMR checked", "saved_as": "sources/LA-31-80-to-98-royalty-prescription.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-LA-021", "jurisdiction": "LA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=87805", "publisher": "Louisiana State Legislature", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "La. R.S. 31:115(A)", "excerpt": "The interest of a mineral lessee is not subject to the prescription of nonuse, but the lease must have a term. Except as provided in this Article, a lease shall not be continued for a period of more than ten years without drilling or mining operations or production.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "an Internet Archive snapshot of the official page dated January 23, 2026, because www.legis.la.gov was not available when AMR checked", "saved_as": "sources/LA-31-114-133-lease.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-LA-022", "jurisdiction": "LA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=87825", "publisher": "Louisiana State Legislature", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "La. R.S. 31:133", "excerpt": "A mineral lease terminates at the expiration of the agreed term or upon the occurrence of an express resolutory condition.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "an Internet Archive snapshot of the official page dated January 19, 2026, because www.legis.la.gov was not available when AMR checked", "saved_as": "sources/LA-31-114-133-lease.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-LA-023", "jurisdiction": "LA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=87843", "publisher": "Louisiana State Legislature", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "La. R.S. 31:149(B)", "excerpt": "prescription of the mineral right is interrupted as long as title to the land remains with the acquiring authority, or any successor that is also an acquiring authority.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "an Internet Archive snapshot of the official page dated July 20, 2025, because www.legis.la.gov was not available when AMR checked", "saved_as": "sources/LA-31-149-government-acquisition.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-LA-024", "jurisdiction": "LA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=87843", "publisher": "Louisiana State Legislature", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "La. R.S. 31:149(I)", "excerpt": "and a mineral right subject to the prescription of nonuse is reserved in the instrument by which the land is acquired, the prescription of nonuse shall be for a period of twenty years from the date of acquisition", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "an Internet Archive snapshot of the official page dated July 20, 2025, because www.legis.la.gov was not available when AMR checked", "saved_as": "sources/LA-31-149-government-acquisition.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-LA-025", "jurisdiction": "LA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=87911", "publisher": "Louisiana State Legislature", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "La. R.S. 31:206(A)", "excerpt": "when a mineral right is extinguished by the accrual of prescription of nonuse, expiration of its term, or otherwise, the former owner shall, within thirty days after written demand by the person in whose favor the right has been extinguished or terminated, furnish the person with a recordable act evidencing the extinction or expiration of the right.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "an Internet Archive snapshot of the official page dated February 17, 2026, because www.legis.la.gov was not available when AMR checked", "saved_as": "sources/LA-31-206-to-209-extinction-record.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-LA-026", "jurisdiction": "LA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=87928", "publisher": "Louisiana State Legislature", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "La. R.S. 31:214", "excerpt": "The provisions of this Code shall apply to all mineral rights, including those existing on the effective date hereof; but no provision may be applied to divest already vested rights or to impair the obligation of contracts.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "an Internet Archive snapshot of the official page dated May 13, 2026, because www.legis.la.gov was not available when AMR checked", "saved_as": "sources/LA-31-214-applicability.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-LA-027", "jurisdiction": "LA", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=86885", "publisher": "Louisiana State Legislature", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "La. R.S. 30:10(A)(1)", "excerpt": "(1) Where the owners have not agreed by separate contract to pool, drill, and produce their interests, the commissioner shall require them to do so and to develop their lands as a drilling unit, if he finds it to be necessary to prevent waste or to avoid drilling unnecessary wells.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "an Internet Archive snapshot of the official page dated January 17, 2026, because www.legis.la.gov was not available when AMR checked", "saved_as": "sources/LA-30-10-pooling.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-LA-028", "jurisdiction": "LA", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=87544", "publisher": "Louisiana State Legislature", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "La. R.S. 30:28(I)(1)", "excerpt": "shall promulgate rules, regulations, and orders necessary to require an operator, agent, or assigns, to provide a single notice to the surface owner of lands on which drilling operations are to be conducted.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "an Internet Archive snapshot of the official page dated July 10, 2026, because www.legis.la.gov was not available when AMR checked", "saved_as": "sources/LA-31-11-30-28-surface.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-LA-029", "jurisdiction": "LA", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=87544", "publisher": "Louisiana State Legislature", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "La. R.S. 30:28(I)(1)(a)", "excerpt": "The pre-entry notice shall be sent to the surface owner no less than thirty days prior to construction operations of a drilling location on the property by the operator for the purpose of commencing drilling operations on the well described in the pre-entry notice.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "an Internet Archive snapshot of the official page dated July 10, 2026, because www.legis.la.gov was not available when AMR checked", "saved_as": "sources/LA-31-11-30-28-surface.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-LA-030", "jurisdiction": "LA", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=87799", "publisher": "Louisiana State Legislature", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "La. R.S. 31:11(A)", "excerpt": "The owner of land burdened by a mineral right or rights and the owner of a mineral right must exercise their respective rights with reasonable regard for those of the other.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "an Internet Archive snapshot of the official page dated August 3, 2025, because www.legis.la.gov was not available when AMR checked", "saved_as": "sources/LA-31-11-30-28-surface.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-LA-031", "jurisdiction": "LA", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=87930", "publisher": "Louisiana State Legislature", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "La. R.S. 31:22", "excerpt": "If he does, he is entitled to use only so much of the land as is reasonably necessary to conduct his operations. He is obligated, insofar as practicable, to restore the surface to its original condition at the earliest reasonable time.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "an Internet Archive snapshot of the official page dated June 6, 2026, because www.legis.la.gov was not available when AMR checked", "saved_as": "sources/LA-31-16-21-22-mineral-rights-nature.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-ME-001", "jurisdiction": "ME", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://legislature.maine.gov/statutes/14/title14sec6662.html", "publisher": "Maine Legislature, Office of the Revisor of Statutes", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "14 M.R.S. § 6662(4)", "excerpt": "shall find that the mineral interest is extinguished and shall order that title to the mineral interest is in the complainant if: A. The owner, assignee or lessee of the mineral interest has failed to make use of the mineral interest during a period of 50 consecutive years next prior to the filing of the complaint", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/ME-14-6662.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-ME-002", "jurisdiction": "ME", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://lldc.mainelegislature.org/Open/Laws/1983/1983_PL_c189.pdf", "publisher": "Maine State Law and Legislative Reference Library", "type": "session_law", "pinpoint": "PL 1983, c. 189", "excerpt": "AN ACT to Extinguish Obsolete Mineral and Mining Rights. ... Effective September 23, 1983.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/ME-14-6662.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-ME-003", "jurisdiction": "ME", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://lldc.mainelegislature.org/Open/Laws/2025/2025_PL_c469.pdf", "publisher": "Maine State Law and Legislative Reference Library", "type": "session_law", "pinpoint": "PL 2025, c. 469, §§ 5 and 44", "excerpt": "(2) Payment of any the excise tax under Title 36, sections 2851 to 2865 section 2856; ... This Act applies to tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2026", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/ME-14-6662.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-ME-004", "jurisdiction": "ME", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://legislature.maine.gov/statutes/10/title10sec2158.html", "publisher": "Maine Legislature, Office of the Revisor of Statutes", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "10 M.R.S. § 2158 (repealed)", "excerpt": "§2158. Integration of interests in spacing units (REPEALED) ... PL 1969, c. 301 (NEW). PL 1977, c. 360, §2 (RP).", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/ME-oil-gas-law-and-title33-survey.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-ME-005", "jurisdiction": "ME", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://legislature.maine.gov/statutes/38/title38sec570-BB.html", "publisher": "Maine Legislature, Office of the Revisor of Statutes", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "38 M.R.S. § 570-BB", "excerpt": "a person may not perform or cause to be performed, and the department may not permit, approve or otherwise authorize, any oil or natural gas exploration, development or production in, on or under the waters of the State.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/ME-oil-gas-law-and-title33-survey.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-MD-001", "jurisdiction": "MD", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gen§ion=15-1203&enactments=false", "publisher": "Maryland General Assembly, Department of Legislative Services", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Md. Code, Env. § 15-1203(a)(1)", "excerpt": "On or after October 1, 2011, a surface owner of real property that is subject to a mineral interest may maintain an action to terminate a dormant mineral interest.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/MD-env-15-1201.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-MD-002", "jurisdiction": "MD", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gen§ion=15-1203&enactments=false", "publisher": "Maryland General Assembly, Department of Legislative Services", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Md. Code, Env. § 15-1203(a)(2)", "excerpt": "(i) The mineral interest is unused for a period of 20 or more years preceding the commencement of termination of the mineral interest; and (ii) Notice of the mineral interest was not recorded during the period of 20 or more years preceding the commencement of termination of the mineral interest.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/MD-env-15-1201.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-MD-003", "jurisdiction": "MD", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gen§ion=15-1203&enactments=false", "publisher": "Maryland General Assembly, Department of Legislative Services", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Md. Code, Env. § 15-1203(c)(1)(i)", "excerpt": "Active mineral operations on or below the surface of the real property or other property utilized or pooled with the real property, including production, geophysical exploration, exploratory or developmental drilling, mining, exploitation, and development of minerals", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/MD-env-15-1201.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-MD-004", "jurisdiction": "MD", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gen§ion=15-1203&enactments=false", "publisher": "Maryland General Assembly, Department of Legislative Services", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Md. Code, Env. § 15-1203(c)(4)", "excerpt": "The injection of substances for the purpose of disposal or storage does not constitute use of a mineral interest.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/MD-env-15-1201.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-MD-005", "jurisdiction": "MD", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gen§ion=15-1204&enactments=false", "publisher": "Maryland General Assembly, Department of Legislative Services", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Md. Code, Env. § 15-1204(a)", "excerpt": "An owner of a mineral interest may record, at any time, a notice of intent to preserve the mineral interest or a part of a mineral interest.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/MD-env-15-1201.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-MD-006", "jurisdiction": "MD", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gen§ion=15-1205&enactments=false", "publisher": "Maryland General Assembly, Department of Legislative Services", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Md. Code, Env. § 15-1205(b)", "excerpt": "the court shall permit the owner of the mineral interest to record a late notice of intent to preserve the mineral interest as a condition of dismissal of the action, if the owner of the mineral interest pays the litigation expenses incurred by the surface owner", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/MD-env-15-1201.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-MD-007", "jurisdiction": "MD", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gen§ion=15-1205&enactments=false", "publisher": "Maryland General Assembly, Department of Legislative Services", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Md. Code, Env. § 15-1205(c)", "excerpt": "This section does not apply in an action in which a mineral interest has been unused in accordance with § 15–1203 of this subtitle for a period of 40 years or more preceding the commencement of the action.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/MD-env-15-1201.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-MD-008", "jurisdiction": "MD", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gen§ion=15-1206&enactments=false", "publisher": "Maryland General Assembly, Department of Legislative Services", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Md. Code, Env. § 15-1206(a)", "excerpt": "If the title to a severed mineral interest is vested in an unknown or missing owner, the circuit court of the county where the severed mineral interest is located may on petition, and after notice and a hearing:", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/MD-env-15-1201.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-MD-009", "jurisdiction": "MD", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gen§ion=15-1202&enactments=false", "publisher": "Maryland General Assembly, Department of Legislative Services", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Md. Code, Env. § 15-1202(a)(2)", "excerpt": "Held by the State or an agency or political subdivision of the State, except to the extent permitted by State law.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/MD-env-15-1201.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-MD-010", "jurisdiction": "MD", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2010rs/chapters_noln/Ch_269_hb0320T.pdf", "publisher": "Maryland General Assembly, Department of Legislative Services", "type": "session_law", "pinpoint": "2010 Md. Laws ch. 269, § 3", "excerpt": "SECTION 3. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect October 1, 2010.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/MD-session-laws-2010-2016.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-MD-011", "jurisdiction": "MD", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gen§ion=14-113&enactments=false", "publisher": "Maryland General Assembly, Department of Legislative Services", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Md. Code, Env. § 14-113", "excerpt": "On completion of a well producing gas or oil on any leased lands included under a unit operation agreement, royalties from the producing well shall be paid on all lands originally included within the unit operation agreement.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/MD-env-14-oil-gas-survey.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-MD-012", "jurisdiction": "MD", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gen§ion=14-112&enactments=false", "publisher": "Maryland General Assembly, Department of Legislative Services", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Md. Code, Env. § 14-112(a)(1)", "excerpt": "a well for the production or underground storage of gas or oil may not be drilled on any property nearer than 1,000 feet to the boundary of the property except by agreement with the owners of the gas and oil on adjacent lands.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/MD-env-14-oil-gas-survey.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-MD-013", "jurisdiction": "MD", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gen§ion=14-107.1&enactments=false", "publisher": "Maryland General Assembly, Department of Legislative Services", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Md. Code, Env. § 14-107.1(b)", "excerpt": "A person may not engage in the hydraulic fracturing of a well for the exploration or production of oil or natural gas in the State.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/MD-env-14-oil-gas-survey.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-MD-014", "jurisdiction": "MD", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gen§ion=14-111&enactments=false", "publisher": "Maryland General Assembly, Department of Legislative Services", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Md. Code, Env. § 14-111(c)(1)", "excerpt": "The permit holder’s financial assurance required under subsections (a) and (b) of this section shall: (1) Extend to the owner or owners of the surface and subsurface property;", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/MD-env-14-oil-gas-survey.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-MA-001", "jurisdiction": "MA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartIII/TitleV/Chapter260/Section31A", "publisher": "The General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "G.L. c. 260, § 31A (related title clearing statute, not mineral)", "excerpt": "No proceeding based upon any right of entry for condition broken or possibility of reverter, to which a fee simple or fee simple determinable in land is subject, created before the second day of January, nineteen hundred and fifty-five, shall be maintained in any court after the first day of January, nineteen hundred and sixty-four", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot October 14, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/MA-gl-survey.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-MI-001", "jurisdiction": "MI", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-554-291", "publisher": "Michigan Legislature, Legislative Service Bureau", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "MCL 554.291(1)", "excerpt": "Any interest in oil or gas in any land owned by any person other than the owner of the surface, which has not been sold, leased, mortgaged, or transferred by instrument recorded in the register of deeds office for the county where that interest in oil or gas is located for a period of 20 years shall", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot June 21, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/MI-mcl-554-291.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-MI-002", "jurisdiction": "MI", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-554-291", "publisher": "Michigan Legislature, Legislative Service Bureau", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "MCL 554.291(2)", "excerpt": "Any interest in oil or gas deemed abandoned as provided in subsection (1) shall vest as of the date of such abandonment in the owner or owners of the surface in keeping with the character of the surface ownership.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot June 21, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/MI-mcl-554-291.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-MI-003", "jurisdiction": "MI", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-554-291", "publisher": "Michigan Legislature, Legislative Service Bureau", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "MCL 554.291(3)", "excerpt": "an oil or gas interest in the property owned by a person other than the owner of the surface shall not be preserved from foreclosure under section 78k of the general property tax act, 1893 PA 206, MCL 211.78k, unless that interest is sold, leased, mortgaged, transferred, reserved, or subject to a claim of interest under section 2", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot June 21, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/MI-mcl-554-291.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-MI-004", "jurisdiction": "MI", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-554-292", "publisher": "Michigan Legislature, Legislative Service Bureau", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "MCL 554.292(1)", "excerpt": "The notice shall be verified by oath and shall describe the land and the nature of the interest claimed, give the name and address of the person or persons claiming the interest, and state that the person or persons desire to preserve the interest and do not intend to abandon the interest.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot March 5, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/MI-mcl-554-291.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-MI-005", "jurisdiction": "MI", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-554-292", "publisher": "Michigan Legislature, Legislative Service Bureau", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "MCL 554.292(3)", "excerpt": "Recording a written notice under this section shall operate to preserve the oil or gas interest included in the written notice from abandonment under this act for a period of 20 years after recording.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot March 5, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/MI-mcl-554-291.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-MI-006", "jurisdiction": "MI", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-554-292", "publisher": "Michigan Legislature, Legislative Service Bureau", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "MCL 554.292(5)", "excerpt": "This act shall not apply to any interest in oil or gas owned by any governmental body or agency.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot March 5, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/MI-mcl-554-291.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-MI-007", "jurisdiction": "MI", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-324-61513", "publisher": "Michigan Legislature, Legislative Service Bureau", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "MCL 324.61513(4)", "excerpt": "The pooling of properties or parts of properties is permitted, and, if not agreed upon, the supervisor may require pooling of properties or parts of properties in any case when and to the extent that the smallness or shape of a separately owned tract or tracts would", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot December 22, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/MI-mcl-324-pooling-unitization.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-MI-008", "jurisdiction": "MI", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-324-61513a", "publisher": "Michigan Legislature, Legislative Service Bureau", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "MCL 324.61513a", "excerpt": "The supervisor shall not require the pooling of state owned properties or parts of properties under section 61513 if the state provides for the orderly development of state owned hydrocarbon resources through an oil and gas leasing program", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot April 24, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/MI-mcl-324-pooling-unitization.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-MI-009", "jurisdiction": "MI", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-324-61706", "publisher": "Michigan Legislature, Legislative Service Bureau", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "MCL 324.61706(c)", "excerpt": "By those persons who under the supervisor's order will be entitled to at least 65% of all production from the unit area or the proceeds of that production.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot April 4, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/MI-mcl-324-pooling-unitization.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-MI-010", "jurisdiction": "MI", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-324-61525", "publisher": "Michigan Legislature, Legislative Service Bureau", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "MCL 324.61525(3)", "excerpt": "The supervisor shall make available to any person, upon request, not less often than weekly, the following information pertaining to applications for permits to drill and operate:", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot June 21, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/MI-mcl-324-pooling-unitization.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-MN-001", "jurisdiction": "MN", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/93.52", "publisher": "Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Minn. Stat. 93.52 subd. 2", "excerpt": "from and after January 1, 1970, every owner of a fee simple interest in minerals ... which interest is owned separately from the fee title to the surface of the property ... shall record in the office of the county recorder or, if registered property, in the office of the registrar of titles ... a verified statement", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/MN-93-52-55-551.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-MN-002", "jurisdiction": "MN", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/93.55", "publisher": "Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Minn. Stat. 93.55 subd. 1", "excerpt": "If the owner ... fails to record the verified statement required by section 93.52, before January 1, 1975, as to any interests owned on or before December 31, 1973, or within one year after acquiring the interests as to interests acquired after December 31, 1973, the mineral interest shall forfeit to the state after notice and opportunity for hearing", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/MN-93-52-55-551.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-MN-003", "jurisdiction": "MN", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/93.55", "publisher": "Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Minn. Stat. 93.55 subd. 2(a)", "excerpt": "The commissioner shall notify the last owner of record in either the county recorder's or registrar of titles' office of a hearing on an order to show cause why the mineral interest should not forfeit to the state absolutely.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/MN-93-52-55-551.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-MN-004", "jurisdiction": "MN", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/93.55", "publisher": "Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Minn. Stat. 93.55 subd. 2(b)(2)", "excerpt": "that all taxes relating to severed mineral interests had been timely paid, including any taxes which would have been due and owing under section 273.165, subdivision 1, had the interest been properly recorded as required by section 93.52 within the time specified in this section.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/MN-93-52-55-551.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-MN-005", "jurisdiction": "MN", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/273.165", "publisher": "Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Minn. Stat. 273.165 subd. 1", "excerpt": "A tax of 40 cents per acre or portion of an acre of mineral interest is imposed and is payable annually.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/MN-273-165-272-039.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-MN-006", "jurisdiction": "MN", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/272.039", "publisher": "Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Minn. Stat. 272.039", "excerpt": "This result is caused in part by the decision in Wichelman v. Messner, 1957, 250 Minn. 88, 83 N.W. (2d) 800, where the so called \"40 year law\" was held inapplicable to mineral interests owned separately from surface interests.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/MN-273-165-272-039.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-MN-007", "jurisdiction": "MN", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.lrl.mn.gov/docs/pre2003/other/930363.pdf", "publisher": "Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Division of Minerals (digitized by the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library)", "type": "official_agency", "pinpoint": "Severed Mineral Interest Research Program, 1992 fiscal year end report, part IV.C", "excerpt": "No payment of the delinquent taxes was made during the time for redemption and the title to the severed mineral interests forfeited to the state on February 14, 1992.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/MN-dnr-1992-severed-mineral-report.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-MN-008", "jurisdiction": "MN", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/93.513", "publisher": "Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Minn. Stat. 93.513 subd. 1", "excerpt": "Any permit under this section must be protective of natural resources and require a demonstration of control of the extraction area through ownership, lease, or agreement.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/MN-93-513-516-oil-gas.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-MN-009", "jurisdiction": "MN", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/93.515", "publisher": "Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Minn. Stat. 93.515(2)", "excerpt": "pooling, which is the combining of tracts and mineral interests to form a drilling or spacing unit", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/MN-93-513-516-oil-gas.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-MN-010", "jurisdiction": "MN", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://files.dnr.state.mn.us/input/rules/rulemaking/r4995-notice-of-intent.pdf", "publisher": "Minnesota Department of Natural Resources", "type": "official_agency", "pinpoint": "Notice of intent to adopt expedited rules, Minn. R. parts 6124, R-4995", "excerpt": "Under Minnesota Statutes 93.513, an operator must control 100 percent of the extraction area before a permit is issued.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/MN-dnr-r4995-gas-rules-notice.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-MN-011", "jurisdiction": "MN", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/93.516", "publisher": "Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Minn. Stat. 93.516 subd. 3(3)", "excerpt": "the commissioner of natural resources may require an applicant to provide financial assurance to ensure payment of any damages resulting from the production of gas or oil", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/MN-93-513-516-oil-gas.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-MS-001", "jurisdiction": "MS", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://law.justia.com/codes/mississippi/2015/title-27/chapter-31/non-producing-gas-oil-and-mineral-interests/section-27-31-73/", "publisher": "Justia (unofficial mirror of the Mississippi Code, 2015 edition)", "type": "unofficial_mirror", "pinpoint": "Miss. Code Ann. 27-31-73 (2015)", "excerpt": "Any sale for taxes of the surface or of the remainder of the fee shall not in any manner whatsoever affect the interest or interests hereby exempted.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot December 13, 2019", "saved_as": "sources/MS-27-31-73-nonproducing-mineral-exemption.md", "official": false }, { "id": "SRC-MS-002", "jurisdiction": "MS", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://law.justia.com/codes/mississippi/2023/title-89/", "publisher": "Justia (unofficial mirror of the Mississippi Code)", "type": "unofficial_mirror", "pinpoint": "Miss. Code Title 89, chapter list (survey)", "excerpt": "UNIFORM DISPOSITION OF UNCLAIMED PROPERTY ACT", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot April 26, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/MS-title89-survey.md", "official": false }, { "id": "SRC-MS-003", "jurisdiction": "MS", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://www.ogb.state.ms.us/MSOGBDocumentsShared/Rulebook/Rulebook.pdf", "publisher": "Mississippi State Oil and Gas Board (Rule Book, June 2025, reproducing Mississippi Code Title 53)", "type": "official_agency", "pinpoint": "Miss. Code Ann. 53-3-7(1)(a)", "excerpt": "Where, however, such persons have not agreed to integrate their interests, the board may, for the prevention of waste or to avoid the drilling of unnecessary wells, require such persons to integrate their interests and to develop their lands as a drilling unit.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/MS-53-3-7-integration.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-MO-001", "jurisdiction": "MO", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=259.220", "publisher": "Missouri Revisor of Statutes, Revised Statutes of Missouri", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "RSMo § 259.220", "excerpt": "All rights and interests in or to oil, gas or other minerals underlying land, whether created by or arising under deed, lease, reservation of rights, or otherwise, which rights or interests are owned by any person other than the owner of the land, shall be assessed and taxed separately", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/MO-259-110-220-pooling-tax.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-MO-002", "jurisdiction": "MO", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=140.150", "publisher": "Missouri Revisor of Statutes, Revised Statutes of Missouri", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "RSMo § 140.150(1)", "excerpt": "All lands, lots, mineral rights, and royalty interests on which taxes or special assessments are delinquent and unpaid are subject to sale to discharge the lien for the delinquent and unpaid taxes", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/MO-259-110-220-pooling-tax.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-MO-003", "jurisdiction": "MO", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneChapter.aspx?chapter=259", "publisher": "Missouri Revisor of Statutes, Revised Statutes of Missouri", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Survey of chapter headings, chapters 259, 442, 444, 446, 447, 516, 527, 528, 137, 140, 141", "excerpt": "Lands, lots, mineral rights, and royalty interests subject to sale, when.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/MO-survey-chapter-headings.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-MO-004", "jurisdiction": "MO", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=259.110", "publisher": "Missouri Revisor of Statutes, Revised Statutes of Missouri", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "RSMo § 259.110(1)", "excerpt": "In the absence of voluntary pooling the council, upon the application of any interested person, shall enter an order pooling all interests in the spacing unit for the development and operations thereof.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/MO-259-110-220-pooling-tax.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-MT-001", "jurisdiction": "MT", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0820/chapter_0010/part_0030/section_0020/0820-0010-0030-0020.html", "publisher": "Montana Legislature, Legislative Services Division (Montana Code Annotated 2025)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "MCA 82-1-302(1)", "excerpt": "may petition the district court of the county in which the tract or a portion of the tract is located to declare a trust in favor of other persons also owning or claiming an interest in the minerals underlying the tract if their place of residence and present whereabouts is unknown and cannot reasonably be ascertained", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/MT-82-1-301-unlocatable-owner-trust.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-MT-002", "jurisdiction": "MT", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0820/chapter_0010/part_0030/section_0020/0820-0010-0030-0020.html", "publisher": "Montana Legislature, Legislative Services Division (Montana Code Annotated 2025)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "MCA 82-1-302(3)", "excerpt": "the court shall appoint the clerk of court or, if the clerk of court declines to act as trustee, the department of revenue as trustee and shall authorize the clerk of court or the department to execute and deliver an oil, gas, or other mineral lease, a ratification, a division order, or any other related document or instrument", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/MT-82-1-301-unlocatable-owner-trust.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-MT-003", "jurisdiction": "MT", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0820/chapter_0010/part_0030/section_0050/0820-0010-0030-0050.html", "publisher": "Montana Legislature, Legislative Services Division (Montana Code Annotated 2025)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "MCA 82-1-305(1)", "excerpt": "A person may not personally hold for longer than 6 months any bonuses, rental payments, royalties, or other income for unlocatable owners or claimants of an interest in minerals underlying a tract of land.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/MT-82-1-301-unlocatable-owner-trust.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-MT-004", "jurisdiction": "MT", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0820/chapter_0010/part_0030/section_0060/0820-0010-0030-0060.html", "publisher": "Montana Legislature, Legislative Services Division (Montana Code Annotated 2025)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "MCA 82-1-306(1)", "excerpt": "Filing the notice creates a rebuttable presumption that the person owns the interest claimed.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/MT-82-1-301-unlocatable-owner-trust.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-MT-005", "jurisdiction": "MT", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://courts.mt.gov/external/leg/bills/1993/senate/SB102.pdf", "publisher": "Montana State Law Library, legislative history scans", "type": "session_law", "pinpoint": "1993 SB102, Uniform Dormant Mineral Interests Act, bill history (not enacted)", "excerpt": "1/29 Tabled in Committee", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/MT-survey-and-failed-bills.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-MT-006", "jurisdiction": "MT", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0820/chapter_0110/part_0020/section_0020/0820-0110-0020-0020.html", "publisher": "Montana Legislature, Legislative Services Division (Montana Code Annotated 2025)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "MCA 82-11-202(1)(b)", "excerpt": "The board, upon the application of an interested person, may enter an order pooling all interests in the permanent spacing unit for the development and operation of the permanent spacing unit and the allocation of production if the applicant has made an unsuccessful, good faith attempt to voluntarily pool the interests within the permanent spacing unit.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/MT-82-11-202-pooling.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-MT-007", "jurisdiction": "MT", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0820/chapter_0100/part_0050/section_0040/0820-0100-0050-0040.html", "publisher": "Montana Legislature, Legislative Services Division (Montana Code Annotated 2025)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "MCA 82-10-504(1)(a)", "excerpt": "The oil and gas developer or operator shall pay the surface owner a sum of money or other compensation equal to the amount of damages sustained by the surface owner for loss of agricultural production and income, lost land value, and lost value of improvements caused by oil and gas operations.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/MT-82-10-501-surface-damage.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-MT-008", "jurisdiction": "MT", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0820/chapter_0100/part_0050/section_0030/0820-0100-0050-0030.html", "publisher": "Montana Legislature, Legislative Services Division (Montana Code Annotated 2025)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "MCA 82-10-503(1)", "excerpt": "The notice must be given no more than 180 days and no fewer than 20 days before any activity that disturbs the land surface.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/MT-82-10-501-surface-damage.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-NE-001", "jurisdiction": "NE", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=57-228", "publisher": "Nebraska Legislature", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Neb. Rev. Stat. § 57-228", "excerpt": "Any owner or owners of the surface of real estate from which a mineral interest has been severed, on behalf of himself and any other owners of such interest in the surface, may sue in equity in the county where such real estate, or some part thereof, is located, praying for the termination and extinguishment of such severed mineral interest", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot August 20, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/NE-nrs-57-228.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-NE-002", "jurisdiction": "NE", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=57-229", "publisher": "Nebraska Legislature", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Neb. Rev. Stat. § 57-229", "excerpt": "A severed mineral interest shall be abandoned unless the record owner of such mineral interest has within the twenty-three years immediately prior to the filing of the action provided for in sections 57-228 to 57-231, exercised publicly the right of ownership by", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot May 14, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/NE-nrs-57-228.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-NE-003", "jurisdiction": "NE", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=57-230", "publisher": "Nebraska Legislature", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Neb. Rev. Stat. § 57-230", "excerpt": "If the court shall find that the severed mineral interest has been abandoned, it shall enter judgment terminating and extinguishing it, canceling it of record, and vesting the title thereto in the owner or owners of the interest in the surface from which it was originally severed", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot January 14, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/NE-nrs-57-228.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-NE-004", "jurisdiction": "NE", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=57-231", "publisher": "Nebraska Legislature", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Neb. Rev. Stat. § 57-231", "excerpt": "In any action filed within two years after October 23, 1967, the owner of a severed mineral interest may enter his appearance and assert his interest therein, and he shall be deemed thereby to have timely and publicly exercised his right of ownership.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot January 5, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/NE-nrs-57-228.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-NE-005", "jurisdiction": "NE", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=57-228", "publisher": "Nebraska Legislature (official annotation)", "type": "secondary", "pinpoint": "Annotation to Neb. Rev. Stat. § 57-228 citing Monahan Cattle Co. v. Goodwin, 201 Neb. 845, 272 N.W.2d 774 (1978)", "excerpt": "Sections 57-228 to 57-231 which declared that mineral rights were abandoned unless the record owner had exercised ownership rights within twenty-three years immediately prior to the filing of an action to cancel the severed mineral interest, are unconstitutional insofar as the statutory provisions could be interpreted to be retroactive in their operation.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot August 20, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/NE-nrs-57-228.md", "official": false }, { "id": "SRC-NE-006", "jurisdiction": "NE", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=57-229", "publisher": "Nebraska Legislature (official annotation)", "type": "secondary", "pinpoint": "Annotation to Neb. Rev. Stat. § 57-229 citing Ricks v. Vap, 280 Neb. 130, 784 N.W.2d 432 (2010)", "excerpt": "The plain language of this section provides that a severed mineral interest is abandoned unless the record owner of the interest is the one who publicly exercises it.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot May 14, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/NE-nrs-57-228.md", "official": false }, { "id": "SRC-NE-007", "jurisdiction": "NE", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=57-909", "publisher": "Nebraska Legislature", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Neb. Rev. Stat. § 57-909(1)", "excerpt": "In the absence of voluntary pooling, the commission, upon the application of any interested person, or upon its own motion, may enter an order pooling all interests in the spacing unit for the development and operation thereof.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot May 13, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/NE-nrs-57-909-pooling.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-NE-008", "jurisdiction": "NE", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=57-910.03", "publisher": "Nebraska Legislature", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Neb. Rev. Stat. § 57-910.03", "excerpt": "No order shall be entered by the commission authorizing the commencement of unit operations unless and until there has been written consent to the proposed plan of unitization by those persons who own at least seventy-five percent of the unit production or proceeds thereof", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot November 18, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/NE-nrs-57-909-pooling.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-NV-001", "jurisdiction": "NV", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.leg.state.nv.us/NRS/NRS-111.html", "publisher": "Nevada Legislature, Legislative Counsel Bureau, Nevada Revised Statutes", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Survey of NRS chapters 11, 40, 111, 361, 362, 517, 522 (full text); excerpt from NRS chapter 361", "excerpt": "the property must be assessed to “unknown owner,”", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshots September 15, 2025 to September 25, 2026 (one for each chapter)", "saved_as": "sources/NV-survey-nrs-chapters.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-NV-002", "jurisdiction": "NV", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://www.leg.state.nv.us/NRS/NRS-522.html", "publisher": "Nevada Legislature, Legislative Counsel Bureau, Nevada Revised Statutes", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "NRS 522.060(3)", "excerpt": "If those persons do not agree to pool their interests, the Division may, for the prevention of waste, for the protection of correlative rights, or to avoid the drilling of unnecessary wells, enter an order pooling and integrating their interests for the development of their lands as a drilling unit.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot November 13, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/NV-522-060-0824-pooling.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-NV-003", "jurisdiction": "NV", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://www.leg.state.nv.us/NRS/NRS-522.html", "publisher": "Nevada Legislature, Legislative Counsel Bureau, Nevada Revised Statutes", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "NRS 522.060(4)", "excerpt": "As to lessees who refuse to agree upon pooling, the order must provide for reimbursement for 300 percent of the costs chargeable to each lessee out of, and only out of, production from the unit belonging to the lessee.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot November 13, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/NV-522-060-0824-pooling.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-NH-001", "jurisdiction": "NH", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://gc.nh.gov/rsa/html/I/12-E/12-E-mrg.htm", "publisher": "New Hampshire General Court, Revised Statutes Annotated", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "RSA 12-E:1, VIII", "excerpt": "\"Mineral\" means copper, gold, silver, diatomite, feldspar, garnet, lime, thorium, uranium, and any similar solid material or metal substance to be excavated or extracted from natural deposits or formations on or in the earth or in or underneath water", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot June 10, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/NH-rsa-survey.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-NJ-001", "jurisdiction": "NJ", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://pub.njleg.gov/statutes/STATUTES-TEXT.zip", "publisher": "New Jersey Legislature, Office of Legislative Services (statutes bulk text)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "N.J.S.A. 46:3-27", "excerpt": "Every deed or other instrument which conveys or reserves mineral rights in any land shall, unless otherwise expressly provided therein, be construed to exclude any and all water rights or consideration thereof from any conveyance or reservation of mineral rights.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot August 30, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/NJ-statutes-fulltext-search.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-NJ-002", "jurisdiction": "NJ", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://pub.njleg.gov/statutes/STATUTES-TEXT.zip", "publisher": "New Jersey Legislature, Office of Legislative Services (statutes bulk text)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "N.J.S.A. 13:1M-2", "excerpt": "no person shall commence operations incident to the exploration and drilling of wells for oil or natural gas without having received a permit therefor from the Department of Environmental Protection.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot August 30, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/NJ-statutes-fulltext-search.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-NJ-003", "jurisdiction": "NJ", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://pub.njleg.gov/statutes/STATUTES-TEXT.zip", "publisher": "New Jersey Legislature, Office of Legislative Services (statutes bulk text)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "N.J.S.A. 13:1M-8", "excerpt": "A holder of a permit issued under section 2 of this act shall restore, or cause to be restored, the land surface within the area disturbed in siting, drilling and plugging and abandonment of the well, in accordance with rules and regulations adopted by the department.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot August 30, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/NJ-statutes-fulltext-search.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-NM-001", "jurisdiction": "NM", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://nmonesource.com/nmos/nmsa/en/item/4366/index.do", "publisher": "New Mexico Compilation Commission (NMOneSource.com, NMSA 1978)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "NMSA 1978, 37-1-22", "excerpt": "provided, however that in the case of severed mineral interests the possession by the party in possession of the surface shall be considered as the constructive possession of such mineral claimant until actual possession shall have been taken by such mineral claimant", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/NM-survey-related.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-NM-002", "jurisdiction": "NM", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://nmonesource.com/nmos/nmsa/en/item/4440/index.do", "publisher": "New Mexico Compilation Commission (NMOneSource.com, NMSA 1978)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "NMSA 1978, 70-10-3.1(C)", "excerpt": "If the purchaser or payor is unable to locate any person listed by the operator or lessee then the purchaser or payor shall notify the operator or lessee that he has been unable to locate or obtain the address of the person entitled to payment.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/NM-survey-related.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-NM-003", "jurisdiction": "NM", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://nmonesource.com/nmos/nmsa/en/item/4340/index.do", "publisher": "New Mexico Compilation Commission (NMOneSource.com, NMSA 1978)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "NMSA 1978, 7-8A-1 (definition of mineral proceeds)", "excerpt": "\"mineral proceeds\" means amounts payable for the extraction, production or sale of minerals, or, upon the abandonment of those payments, all payments that become payable thereafter.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/NM-survey-related.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-NM-004", "jurisdiction": "NM", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://nmonesource.com/nmos/nmsa/en/item/4440/index.do", "publisher": "New Mexico Compilation Commission (NMOneSource.com, NMSA 1978)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "NMSA 1978, 70-2-17(C)", "excerpt": "the division, to avoid the drilling of unnecessary wells or to protect correlative rights, or to prevent waste, shall pool all or any part of such lands or interests or both in the spacing or proration unit as a unit.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/NM-70-2-17-pooling.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-NM-005", "jurisdiction": "NM", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://nmonesource.com/nmos/nmsa/en/item/4440/index.do", "publisher": "New Mexico Compilation Commission (NMOneSource.com, NMSA 1978)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "NMSA 1978, 70-12-4(A)", "excerpt": "An operator shall compensate the surface owner for damages sustained by the surface owner, as applicable, for loss of agricultural production and income, lost land value, lost use of and lost access to the surface owner's land and lost value of improvements caused by oil and gas operations.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/NM-70-12-surface-owners-protection.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-NM-006", "jurisdiction": "NM", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://nmonesource.com/nmos/nmsa/en/item/4440/index.do", "publisher": "New Mexico Compilation Commission (NMOneSource.com, NMSA 1978)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "NMSA 1978, 70-12-5(B)", "excerpt": "No less than thirty days before first entering the surface of the land to conduct oil and gas operations, an operator shall, by certified mail or hand delivery, give the surface owner notice of the planned oil and gas operations.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/NM-70-12-surface-owners-protection.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-NY-001", "jurisdiction": "NY", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/RPP/329-A", "publisher": "New York State Senate, Open Legislation (Consolidated Laws of New York)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "N.Y. Real Prop. Law § 329-a(1)", "excerpt": "Any interest in oil and gas shall, if unused for a period of twenty years immediately prior to the effective date of this section, be extinguished, and the ownership thereof shall revert to the state, unless a statement of claim is filed within two years after the effective date of this section", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot October 8, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/NY-rpl-329-a.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-NY-002", "jurisdiction": "NY", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.parks.ny.gov/documents/inside-our-agency/Chapter501LawsNewYork2011.pdf", "publisher": "New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (copy of Laws of New York 2011, chapter 501)", "type": "session_law", "pinpoint": "L. 2011, ch. 501, §§ 1 to 3", "excerpt": "Became a law September 23, 2011, with the approval of the Governor. ... § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot June 18, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/NY-L2011-ch501-and-oprhp-notice.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-NY-003", "jurisdiction": "NY", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.parks.ny.gov/documents/inside-our-agency/AlleganyLapseLawNoticeExpirationTimeWithinWhichFile.pdf", "publisher": "New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation", "type": "official_agency", "pinpoint": "OPRHP public notice dated January 16, 2014", "excerpt": "The time within which to file a statement of claim expired on September 22, 2013.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot July 6, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/NY-L2011-ch501-and-oprhp-notice.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-NY-004", "jurisdiction": "NY", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/ENV/23-0901", "publisher": "New York State Senate, Open Legislation (Consolidated Laws of New York)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "N.Y. Envtl. Conserv. Law § 23-0901(3)", "excerpt": "In the absence of voluntary integration as permitted by section 23-0701 of this article and after finding as required by subdivision 2 of this section, the department shall make an order integrating all tracts or interests in the spacing unit for development and operation.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot June 28, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/NY-ecl-23-0901.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-NC-001", "jurisdiction": "NC", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_1/GS_1-42.1.html", "publisher": "North Carolina General Assembly", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "G.S. 1-42.1(b)", "excerpt": "free and clear of any and all such fee simple oil, gas or mineral interests in such area of land founded upon any reservation or exception contained in an instrument conveying the surface estate in fee simple which was executed or recorded fifty (50) years or more prior to September 1, 1965", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot March 12, 2026; also read on ncleg.gov on October 1, 2026, identical apart from whitespace", "saved_as": "sources/NC-1-42-series-gs-text.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-NC-002", "jurisdiction": "NC", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_1/GS_1-42.1.html", "publisher": "North Carolina General Assembly", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "G.S. 1-42.1(d)", "excerpt": "must be listed for ad valorem taxes and notice of such interest must be filed in writing in the manner provided by G.S. 1-42.1(b) and recorded in the local registry in the book provided by G.S. 1-42 within two years from September 1, 1967, to be effective against the surface fee simple owner", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot March 12, 2026; also read on the official site on October 1, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/NC-1-42-series-gs-text.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-NC-003", "jurisdiction": "NC", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://archive.org/details/sessionlaws196365nort", "publisher": "General Assembly of North Carolina, Session Laws 1965", "type": "session_law", "pinpoint": "1965 N.C. Sess. Laws c. 1072 (S.B. 372), s. 1 (G.S. 1-42.1(c) as enacted) and s. 3", "excerpt": "shall exclude governmental claims, State or Federal, and all such claims by reason of unexpired oil, gas or mineral leases. ... Sec. 3. This Act shall be in full force and effect on and after September 1, 1965.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive digitized copy of the printed official volume (OCR text)", "saved_as": "sources/NC-session-laws-ancient-mineral-claims.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-NC-004", "jurisdiction": "NC", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://archive.org/details/sessionlaws19656667nort", "publisher": "General Assembly of North Carolina, Session Laws 1967", "type": "session_law", "pinpoint": "1967 N.C. Sess. Laws c. 905 (S.B. 351), s. 2", "excerpt": "Sec. 2. The provisions of this Act shall apply to the following counties: Anson, Buncombe, Durham, Franklin, Guilford, Hoke, Jackson, Montgomery, Person, Richmond, Swain, Transylvania, Union, Wake and Warren.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive digitized copy of the printed official volume (OCR text)", "saved_as": "sources/NC-session-laws-ancient-mineral-claims.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-NC-005", "jurisdiction": "NC", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_1/GS_1-42.2.html", "publisher": "North Carolina General Assembly", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "G.S. 1-42.2(b)", "excerpt": "executed or recorded at least 50 but not more than 56 years prior to September 1, 1971", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot March 13, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/NC-1-42-series-gs-text.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-NC-006", "jurisdiction": "NC", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_1/GS_1-42.3.html", "publisher": "North Carolina General Assembly", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "G.S. 1-42.3(b)", "excerpt": "executed or recorded at least 50 years or more prior to September 1, 1974", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot March 14, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/NC-1-42-series-gs-text.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-NC-007", "jurisdiction": "NC", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_1/GS_1-42.5.html", "publisher": "North Carolina General Assembly", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "G.S. 1-42.5(b) and (d), Avery County", "excerpt": "free and clear of any and all such fee simple oil, gas or mineral interest in such area of land, the existence of which depends upon any reservation or exception contained in an instrument conveying the surface estate in fee simple which was recorded prior to such 30-year period", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot March 14, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/NC-1-42-series-gs-text.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-NC-008", "jurisdiction": "NC", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://archive.org/details/sessionlawsresol1981nort", "publisher": "General Assembly of North Carolina, Session Laws 1981", "type": "session_law", "pinpoint": "1981 N.C. Sess. Laws c. 329 (H.B. 547), ss. 2 and 3", "excerpt": "Sec. 2. G.S. 1-42.3 is hereby repealed in its application to Avery County only. Sec. 3. This act shall become effective June 30, 1982.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive digitized copy of the printed official volume (OCR text)", "saved_as": "sources/NC-session-laws-ancient-mineral-claims.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-NC-009", "jurisdiction": "NC", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_1/GS_1-42.9.html", "publisher": "North Carolina General Assembly", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "G.S. 1-42.9(b)", "excerpt": "may be preserved and kept effective by recording within two years after January 1, 1986, a notice in writing duly sworn to and subscribed before an official authorized to take probate by G.S. 47-1", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot March 17, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/NC-1-42-series-gs-text.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-NC-010", "jurisdiction": "NC", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://archive.org/details/sessionlawsresol1985nort", "publisher": "General Assembly of North Carolina, Session Laws 1985", "type": "session_law", "pinpoint": "1985 N.C. Sess. Laws c. 573 (S.B. 296), ss. 1 and 2", "excerpt": "Section 1. G.S. 1-42.9 is amended by changing the calendar dates, wherever they appear, to \"January 1, 1986\". Sec. 2. This act does not revive any interests rendered ineffective under the provisions of G.S. 1-42.1 through G.S. 1-42.8 and G.S. 1-42.9.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive digitized copy of the printed official volume (OCR text)", "saved_as": "sources/NC-session-laws-ancient-mineral-claims.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-NC-011", "jurisdiction": "NC", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_1/GS_1-42.7.html", "publisher": "North Carolina General Assembly", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "G.S. 1-42.4(d) (Ashe), 1-42.6(d) (Alleghany), 1-42.7(d) (Chatham), 1-42.8(f) (Rutherford)", "excerpt": "The provisions of this subsection shall apply to the following county: Ashe. ... This section applies only to Alleghany County. ... This section shall apply to Chatham County only. ... (f) This act applies only to Rutherford County.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshots March 15, 2026 to April 2, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/NC-1-42-series-gs-text.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-NC-012", "jurisdiction": "NC", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_47B/GS_47B-3.html", "publisher": "North Carolina General Assembly", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "G.S. 47B-3(5)", "excerpt": "Such marketable record title shall not affect or extinguish the following rights: ... (5) Rights of any owners of mineral rights.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot June 16, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/NC-47B-marketable-title-act.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-NC-013", "jurisdiction": "NC", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_113/GS_113-423.html", "publisher": "North Carolina General Assembly", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "G.S. 113-423(b)", "excerpt": "Any lease of oil or gas rights or any other conveyance of any kind separating rights to oil or gas from the freehold estate of surface property shall expire at the end of 10 years from the date the lease is executed, unless, at the end of the 10-year period, oil or gas is being produced for commercial purposes", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot March 12, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/NC-113-420-to-423-landowner-protection.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-NC-014", "jurisdiction": "NC", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/SessionLaws/HTML/2011-2012/SL2011-276.html", "publisher": "North Carolina General Assembly", "type": "session_law", "pinpoint": "S.L. 2011-276, s. 3, former G.S. 113-424 (repealed by S.L. 2012-143, s. 4(f))", "excerpt": "This Part applies to leases or contracts, and amendments to leases or contracts, entered into on or after June 15, 2011.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot October 1, 2019", "saved_as": "sources/NC-113-420-to-423-landowner-protection.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-NC-015", "jurisdiction": "NC", "fields": [ "dormancy", "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/SessionLaws/HTML/2011-2012/SL2012-143.html", "publisher": "North Carolina General Assembly", "type": "session_law", "pinpoint": "S.L. 2012-143, s. 7", "excerpt": "Sections 4(a) through 4(f), 4(h), and 4(i) of this act are effective when this act becomes law and apply to wells drilled and leases or contracts entered into on or after that date.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot October 1, 2019", "saved_as": "sources/NC-113-420-to-423-landowner-protection.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-NC-016", "jurisdiction": "NC", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_1/GS_1-42.html", "publisher": "North Carolina General Assembly", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "G.S. 1-42, second paragraph", "excerpt": "no holder or claimant of the surface rights shall be entitled to evidence or prove any use of the subsurface rights, by himself, or by his predecessors in title or of lessees or agents, as adverse possession against the holder of said subsurface rights, unless", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot March 15, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/NC-1-42-series-gs-text.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-NC-017", "jurisdiction": "NC", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_113/GS_113-393.html", "publisher": "North Carolina General Assembly", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "G.S. 113-393(a); 'Commission' defined in G.S. 113-389(1a) as the North Carolina Oil and Gas Commission", "excerpt": "Where, however, such owners have not agreed to integrate their interests, the Commission shall, for the prevention of waste or to avoid drilling of unnecessary wells, require such owners to do so and to develop their lands as a drilling unit. All orders requiring such integration shall be made after notice and hearing", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot March 12, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/NC-113-393-pooling.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-NC-018", "jurisdiction": "NC", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_113/GS_113-420.html", "publisher": "North Carolina General Assembly", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "G.S. 113-420(b)", "excerpt": "before entering the property for oil or gas operations that disturb the surface, the developer or operator shall give written notice to the surface owner at least 30 days before the desired date of entry to the property", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot March 18, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/NC-113-420-to-423-landowner-protection.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-NC-019", "jurisdiction": "NC", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_113/GS_113-421.html", "publisher": "North Carolina General Assembly", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "G.S. 113-421(a2)", "excerpt": "The oil or gas developer or operator shall be obligated to pay the surface owner compensation for all of the following: ... Damage to any livestock, crops, or timber determined according to the market value of the resources destroyed, damaged, or prevented from reaching market", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot March 17, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/NC-113-420-to-423-landowner-protection.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-NC-020", "jurisdiction": "NC", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_113/GS_113-423.1.html", "publisher": "North Carolina General Assembly", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "G.S. 113-423.1(b)", "excerpt": "An oil or gas developer or operator shall conduct oil and gas operations in a manner that accommodates the surface owner by minimizing intrusion upon and damage to the surface of the land.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot March 18, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/NC-113-420-to-423-landowner-protection.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-ND-001", "jurisdiction": "ND", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://ndlegis.gov/cencode/t38c18-1.pdf", "publisher": "North Dakota Legislative Branch", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "N.D.C.C. 38-18.1-02", "excerpt": "Any mineral interest is, if unused for a period of twenty years immediately preceding the first publication of the notice required by section 38-18.1-06, deemed to be abandoned, unless a statement of claim is recorded in accordance with section 38-18.1-04.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/ND-38-18-1.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-ND-002", "jurisdiction": "ND", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://ndlegis.gov/cencode/t38c18-1.pdf", "publisher": "North Dakota Legislative Branch", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "N.D.C.C. 38-18.1-01", "excerpt": "\"mineral interest\" includes any interest in oil, gas, coal, clay, gravel, uranium, and all other minerals of any kind and nature, whether created by grant, assignment, reservation, or otherwise owned by a person other than the owner of the surface estate.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/ND-38-18-1.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-ND-003", "jurisdiction": "ND", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://ndlegis.gov/cencode/t38c18-1.pdf", "publisher": "North Dakota Legislative Branch", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "N.D.C.C. 38-18.1-03(2)", "excerpt": "The payment of royalties, bonus payments, or any other payment to a named or unnamed interest-bearing account, trust account, escrow account, or any similar type of account on behalf of a person who cannot be located does not satisfy the requirements of this section and the mineral interest is not deemed to be used for purposes of this section.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/ND-38-18-1.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-ND-004", "jurisdiction": "ND", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://ndlegis.gov/cencode/t38c18-1.pdf", "publisher": "North Dakota Legislative Branch", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "N.D.C.C. 38-18.1-04", "excerpt": "A statement of claim filed after July 31, 2009, by a person other than the owner of record of the mineral interest is not effective to preserve a mineral interest unless accompanied by a reference to the name of the record owner under whom the owner of the mineral interest claims.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/ND-38-18-1.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-ND-005", "jurisdiction": "ND", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://ndlegis.gov/cencode/t38c18-1.pdf", "publisher": "North Dakota Legislative Branch", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "N.D.C.C. 38-18.1-05(1)", "excerpt": "The owner of record of the mineral interest satisfies either one of the following requirements within sixty days after first publication of the notice provided for in section 38-18.1-06:", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/ND-38-18-1.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-ND-006", "jurisdiction": "ND", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://ndlegis.gov/cencode/t38c18-1.pdf", "publisher": "North Dakota Legislative Branch", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "N.D.C.C. 38-18.1-06(2)", "excerpt": "once each week for three weeks in the official county newspaper of the county in which the mineral interest is located; however, if the address of the mineral interest owner is shown of record or can be determined upon reasonable inquiry as defined in subsection 6, notice must also be made by mailing a copy of the notice", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/ND-38-18-1.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-ND-007", "jurisdiction": "ND", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://ndlegis.gov/cencode/t38c18-1.pdf", "publisher": "North Dakota Legislative Branch", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "N.D.C.C. 38-18.1-06(6)", "excerpt": "To constitute a reasonable inquiry as provided in subsection 2, the owner or owners of the surface estate or the owner's authorized agent must conduct a search of:", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/ND-38-18-1.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-ND-008", "jurisdiction": "ND", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://ndlegis.gov/cencode/t38c18-1.pdf", "publisher": "North Dakota Legislative Branch", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "N.D.C.C. 38-18.1-06.1(1)", "excerpt": "Upon completion of the procedure provided in section 38-18.1-06, the owner or owners of the surface estate may maintain an action in district court in the county in which the minerals are located and obtain a judgment in quiet title in the owner or owners of the surface estate.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/ND-38-18-1.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-ND-009", "jurisdiction": "ND", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://ndlegis.gov/cencode/t38c18-1.pdf", "publisher": "North Dakota Legislative Branch", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "N.D.C.C. 38-18.1-08", "excerpt": "This chapter does not apply to any mineral interest owned by any governmental body or agency thereof and this chapter is both prospective and retrospective in its application.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/ND-38-18-1.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-ND-010", "jurisdiction": "ND", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.dmr.nd.gov/dmr/oilgas/mineralownerinfo", "publisher": "North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas Division", "type": "official_agency", "pinpoint": "Mineral Owner page, Statement of Claim section and linked form", "excerpt": "The Statement of Claim Form must be recorded in the office of the recorder in the county in which the mineral interest is located", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/ND-dmr-mineral-owner.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-ND-011", "jurisdiction": "ND", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://ndlegis.gov/assembly/59-2005/session-laws/documents/MINE.pdf#CHAPTER320", "publisher": "North Dakota Legislative Branch", "type": "session_law", "pinpoint": "S.L. 2005, ch. 320 (HB 1344), new subsection 2 of 38-18.1-03", "excerpt": "The payment of royalties, bonus payments, or any other payment to a named or unnamed interest-bearing account", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/ND-2005-hb1344-sl-ch320.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-ND-012", "jurisdiction": "ND", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://ndlegis.gov/assembly/60-2007/session-laws/documents/MINE.pdf#CHAPTER313", "publisher": "North Dakota Legislative Branch", "type": "session_law", "pinpoint": "S.L. 2007, ch. 313 (HB 1045), amending 38-18.1-02", "excerpt": "The owner of the surface estate in the land in or under which the mineral interest is located on the date of abandonment may record a statement of succession in interest", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/ND-2007-hb1045-sl-ch313.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-ND-013", "jurisdiction": "ND", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.ndlegis.gov/assembly/61-2009/regular/bill-text/JRCB0400.pdf", "publisher": "North Dakota Legislative Branch", "type": "session_law", "pinpoint": "Enrolled HB 1370, S.L. 2009, ch. 317, approved April 24, 2009", "excerpt": "AN ACT to create and enact a new section to chapter 38-18.1 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to perfecting title to dormant minerals; and to amend and reenact sections 38-18.1-03, 38-18.1-04, 38-18.1-05, and 38-18.1-06", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/ND-2009-hb1370-sl-ch317.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-ND-014", "jurisdiction": "ND", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://ndlegis.gov/assembly/64-2015/session-laws/documents/GNLPR.pdf#CHAPTER62", "publisher": "North Dakota Legislative Branch", "type": "session_law", "pinpoint": "S.L. 2015, ch. 62 (SB 2053), section 14, striking 38-18.1-03(1)(f) on payment of taxes (strike read on the rendered page)", "excerpt": "relating to technical corrections and improper, inaccurate, redundant, missing, or obsolete references", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/ND-2015-sb2053-sl-ch62.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-ND-015", "jurisdiction": "ND", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://ndlegis.gov/assembly/67-2021/session-laws/documents/PROPT.pdf#CHAPTER337", "publisher": "North Dakota Legislative Branch", "type": "session_law", "pinpoint": "S.L. 2021, ch. 337 (SB 2048), section 14, amending 38-18.1-03(2)", "excerpt": "AN ACT to create and enact chapter 47-30.2 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to the Revised Uniform Unclaimed Property Act", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/ND-2021-sb2048-sl-ch337.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-ND-016", "jurisdiction": "ND", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.ndcourts.gov/supreme-court/opinion/2017ND49", "publisher": "North Dakota Supreme Court", "type": "court_opinion", "pinpoint": "Nelson v. McAlester Fuel Co., 2017 ND 49, paragraph 18 (applying the 2004 text)", "excerpt": "we interpret this phrase in the statute to indicate a surface owner must send notice to the most recent address of record in order to comply with N.D.C.C. § 38-18.1-06(2) (2004).", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot March 17, 2023", "saved_as": "sources/ND-sc-nelson-2017nd49-felton-2011nd33.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-ND-017", "jurisdiction": "ND", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.ndcourts.gov/supreme-court/opinion/2017ND49", "publisher": "North Dakota Supreme Court", "type": "court_opinion", "pinpoint": "Nelson v. McAlester Fuel Co., 2017 ND 49, paragraph 8, quoting Peterson v. Jasmanka, 2014 ND 40, paragraph 12", "excerpt": "wholly self-executing, and once the notice procedure under the statute is completed, title to the mineral interest vests in the surface owner as of the date of abandonment, without the necessity of a subsequent quiet title action.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot March 17, 2023", "saved_as": "sources/ND-sc-nelson-2017nd49-felton-2011nd33.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-ND-018", "jurisdiction": "ND", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.ndcourts.gov/supreme-court/opinion/2011ND33", "publisher": "North Dakota Supreme Court", "type": "court_opinion", "pinpoint": "Sorenson v. Felton, 2011 ND 33, paragraphs 9 and 14 (applying the 2004 text)", "excerpt": "Sorenson was required to conduct a reasonable inquiry only if Felton's address was not shown of record.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot January 21, 2022", "saved_as": "sources/ND-sc-nelson-2017nd49-felton-2011nd33.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-ND-019", "jurisdiction": "ND", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://ndlegis.gov/cencode/t38c08.pdf", "publisher": "North Dakota Legislative Branch", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "N.D.C.C. 38-08-08(1)", "excerpt": "In the absence of voluntary pooling, the commission upon the application of any interested person shall enter an order pooling all interests in the spacing unit for the development and operations thereof.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/ND-38-08-08.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-ND-020", "jurisdiction": "ND", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://ndlegis.gov/cencode/t38c08.pdf", "publisher": "North Dakota Legislative Branch", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "N.D.C.C. 38-08-08(3)(a)", "excerpt": "the risk penalty is two hundred percent of the nonparticipating owner's share of the reasonable actual costs of drilling and completing the well", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/ND-38-08-08.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-ND-021", "jurisdiction": "ND", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://ndlegis.gov/cencode/t38c08.pdf", "publisher": "North Dakota Legislative Branch", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "N.D.C.C. 38-08-02(3)", "excerpt": "\"Commission\" means the industrial commission.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/ND-38-08-08.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-ND-022", "jurisdiction": "ND", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://ndlegis.gov/cencode/t38c08.pdf", "publisher": "North Dakota Legislative Branch", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "N.D.C.C. 38-08-09.5", "excerpt": "will be required to pay more than fifty-five percent of the costs of the unit operation and by the owners of more than fifty-five percent of the royalty interests", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/ND-38-08-08.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-ND-023", "jurisdiction": "ND", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://ndlegis.gov/cencode/t38c11-1.pdf", "publisher": "North Dakota Legislative Branch", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "N.D.C.C. 38-11.1-04", "excerpt": "The mineral developer shall pay the surface owner a sum of money equal to the amount of damages sustained by the surface owner and the surface owner's tenant, if any, for lost land value, lost use of and access to the surface owner's land, and lost value of improvements caused by drilling operations.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/ND-38-11-1.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-ND-024", "jurisdiction": "ND", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://ndlegis.gov/cencode/t38c11-1.pdf", "publisher": "North Dakota Legislative Branch", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "N.D.C.C. 38-11.1-04.1(2)", "excerpt": "the mineral developer shall give the surface owner written notice by registered mail or hand delivery of the oil and gas drilling operations contemplated at least twenty days before commencement of drilling operations unless mutually waived by agreement of both parties.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/ND-38-11-1.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-ND-025", "jurisdiction": "ND", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://ndlegis.gov/cencode/t38c11-1.pdf", "publisher": "North Dakota Legislative Branch", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "N.D.C.C. 38-11.1-09", "excerpt": "If the amount of compensation awarded by the court is greater than the amount offered by the mineral developer, the court shall award the person seeking compensation reasonable attorney's fees, any costs and disbursements under chapter 28-26, and interest", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/ND-38-11-1.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-ND-026", "jurisdiction": "ND", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://ndlegis.gov/cencode/t38c11-1.pdf", "publisher": "North Dakota Legislative Branch", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "N.D.C.C. 38-11.1-03(6)", "excerpt": "\"Minerals\" means oil and gas.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/ND-38-11-1.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-OH-001", "jurisdiction": "OH", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-5301.56", "publisher": "Ohio Legislative Service Commission (codes.ohio.gov)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "R.C. 5301.56(B) and (B)(3)", "excerpt": "shall be deemed abandoned and vested in the owner of the surface of the lands subject to the interest if the requirements established in division (E) of this section are satisfied and none of the following applies: ... (3) Within the twenty years immediately preceding the date on which notice is served or published under division (E) of this section", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot March 12, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/OH-5301-56.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-OH-002", "jurisdiction": "OH", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-5301.56", "publisher": "Ohio Legislative Service Commission (codes.ohio.gov)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "R.C. 5301.56(E)(1)", "excerpt": "Serve notice by certified mail, return receipt requested, to each holder or each holder's successors or assignees, at the last known address of each, of the owner's intent to declare the mineral interest abandoned. If service of notice cannot be completed to any holder, the owner shall publish notice", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot March 12, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/OH-5301-56.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-OH-003", "jurisdiction": "OH", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-5301.56", "publisher": "Ohio Legislative Service Commission (codes.ohio.gov)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "R.C. 5301.56(H)(1)", "excerpt": "not later than sixty days after the date on which the notice was served or published, as applicable, shall file in the office of the county recorder of each county where the land that is subject to the mineral interest is located one of the following:", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot March 12, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/OH-5301-56.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-OH-004", "jurisdiction": "OH", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-5301.56", "publisher": "Ohio Legislative Service Commission (codes.ohio.gov)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "R.C. 5301.56(H)(2)", "excerpt": "Immediately after the notice of failure to file a mineral interest is recorded, the mineral interest shall vest in the owner of the surface of the lands formerly subject to the interest", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot March 12, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/OH-5301-56.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-OH-005", "jurisdiction": "OH", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-5301.56", "publisher": "Ohio Legislative Service Commission (codes.ohio.gov)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "R.C. 5301.56(D)(1)", "excerpt": "A mineral interest may be preserved indefinitely from being deemed abandoned under division (B) of this section by the occurrence of any of the circumstances described in division (B)(3) of this section, including, but not limited to, successive filings of claims to preserve mineral interests under division (C) of this section.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot March 12, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/OH-5301-56.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-OH-006", "jurisdiction": "OH", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-5301.53", "publisher": "Ohio Legislative Service Commission (codes.ohio.gov)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "R.C. 5301.53(E) and (G)", "excerpt": "(E) Any right, title, estate, or interest in coal, and any mining or other rights pertinent to or exercisable in connection with any right, title, estate, or interest in coal; ... (G) Any right, title, or interest of the United States, of this state, or of any political subdivision, body politic, or agency of the United States or this state.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot March 19, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/OH-5301-53.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-OH-007", "jurisdiction": "OH", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/chapter-5301", "publisher": "Ohio Legislative Service Commission (codes.ohio.gov)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "R.C. 5301.48 (Marketable Title Act); also currency check of R.C. 5301.56", "excerpt": "who has an unbroken chain of title of record to any interest in land for forty years or more, has a marketable record title to such interest", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot July 8, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/OH-ch5301-mta-2025-07.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-OH-008", "jurisdiction": "OH", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/rod/docs/pdf/0/2016/2016-Ohio-5796.pdf", "publisher": "Supreme Court of Ohio", "type": "court_opinion", "pinpoint": "Corban v. Chesapeake Exploration, L.L.C., 149 Ohio St.3d 512, 2016-Ohio-5796, paragraph 31 (lead opinion)", "excerpt": "as of June 30, 2006, any surface holder seeking to claim dormant mineral rights and merge them with the surface estate is required to follow the statutory notice and recording procedures enacted in 2006 by H.B. 288.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot May 16, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/OH-corban-2016-ohio-5796.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-OH-009", "jurisdiction": "OH", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/rod/docs/pdf/0/2016/2016-Ohio-5796.pdf", "publisher": "Supreme Court of Ohio", "type": "court_opinion", "pinpoint": "Corban, 2016-Ohio-5796, paragraph 28 (lead opinion; Kennedy, J., agreeing at paragraph 104)", "excerpt": "we conclude that the 1989 law was not self-executing and did not automatically transfer ownership of dormant mineral rights by operation of law.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot May 16, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/OH-corban-2016-ohio-5796.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-OH-010", "jurisdiction": "OH", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/rod/docs/pdf/0/2016/2016-Ohio-5793.pdf", "publisher": "Supreme Court of Ohio", "type": "court_opinion", "pinpoint": "Walker v. Shondrick-Nau, 149 Ohio St.3d 282, 2016-Ohio-5793, paragraph 22", "excerpt": "Noon's claim to preserve, which was timely filed with the county recorder's office, was sufficient to preclude the mineral estate from being deemed abandoned and vested in the owner of the surface estate.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot May 16, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/OH-walker-2016-ohio-5793.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-OH-011", "jurisdiction": "OH", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/rod/docs/pdf/0/2015/2015-Ohio-2362.pdf", "publisher": "Supreme Court of Ohio", "type": "court_opinion", "pinpoint": "Dodd v. Croskey, 143 Ohio St.3d 293, 2015-Ohio-2362, paragraph 37", "excerpt": "a mineral-interest holder's claim to preserve filed pursuant to R.C. 5301.56(H)(1)(a) is sufficient to preclude the mineral interests from being deemed abandoned if filed within 60 days after notice of the surface owner's intent to declare those interests abandoned.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot May 15, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/OH-dodd-2015-ohio-2362.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-OH-012", "jurisdiction": "OH", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/rod/docs/pdf/0/2015/2015-Ohio-4551.pdf", "publisher": "Supreme Court of Ohio", "type": "court_opinion", "pinpoint": "Chesapeake Exploration, L.L.C. v. Buell, 144 Ohio St.3d 490, 2015-Ohio-4551, syllabus", "excerpt": "1. A recorded oil and gas lease is a title transaction under R.C. 5301.56(B)(3)(a). 2. The unrecorded expiration of a recorded oil and gas lease and the accompanying reversion to the lessor of rights granted by the lease is not a title transaction that restarts the 20-year clock under the Dormant Mineral Act, R.C. 5301.56.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot April 15, 2022", "saved_as": "sources/OH-buell-2015-ohio-4551.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-OH-013", "jurisdiction": "OH", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/rod/docs/pdf/0/2020/2020-Ohio-6705.pdf", "publisher": "Supreme Court of Ohio", "type": "court_opinion", "pinpoint": "Gerrity v. Chervenak, 162 Ohio St.3d 694, 2020-Ohio-6705, paragraph 41", "excerpt": "A surface owner attempting to comply with R.C. 5301.56(E) must exercise reasonable diligence to identify all holders of the severed mineral interest, but the inability to identify or locate all such holders does not, in itself, preclude application of the Dormant Mineral Act.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot June 16, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/OH-gerrity-2020-ohio-6705.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-OH-014", "jurisdiction": "OH", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/rod/docs/pdf/0/2018/2018-Ohio-4959.pdf", "publisher": "Supreme Court of Ohio", "type": "court_opinion", "pinpoint": "Blackstone v. Moore, 155 Ohio St.3d 448, 2018-Ohio-4959, paragraph 23 (DeGenaro, J., concurring)", "excerpt": "Given that this question is not squarely before us, we cannot reach its merits. For now, it remains an open issue that is for this court's future review.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot June 8, 2023", "saved_as": "sources/OH-mta-erickson-blackstone.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-OH-015", "jurisdiction": "OH", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/rod/docs/pdf/0/2021/2021-Ohio-746.pdf", "publisher": "Supreme Court of Ohio", "type": "court_opinion", "pinpoint": "Erickson v. Morrison, 165 Ohio St.3d 76, 2021-Ohio-746, paragraph 35", "excerpt": "Notwithstanding its failure to name the owner of the reserved rights, this reference is sufficient to preserve them from being extinguished under Ohio's Marketable Title Act.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot November 10, 2022", "saved_as": "sources/OH-mta-erickson-blackstone.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-OH-016", "jurisdiction": "OH", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/133/hb100", "publisher": "Ohio General Assembly", "type": "official_agency", "pinpoint": "Bill status page, 2019 H.B. 100, 133rd General Assembly (not enacted)", "excerpt": "To amend section 5301.56 of the Revised Code to revise the requirements governing abandoned mineral rights. Current Version As Introduced", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot August 5, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/OH-133-hb100-status.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-OH-017", "jurisdiction": "OH", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-1509.27", "publisher": "Ohio Legislative Service Commission (codes.ohio.gov)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "R.C. 1509.27 (effective September 29, 2015, House Bill 64, 131st General Assembly)", "excerpt": "If a tract or tracts are of insufficient size or shape to meet the requirements for drilling a proposed well thereon as provided in section 1509.24 or 1509.25 of the Revised Code, whichever is applicable, and the owner has been unable to form a drilling unit under agreement", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot April 28, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/OH-1509-27-28.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-OH-018", "jurisdiction": "OH", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-1509.28", "publisher": "Ohio Legislative Service Commission (codes.ohio.gov)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "R.C. 1509.28(A)(1) (effective July 21, 2022, House Bill 397, 134th General Assembly)", "excerpt": "A person who has obtained the consent of the owners of at least sixty-five per cent of the land area overlying a pool or a part of a pool may submit an application for the operation as a unit of the entire pool or part of the pool", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot March 15, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/OH-1509-27-28.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-OH-019", "jurisdiction": "OH", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/chapter-1509", "publisher": "Ohio Legislative Service Commission (codes.ohio.gov)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "R.C. 1509.072 (effective September 29, 2011)", "excerpt": "No oil or gas well owner or agent of an oil or gas well owner shall fail to restore the land surface within the area disturbed in siting, drilling, completing, and producing the well as required in this section.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot August 12, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/OH-1509-surface-survey.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-OH-020", "jurisdiction": "OH", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/chapter-1509", "publisher": "Ohio Legislative Service Commission (codes.ohio.gov)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "R.C. 1509.22(F)", "excerpt": "An owner shall replace the water supply of the holder of an interest in real property who obtains all or part of the holder's supply of water for domestic, agricultural, industrial, or other legitimate use from an underground or surface source where the supply has been substantially disrupted", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot August 12, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/OH-1509-surface-survey.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-OH-021", "jurisdiction": "OH", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/chapter-1509", "publisher": "Ohio Legislative Service Commission (codes.ohio.gov)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "R.C. 1509.27, surface consent sentence", "excerpt": "No surface operations or disturbances to the surface of the land shall occur on a tract pooled by an order without the written consent of or a written agreement with the surface rights owner of the tract that approves the operations or disturbances.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot August 12, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/OH-1509-surface-survey.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-OK-001", "jurisdiction": "OK", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os84.pdf", "publisher": "Oklahoma Legislature, Legislative Service Bureau", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "84 O.S. 271.1", "excerpt": "If the proceeds or other intangible property interest from any mineral interests are abandoned for a period of fifteen (15) years, as provided for in the Uniform Unclaimed Property Act, then the mineral interest which generates the intangible property interest shall not be subject to escheat, but shall be subject to judicial sale by the state", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/OK-84-271-277-abandoned-mineral-interest-sale.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-OK-002", "jurisdiction": "OK", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os84.pdf", "publisher": "Oklahoma Legislature, Legislative Service Bureau", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "84 O.S. 271.1(3)", "excerpt": "The record owner or owners of the surface from which abandoned mineral interests have been severed shall be mailed at the last-known address as shown by the records of the county treasurer a notice of the sale of such abandoned mineral interest at least thirty (30) days prior to said sale", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/OK-84-271-277-abandoned-mineral-interest-sale.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-OK-003", "jurisdiction": "OK", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os60.pdf", "publisher": "Oklahoma Legislature, Legislative Service Bureau", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "60 O.S. 658.1", "excerpt": "Any mineral interest in land in Oklahoma shall be subject to sale under the provisions of Sections 271.1 through 277 of Title 84 of the Oklahoma Statutes if it generates an intangible property interest which is presumed abandoned for a period of fifteen (15) years under the Uniform Unclaimed Property Act", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/OK-60-658-658-1-unclaimed-mineral-interests.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-OK-004", "jurisdiction": "OK", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os60.pdf", "publisher": "Oklahoma Legislature, Legislative Service Bureau", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "60 O.S. 658(A)", "excerpt": "all intangible personal property ... that is held, issued, or owing in the ordinary course of a holder's business and has remained unclaimed by the owner for more than five (5) years after becoming payable or distributable is presumed abandoned.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/OK-60-658-658-1-unclaimed-mineral-interests.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-OK-005", "jurisdiction": "OK", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os16.pdf", "publisher": "Oklahoma Legislature, Legislative Service Bureau", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "16 O.S. 76(A)", "excerpt": "Sections 71 through 80 of this title shall not be applied to bar any lessor or his successor as a reversioner of his right to possession on the expiration of any lease; or to bar or extinguish any mineral or royalty interest which has been severed from the fee simple title of the land", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/OK-16-71-80-marketable-record-title-act.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-OK-006", "jurisdiction": "OK", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os52.pdf", "publisher": "Oklahoma Legislature, Legislative Service Bureau", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "52 O.S. 556", "excerpt": "transfer to the Unclaimed Property Fund those monies which have been in escrow accounts and the Mineral Owner's Fund five (5) years or more after the date of pooling. After that time, such monies shall be subject to the Uniform Unclaimed Property Act.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/OK-52-551-558-unknown-owner-escrow.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-OK-007", "jurisdiction": "OK", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os52.pdf", "publisher": "Oklahoma Legislature, Legislative Service Bureau", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "52 O.S. 87.1(e)", "excerpt": "Where, however, such owners have not agreed to pool their interests and where one such separate owner has drilled or proposes to drill a well on the unit to the common source of supply, the Commission ... shall, upon a proper application therefor and a hearing thereon, require such owners to pool", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/OK-52-87-1-pooling.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-OK-008", "jurisdiction": "OK", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os52.pdf", "publisher": "Oklahoma Legislature, Legislative Service Bureau", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "52 O.S. 87.9(G)", "excerpt": "by lessees of record of not less than sixty-three percent (63%) of the working interest in the targeted reservoir in each spacing unit in the area to be included in the unit and by owners of record of not less than sixty-three percent (63%)", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/OK-52-87-1-pooling.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-OK-009", "jurisdiction": "OK", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os52.pdf", "publisher": "Oklahoma Legislature, Legislative Service Bureau", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "52 O.S. 318.5(A)", "excerpt": "Prior to entering the site with heavy equipment, the operator shall negotiate with the surface owner for the payment of any damages which may be caused by the drilling operation. If the parties agree, and a written contract is signed, the operator may enter the site to drill.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/OK-52-318-2-318-9-surface-damages-act.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-OK-010", "jurisdiction": "OK", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os52.pdf", "publisher": "Oklahoma Legislature, Legislative Service Bureau", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "52 O.S. 318.9", "excerpt": "Any operator who willfully and knowingly fails to keep posted the required bond or who fails to notify the surface owner, prior to entering, or fails to come to an agreement and does not ask the court for appraisers, shall pay, at the direction of the court, treble damages to the surface owner.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/OK-52-318-2-318-9-surface-damages-act.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-OR-001", "jurisdiction": "OR", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors517.html", "publisher": "Oregon State Legislature, Legislative Counsel Committee", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "ORS 517.180(1)", "excerpt": "An owner of land in which another person holds a mineral interest, may extinguish the holder’s interest by publishing notice and submitting an affidavit of publication for recording as described in subsections (4) to (9) of this section, unless:", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot August 1, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/OR-517-170-180.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-OR-002", "jurisdiction": "OR", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors517.html", "publisher": "Oregon State Legislature, Legislative Counsel Committee", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "ORS 517.180(1)(a), (b)", "excerpt": "(a) Within the last 30 years, the holder of the mineral interest has submitted a statement of claim for recording in the manner set out in subsection (3) of this section; or (b) The holder of the mineral interest acquired the mineral interest within the previous 30 years.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot August 1, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/OR-517-170-180.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-OR-003", "jurisdiction": "OR", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors517.html", "publisher": "Oregon State Legislature, Legislative Counsel Committee", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "ORS 517.180(2)(a)", "excerpt": "an interest of any kind in coal, oil, gas or other minerals and geothermal resources, except an interest vested in the United States, the State of Oregon or a political subdivision of the State of Oregon. A mineral interest does not include an interest in sand or gravel.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot August 1, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/OR-517-170-180.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-OR-004", "jurisdiction": "OR", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors517.html", "publisher": "Oregon State Legislature, Legislative Counsel Committee", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "ORS 517.180(8)", "excerpt": "the mineral interest of the holder shall be extinguished and become the property of the owner of the lands, unless the holder of the mineral interest submits a statement of claim to the county clerk within 60 days after the date of the last publication of the notice.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot August 1, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/OR-517-170-180.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-OR-005", "jurisdiction": "OR", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors517.html", "publisher": "Oregon State Legislature, Legislative Counsel Committee", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "ORS 517.170", "excerpt": "It is in the interest of the State of Oregon to provide a mechanism for the removal of dormant encumbrances on property which prevent a landowner from using or developing that property in a manner which contributes to the economy and increases the state’s tax base.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot August 1, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/OR-517-170-180.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-OR-006", "jurisdiction": "OR", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors520.html", "publisher": "Oregon State Legislature, Legislative Counsel Committee", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "ORS 520.220(2)", "excerpt": "In the absence of voluntary integration, the governing board of the State Department of Geology and Mineral Industries, upon the application of any interested person, shall make an order integrating all tracts or interests in the spacing unit for the development and operation thereof and for the sharing of production therefrom.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot September 3, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/OR-520-220-integration.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-OR-007", "jurisdiction": "OR", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors520.html", "publisher": "Oregon State Legislature, Legislative Counsel Committee", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "ORS chapter 520 full text search (2023 edition)", "excerpt": "In no event shall such gas be subject to the rights of the owner of the surface of the land under which said underground reservoir lies or of the owner of any mineral interest therein", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot September 3, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/OR-surface-damages-survey.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-PA-001", "jurisdiction": "PA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/LI/US/HTM/2006/0/0115..HTM", "publisher": "Pennsylvania General Assembly, Legislative Data Processing Center", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Act 115 of 2006, section 2", "excerpt": "It is not the purpose of this act to vest the surface owner with title to oil and gas interests that have been severed from the surface estate.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot August 20, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/PA-act-2006-115-dormant-oil-gas.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-PA-002", "jurisdiction": "PA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/LI/US/HTM/2006/0/0115..HTM", "publisher": "Pennsylvania General Assembly, Legislative Data Processing Center", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Act 115 of 2006, section 4(a)", "excerpt": "Any person who owns an interest in oil and gas underlying a tract of land may petition the appropriate division of the court of common pleas of the county in which the tract or any portion of the tract is located to declare a trust in favor of all unknown owners", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot August 20, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/PA-act-2006-115-dormant-oil-gas.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-PA-003", "jurisdiction": "PA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/LI/US/HTM/2006/0/0115..HTM", "publisher": "Pennsylvania General Assembly, Legislative Data Processing Center", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Act 115 of 2006, section 4(c)", "excerpt": "the court shall appoint a financial institution authorized to do business in this Commonwealth as trustee of a trust for the unknown owner or owners and shall authorize the trustee to execute and deliver one or more oil or gas leases or other instruments on terms and conditions approved by the court.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot August 20, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/PA-act-2006-115-dormant-oil-gas.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-PA-004", "jurisdiction": "PA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/LI/US/HTM/2006/0/0115..HTM", "publisher": "Pennsylvania General Assembly, Legislative Data Processing Center", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Act 115 of 2006, section 5(c) and (d)", "excerpt": "A trust for unknown owners shall remain in force until the unknown owners of the oil and gas interests in question have been identified to the satisfaction of the trustee and received their share of any funds held in trust.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot August 20, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/PA-act-2006-115-dormant-oil-gas.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-PA-005", "jurisdiction": "PA", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/LI/US/HTM/1961/0/0359..HTM", "publisher": "Pennsylvania General Assembly, Legislative Data Processing Center", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Act 359 of 1961, section 8(a)", "excerpt": "In the absence of voluntary integration, the commission, upon the application of any operator having an interest in the spacing unit, shall make an order integrating all tracts or interests in the spacing unit for the development and operation thereof and for the sharing of production therefrom.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot October 11, 2024", "saved_as": "sources/PA-act-1961-359-conservation-law.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-PA-006", "jurisdiction": "PA", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/LI/US/HTM/1961/0/0359..HTM", "publisher": "Pennsylvania General Assembly, Legislative Data Processing Center", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Act 359 of 1961, section 3(b)(1)", "excerpt": "This act shall not apply to or affect-- (1) Any well or wells which do not penetrate the Onondaga horizon, or in those areas in which the Onondaga horizon is nearer to the surface than thirty-eight hundred feet, any well or wells which do not exceed a depth of thirty-eight hundred feet beneath the surface.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot October 11, 2024", "saved_as": "sources/PA-act-1961-359-conservation-law.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-PA-007", "jurisdiction": "PA", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/LI/US/HTM/1979/0/0060..HTM", "publisher": "Pennsylvania General Assembly, Legislative Data Processing Center", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Act 60 of 1979, section 2.2(c)(1) (added 2019, Act 85)", "excerpt": "Nothing in this section shall be construed to: (1) authorize an operator to drill an oil or gas well that is not subject to a valid lease or royalty agreement", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot April 22, 2024", "saved_as": "sources/PA-act-1979-60-lease-integration.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-PA-008", "jurisdiction": "PA", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/LI/CT/HTM/58/00.032..HTM", "publisher": "Pennsylvania General Assembly, Legislative Data Processing Center", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "58 Pa.C.S. 3211(b)(2)", "excerpt": "The applicant shall forward by certified mail a copy of the plat to the surface landowner", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot October 13, 2024", "saved_as": "sources/PA-58-pacs-ch32-surface-water.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-PA-009", "jurisdiction": "PA", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/LI/CT/HTM/58/00.032..HTM", "publisher": "Pennsylvania General Assembly, Legislative Data Processing Center", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "58 Pa.C.S. 3218(a)", "excerpt": "a well operator who affects a public or private water supply by pollution or diminution shall restore or replace the affected supply with an alternate source of water adequate in quantity or quality for the purposes served by the supply.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot October 13, 2024", "saved_as": "sources/PA-58-pacs-ch32-surface-water.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-RI-001", "jurisdiction": "RI", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/Statutes/TITLE34/34-13.1/34-13.1-4.htm", "publisher": "State of Rhode Island General Assembly, Rhode Island General Laws", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-13.1-4", "excerpt": "such marketable record title shall be held by its owner and such shall be taken by any person dealing with the land free and clear of all interests, claims or charges whatsoever, the existence of which depends upon any act, transaction, event or omission that occurred prior to the effective date of the root title.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot April 1, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/RI-34-13.1-mrta.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-RI-002", "jurisdiction": "RI", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/Statutes/TITLE34/34-13.1/34-13.1-5.htm", "publisher": "State of Rhode Island General Assembly, Rhode Island General Laws", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-13.1-5(a)", "excerpt": "Any person claiming an interest of any kind in land may preserve and keep effective that interest by recording, during the forty (40) year period immediately following the effective date of the root title of the person whose record title would otherwise be marketable, a notice in writing, duly verified by oath, setting forth the nature of the claim.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot April 2, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/RI-34-13.1-mrta.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-RI-003", "jurisdiction": "RI", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/Statutes/TITLE34/34-13.1/34-13.1-7.htm", "publisher": "State of Rhode Island General Assembly, Rhode Island General Laws", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-13.1-7", "excerpt": "This chapter shall not be applied to bar any lessor or is or her successor as a reversioner of his or her right to possession on the expiration of any lease or to bar or extinguish any easement or interest in the nature of an easement", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot April 3, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/RI-34-13.1-mrta.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-SC-001", "jurisdiction": "SC", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/title27.php", "publisher": "South Carolina Legislature, South Carolina Code of Laws (unannotated)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Survey of Code Titles 10, 12, 15, 27, 30, 48 (full text)", "excerpt": "The Public Service Authority may, through its board of directors, make and execute leases of gas, oil, and other minerals and mineral rights", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/SC-survey-code-titles.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-SC-002", "jurisdiction": "SC", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t48c043.php", "publisher": "South Carolina Legislature, South Carolina Code of Laws (unannotated)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "S.C. Code § 48-43-340(A)", "excerpt": "In the absence of voluntary integration, the department upon the application of any interested person, shall make an order integrating all tracts or interests in the spacing unit for the development and operation thereof and for the sharing of production therefrom.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/SC-48-43-340-350-integration.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-SC-003", "jurisdiction": "SC", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t48c043.php", "publisher": "South Carolina Legislature, South Carolina Code of Laws (unannotated)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "S.C. Code § 48-43-350(B)", "excerpt": "The department shall make an order providing for the unit operation of a pool or part thereof if it finds that:", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/SC-48-43-340-350-integration.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-SD-001", "jurisdiction": "SD", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://sdlegislature.gov/Statutes/43-30A", "publisher": "South Dakota Legislature, Legislative Research Council", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "SDCL 43-30A-2", "excerpt": "A mineral interest is abandoned if it has not been used for a period of twenty-three years or more. Title to an abandoned mineral interest vests in the owner of the surface estate in the land in, or under, which the mineral interest is located on the date of abandonment.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/SD-43-30A.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-SD-002", "jurisdiction": "SD", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://sdlegislature.gov/Statutes/43-30A", "publisher": "South Dakota Legislature, Legislative Research Council", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "SDCL 43-30A-5", "excerpt": "Failure to record the statement of claim within the time period provided in § 43-30A-4 does not cause a mineral interest to be abandoned if the record owner of the mineral interest records a statement of claim pursuant to § 43-30A-4 within sixty days after completion of the publication of the notice of lapse", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/SD-43-30A.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-SD-003", "jurisdiction": "SD", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://sdlegislature.gov/Statutes/43-30A", "publisher": "South Dakota Legislature, Legislative Research Council", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "SDCL 43-30A-6", "excerpt": "In order to succeed to the ownership of an abandoned mineral interest, a surface owner shall give notice of the lapse of the mineral interest by publication. The publication shall be made once each week for three weeks in the official newspaper of the county in which the mineral interest is located.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/SD-43-30A.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-SD-004", "jurisdiction": "SD", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://sdlegislature.gov/Statutes/43-30A", "publisher": "South Dakota Legislature, Legislative Research Council", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "SDCL 43-30A-1", "excerpt": "the term, \"mineral interest,\" includes any interest in oil, gas, coal, clay, gravel, uranium, and all other minerals of any kind and nature, whether created by grant, assignment, exception, reservation, or otherwise, owned by a person other than the owner of the surface estate.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/SD-43-30A.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-SD-005", "jurisdiction": "SD", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://sdlegislature.gov/Statutes/Session_Laws/Chapter/6251", "publisher": "South Dakota Legislature, Session Laws 2016", "type": "session_law", "pinpoint": "SL 2016, ch 215 (HB 1058), section 2, struck subdivision (6) of 43-30A-3", "excerpt": "Taxes are paid on the mineral interest on behalf of the owner;", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/SD-SL2016-ch215-HB1058.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-SD-006", "jurisdiction": "SD", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://ujs.sd.gov/media/vkubegdt/26821.pdf", "publisher": "Supreme Court of South Dakota", "type": "court_opinion", "pinpoint": "Holsti v. Kimber, 2014 S.D. 21, paragraphs 1, 13 to 20", "excerpt": "In this quiet title action, the circuit court granted summary judgment, ruling that the surface estate owners had succeeded to the ownership of the previously severed mineral interests because those interests were abandoned for nonuse under SDCL 43-30A-2.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/SD-holsti-v-kimber-2014.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-SD-007", "jurisdiction": "SD", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://sdlegislature.gov/Statutes/43-30", "publisher": "South Dakota Legislature, Legislative Research Council", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "SDCL 43-30-1, 43-30-3, 43-30-7, 43-30-12 (survey only)", "excerpt": "who has an unbroken chain of title to any interest in land by himself and his immediate or remote grantors for a period of twenty - two years or longer, and is in possession of such land, shall be deemed to have a marketable record title to such interest", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/SD-43-30-marketable-title.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-SD-008", "jurisdiction": "SD", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://sdlegislature.gov/Statutes/45-9", "publisher": "South Dakota Legislature, Legislative Research Council", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "SDCL 45-9-31", "excerpt": "In the absence of voluntary pooling, the Board of Minerals and Environment or the secretary, as applicable, upon the application of any interested person, shall enter an order pooling all interests in the spacing unit for the development and operation of the spacing unit, and for the sharing of production from the spacing unit.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/SD-45-9-31-pooling.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-SD-009", "jurisdiction": "SD", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://sdlegislature.gov/Statutes/45-5A", "publisher": "South Dakota Legislature, Legislative Research Council", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "SDCL 45-5A-4", "excerpt": "The mineral developer shall pay the surface owner a sum of money equal to the amount of damages sustained by the surface owner for loss of agricultural production, lost land value, and lost value of improvements caused by mineral development.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/SD-45-5A-surface-damages.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-SD-010", "jurisdiction": "SD", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://sdlegislature.gov/Statutes/45-5A", "publisher": "South Dakota Legislature, Legislative Research Council", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "SDCL 45-5A-5", "excerpt": "The mineral developer shall give the surface owner written notice of proposed surface disturbing mineral development activities at least thirty days before the date operations are commenced.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/SD-45-5A-surface-damages.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-TN-001", "jurisdiction": "TN", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.tncourts.gov/sites/default/files/currencecharles.opn_.pdf", "publisher": "Court of Appeals of Tennessee", "type": "court_opinion", "pinpoint": "Currence v. Harrogate Energy, LLC, No. M2014-01263-COA-R3-CV (Tenn. Ct. App. May 11, 2015), slip op. 5 to 6, quoting Tenn. Code Ann. 66-5-108(c) (the quotation runs across a page break; footnote 5 sits between \"revert to\" and \"the owner of the surface\" in the slip opinion)", "excerpt": "Any interest in coal, oil and gas, and other minerals shall, if unused for a period of twenty (20) years, be extinguished, unless a statement of claim is filed in accordance with subsection (d), and the ownership of the mineral interest shall revert to the owner of the surface.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot January 28, 2017", "saved_as": "sources/TN-currence-v-harrogate-2015.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-TN-002", "jurisdiction": "TN", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.tncourts.gov/sites/default/files/currencecharles.opn_.pdf", "publisher": "Court of Appeals of Tennessee", "type": "court_opinion", "pinpoint": "Currence, slip op. 6, quoting Tenn. Code Ann. 66-5-108(b)(3)", "excerpt": "or when any such use is being carried out on any tract with which such mineral interest may be unitized or pooled for production purposes, or when taxes are paid on such mineral interest by the owner of the land.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot January 28, 2017", "saved_as": "sources/TN-currence-v-harrogate-2015.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-TN-003", "jurisdiction": "TN", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.tncourts.gov/sites/default/files/currencecharles.opn_.pdf", "publisher": "Court of Appeals of Tennessee", "type": "court_opinion", "pinpoint": "Currence, slip op. 6, quoting Tenn. Code Ann. 67-5-809(d)", "excerpt": "[A]ny mineral interest owner failing to identify the location of the mineral interest according to § 67-5-804 shall not claim payment of taxes as a use of mineral interest as provided in title 66, chapter 5.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot January 28, 2017", "saved_as": "sources/TN-currence-v-harrogate-2015.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-TN-004", "jurisdiction": "TN", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.tncourts.gov/sites/default/files/OPINIONS/TCA/PDF/043/Cunningh.pdf", "publisher": "Court of Appeals of Tennessee", "type": "court_opinion", "pinpoint": "Cunningham v. Gill, No. M2003-01374-COA-R3-CV (Tenn. Ct. App. July 20, 2004), slip op. 5", "excerpt": "Based upon the foregoing, it is evident the language in the statute means that unused mineral interests will expire unless a statement of claim is filed within twenty years of the last “use,” as that term is defined by the statute, or three years from the effective date of the statute, whichever is later.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot February 17, 2017", "saved_as": "sources/TN-cunningham-v-gill-2004.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-TN-005", "jurisdiction": "TN", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://law.justia.com/codes/tennessee/2021/title-66/chapter-5/part-1/section-66-5-108/", "publisher": "Justia (mirror of Tennessee Code Annotated, 2021)", "type": "unofficial_mirror", "pinpoint": "Tenn. Code Ann. 66-5-108(e)(4)", "excerpt": "If, within sixty (60) days after publication provided in subdivision (e)(3), the mineral interest owner does not file with the clerk and master an answer alleging a claim to the mineral interest, the clerk and master shall so certify to the chancellor who shall enter the following order declaring the mineral interest has lapsed", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot April 1, 2024", "saved_as": "sources/TN-66-5-108-justia-2021.md", "official": false }, { "id": "SRC-TN-006", "jurisdiction": "TN", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://law.justia.com/codes/tennessee/2021/title-66/chapter-5/part-1/section-66-5-108/", "publisher": "Justia (mirror of Tennessee Code Annotated, 2021)", "type": "unofficial_mirror", "pinpoint": "Tenn. Code Ann. 66-5-108(e)(7) and (j)", "excerpt": "In order for the judicially determined lapse to be effective as to the subsequent interest holders, a certified copy of the final order evidencing the same must be recorded in the register of deeds office in the county where the property is located.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot April 1, 2024", "saved_as": "sources/TN-66-5-108-justia-2021.md", "official": false }, { "id": "SRC-TN-007", "jurisdiction": "TN", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.tncourts.gov/sites/default/files/OPINIONS/TCA/PDF/101/Melvin%20Quarles%20v%20Barbara%20Atkins%20Smith%20et%20al%20OPN.pdf", "publisher": "Court of Appeals of Tennessee", "type": "court_opinion", "pinpoint": "Quarles v. Smith, No. W2009-00514-COA-R3-CV (Tenn. Ct. App. Feb. 24, 2010), quoting Tenn. Code Ann. 28-2-110(c)", "excerpt": "Nothing in this section shall bar a person from bringing an action to contest the lapse of a mineral interest within the period provided by § 66-5-108(f).", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot February 11, 2017", "saved_as": "sources/TN-quarles-v-smith-2010-28-2-110.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-TN-008", "jurisdiction": "TN", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.tncourts.gov/sites/default/files/OPINIONS/TCA/PDF/993/begleyl.pdf", "publisher": "Court of Appeals of Tennessee", "type": "court_opinion", "pinpoint": "Begley Lumber Co. v. Trammell, No. 03A01-9902-CH-00047 (Tenn. Ct. App. Aug. 25, 1999), slip op. 1", "excerpt": "insisting that the Trial Judge erred by not applying the affirmative defense of the statute of limitations set forth in Tennessee Code Annotated §66-5-108(j).", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot February 16, 2017", "saved_as": "sources/TN-begley-v-trammell-1999.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-TN-009", "jurisdiction": "TN", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.tncourts.gov/sites/default/files/leukingjamesopn2nd.pdf", "publisher": "Court of Appeals of Tennessee", "type": "court_opinion", "pinpoint": "Lueking v. Cambridge Resources, Inc., No. E2011-02393-COA-R3-CV (Tenn. Ct. App. Dec. 21, 2012), quoting Tenn. Code Ann. 66-7-103(a)(1)", "excerpt": "Any lease of oil or natural gas rights or any other conveyance of any kind separating such rights from the freehold estate of land shall expire at the end of ten (10) years from the date executed, unless, at the end of such ten (10) years, natural gas or oil is being produced from such land for commercial purposes.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot February 15, 2017", "saved_as": "sources/TN-lueking-v-cambridge-2012.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-TN-010", "jurisdiction": "TN", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.ctas.tennessee.edu/eli/mineral-interests", "publisher": "University of Tennessee County Technical Assistance Service", "type": "secondary", "pinpoint": "CTAS-1480, Mineral Interests (footnote marker 2 omitted)", "excerpt": "failure to identify the location of a mineral interest will render the owner unable to claim payment of taxes as use of a mineral interest against a surface owner's claim of abandonment under T.C.A. § 66-5-108.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/TN-ctas-mineral-interests.md", "official": false }, { "id": "SRC-TN-011", "jurisdiction": "TN", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://www.tncourts.gov/sites/default/files/leukingjamesopn2nd.pdf", "publisher": "Court of Appeals of Tennessee", "type": "court_opinion", "pinpoint": "Lueking v. Cambridge Resources, Inc. (Tenn. Ct. App. Dec. 21, 2012), slip op. 6 to 7, quoting Tenn. Code Ann. 60-1-202(a)(4)(M)", "excerpt": "(M) To provide for the forced integration of separately owned tracts and other property ownership into drilling and production units....", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot February 15, 2017", "saved_as": "sources/TN-lueking-v-cambridge-2012.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-TN-012", "jurisdiction": "TN", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://oklahoma.gov/content/dam/ok/en/iogcc/documents/member-states/tennessee_2019.pdf", "publisher": "Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission", "type": "secondary", "pinpoint": "Tennessee member state summary 2019, section VII Pooling", "excerpt": "Authority to establish compulsory: Yes; TCA 60-1-202(4)(M).", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/TN-iogcc-2019-pooling.md", "official": false }, { "id": "SRC-TN-013", "jurisdiction": "TN", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://www.tncourts.gov/sites/default/files/leukingjamesopn2nd.pdf", "publisher": "Court of Appeals of Tennessee", "type": "court_opinion", "pinpoint": "Lueking v. Cambridge Resources, Inc. (Tenn. Ct. App. Dec. 21, 2012), slip op. 6", "excerpt": "Further, Tenn. Code Ann. 60-1-601 et seq. specifically vests the OGB with the power to compensate landowners for damages caused by oil and gas operators.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot February 15, 2017", "saved_as": "sources/TN-lueking-v-cambridge-2012.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-TX-001", "jurisdiction": "TX", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/CP/htm/CP.64.htm", "publisher": "Texas Legislative Council", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Tex. Civ. Prac. and Rem. Code 64.091(b-1)", "excerpt": "(1) be a person whose residence or identity is unknown or a nonresident; and (2) have not paid taxes on the interest or rendered it for taxes during the five-year period immediately preceding the filing of the action.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot December 9, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/TX-cprc-64-091-093-receivership.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-TX-002", "jurisdiction": "TX", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/CP/htm/CP.64.htm", "publisher": "Texas Legislative Council", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Tex. Civ. Prac. and Rem. Code 64.091(e)", "excerpt": "A receivership created under this subchapter continues as long as the defendant or his heirs, assigns, or personal representatives fail to appear in court in person or by agent or attorney to claim the defendant's interest.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot December 9, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/TX-cprc-64-091-093-receivership.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-TX-003", "jurisdiction": "TX", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/PR/htm/PR.75.htm", "publisher": "Texas Legislative Council", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Tex. Prop. Code 75.101(a)", "excerpt": "All mineral proceeds that are held or owing by the holder and that have remained unclaimed by the owner for longer than three years after they became payable or distributable and the owner's underlying right to receive those mineral proceeds are presumed abandoned.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot November 14, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/TX-prop-75-mineral-proceeds-unclaimed.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-TX-004", "jurisdiction": "TX", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/NR/htm/NR.102.htm", "publisher": "Texas Legislative Council", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Tex. Nat. Res. Code 102.011", "excerpt": "the commission, on the application of an owner specified in Section 102.012 of this code and for the purpose of avoiding the drilling of unnecessary wells, protecting correlative rights, or preventing waste, shall establish a unit and pool all of the interests in the unit", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot November 17, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/TX-nr-102-mineral-interest-pooling-act.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-TX-005", "jurisdiction": "TX", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/NR/htm/NR.102.htm", "publisher": "Texas Legislative Council", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Tex. Nat. Res. Code 102.013(b)", "excerpt": "The commission shall dismiss the application if it finds that a fair and reasonable offer to pool voluntarily has not been made by the applicant.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot November 17, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/TX-nr-102-mineral-interest-pooling-act.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-TX-006", "jurisdiction": "TX", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/NR/htm/NR.102.htm", "publisher": "Texas Legislative Council", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Tex. Nat. Res. Code 102.003 and 102.004(a)", "excerpt": "The provisions of this chapter do not apply to any reservoir discovered and produced before March 8, 1961. ... The provisions of this chapter do not apply to land owned by the State of Texas nor to land in which the State of Texas has an interest directly or indirectly.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot November 17, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/TX-nr-102-mineral-interest-pooling-act.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-TX-007", "jurisdiction": "TX", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/NR/htm/NR.91.htm", "publisher": "Texas Legislative Council", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Tex. Nat. Res. Code 91.753(a)", "excerpt": "the operator shall give written notice of the issuance of the permit to the surface owner of the tract of land on which the well is located or is proposed to be located.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot December 13, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/TX-nr-91-subch-q-surface-owner-notice.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-TX-008", "jurisdiction": "TX", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/NR/htm/NR.91.htm", "publisher": "Texas Legislative Council", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Tex. Nat. Res. Code 91.755(a)", "excerpt": "This subchapter does not affect the status of any rule of law to the effect that the mineral estate in land is dominant over the surface estate.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot December 13, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/TX-nr-91-subch-q-surface-owner-notice.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-UT-001", "jurisdiction": "UT", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://le.utah.gov/xcode/Title57/Chapter9/C57-9_1800010118000101.pdf", "publisher": "Utah State Legislature, Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel (Utah Code)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Utah Code 57-9-6(5) (this chapter 'may not be applied to')", "excerpt": "extinguish any right, title, estate, or interest in and to minerals, and any development, mining, production or other rights or easements related to the minerals or exercisable in connection with the minerals", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot January 20, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/UT-57-9-marketable-record-title.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-UT-002", "jurisdiction": "UT", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://le.utah.gov/~2019/bills/sbillenr/SB0078.pdf", "publisher": "Utah State Legislature", "type": "session_law", "pinpoint": "S.B. 78 (2019), amending Utah Code 75-2-105(4)", "excerpt": "the Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration with respect to any minerals or mineral proceeds referenced in Subsection (3), may bring an action in district court in any district in which part of the property related to the minerals or mineral proceeds is located to quiet title the minerals, mineral proceeds, or property.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot January 19, 2022", "saved_as": "sources/UT-75-2-105-SB78-2019.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-UT-003", "jurisdiction": "UT", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://le.utah.gov/xcode/Title40/Chapter6/C40-6-S6.5_2018050820180508.html", "publisher": "Utah State Legislature, Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel (Utah Code)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Utah Code 40-6-6.5(2)(a) (version effective 5/8/2018)", "excerpt": "In the absence of a written agreement for pooling, including a joint operating agreement, the board may enter an order pooling all interests in the drilling unit for the development and operation of the drilling unit.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot July 14, 2024", "saved_as": "sources/UT-40-6-6-5-pooling.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-UT-004", "jurisdiction": "UT", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://le.utah.gov/xcode/Title40/Chapter6/C40-6-S20_1800010118000101.html", "publisher": "Utah State Legislature, Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel (Utah Code)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Utah Code 40-6-20(2)(c)", "excerpt": "(c) compensate a surface land owner for unreasonable: (i) loss of a surface land owner's crops on the surface land; (ii) loss of value to existing improvements owned by a surface land owner on the surface land; and (iii) permanent damage to the surface land.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot July 22, 2024", "saved_as": "sources/UT-40-6-20-21-surface-use.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-VT-001", "jurisdiction": "VT", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/fullchapter/29/014", "publisher": "Vermont General Assembly, Vermont Statutes Online", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "29 V.S.A. § 563(a), (b)", "excerpt": "An abandoned interest in oil and gas shall revert to and merge with the surface estate from which it was severed. ... An interest in oil and gas is deemed abandoned at any time that: (1) it has been unused for a continuous period of 10 years after July 1, 1973", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot May 12, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/VT-29-563-current.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-VT-002", "jurisdiction": "VT", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2024/Docs/ACTS/ACT161/ACT161%20As%20Enacted.pdf", "publisher": "Vermont General Assembly, Acts and Resolves", "type": "session_law", "pinpoint": "2024, No. 161, §§ 36 and 58", "excerpt": "Sec. 36. 29 V.S.A. § 563 is added to read: ... This act shall take effect on passage ... Date Governor signed bill: June 6, 2024", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot April 14, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/VT-acts-2023-53-and-2024-161.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-VT-003", "jurisdiction": "VT", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/fullchapter/29/014", "publisher": "Vermont General Assembly, Vermont Statutes Online", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "29 V.S.A. ch. 14, history note", "excerpt": "§§ 561-566. Repealed. 2023, No. 53, § 135, eff. June 8, 2023.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot May 12, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/VT-29-563-current.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-VT-004", "jurisdiction": "VT", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/fullchapter/27/005", "publisher": "Vermont General Assembly, Vermont Statutes Online", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "27 V.S.A. § 603", "excerpt": "free and clear of any and all interests, liens, claims, and charges the existence of which depends in whole or in part upon any act, transaction, event, or omission that occurred prior to such 40-year period", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot March 14, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/VT-27-601-606-mrta.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-VT-005", "jurisdiction": "VT", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/fullchapter/29/014", "publisher": "Vermont General Assembly, Vermont Statutes Online", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "former 29 V.S.A. § 523(a)", "excerpt": "In the absence of voluntary pooling and upon application by any person owning a tract or interest within an exploratory or development drilling unit, the Board may enter an order pooling all tracts and interests within the unit.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot September 26, 2020", "saved_as": "sources/VT-29-ch14-former-2020.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-VT-006", "jurisdiction": "VT", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/fullchapter/29/014", "publisher": "Vermont General Assembly, Vermont Statutes Online", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "29 V.S.A. ch. 14, subchapter 3 history note", "excerpt": "§§ 521-526. Repealed. 2023, No. 53, § 135, eff. June 8, 2023.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot May 12, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/VT-29-563-current.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-VT-007", "jurisdiction": "VT", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/fullchapter/29/014", "publisher": "Vermont General Assembly, Vermont Statutes Online", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "former 29 V.S.A. § 541(e)", "excerpt": "every person granted permission to drill a well pursuant to this section shall give written notice by certified mail to the Board, local agencies, and the surface landowner affected.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot September 26, 2020", "saved_as": "sources/VT-29-ch14-former-2020.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-VA-001", "jurisdiction": "VA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title45.2/chapter4/section45.2-400/", "publisher": "Virginia General Assembly, Legislative Information System (Code of Virginia)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Va. Code § 45.2-400(A)", "excerpt": "it shall be prima facie presumed that no coal, minerals, ore, oil, or subsurface substances exist in, on, or under such lands, except lands lying west of the Blue Ridge Mountains.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/VA-45.2-400-401-presumption-extinguish.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-VA-002", "jurisdiction": "VA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title45.2/chapter4/section45.2-400/", "publisher": "Virginia General Assembly, Legislative Information System (Code of Virginia)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Va. Code § 45.2-400(B)", "excerpt": "for a period of 35 years or more, such right to explore or mine has not been exercised, the person having such claim or right has never been charged with taxes thereon, all the taxes on the land have been charged to and paid by the person holding the land", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/VA-45.2-400-401-presumption-extinguish.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-VA-003", "jurisdiction": "VA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title45.2/chapter4/section45.2-401/", "publisher": "Virginia General Assembly, Legislative Information System (Code of Virginia)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Va. Code § 45.2-401(B), (C)", "excerpt": "In the absence of satisfactory evidence to the contrary, it shall be presumed that no commercial coal, mineral, ore, oil, or subsurface substance exists in or on the land, and the court shall enter an order declaring the claim or right to be a cloud on the title and releasing the land therefrom and extinguishing such claim or right.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/VA-45.2-400-401-presumption-extinguish.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-VA-004", "jurisdiction": "VA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title45.2/chapter6/section45.2-602/", "publisher": "Virginia General Assembly, Legislative Information System (Code of Virginia)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Va. Code §§ 45.2-602, 45.2-604, 45.2-605", "excerpt": "seeks to impress a trust upon unknown or missing owners of such tract of coal may petition the circuit court in the county or city containing the majority of the tract of coal to establish a trust to protect the interests of all coal owners and lessees.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/VA-45.2-602-607-missing-coal-owners.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-VA-005", "jurisdiction": "VA", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title45.2/chapter16/section45.2-1620/", "publisher": "Virginia General Assembly, Legislative Information System (Code of Virginia)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Va. Code § 45.2-1620(A)", "excerpt": "The Board, upon application from any gas or oil owner, shall enter an order pooling all interests in a drilling unit for the development and operation thereof when:", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/VA-45.2-1620-1624-pooling.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-VA-006", "jurisdiction": "VA", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title45.2/chapter16/section45.2-1620/", "publisher": "Virginia General Assembly, Legislative Information System (Code of Virginia)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Va. Code § 45.2-1620(D)", "excerpt": "Any gas or oil owner whose identity and location remain unknown at the conclusion of a hearing concerning the establishment of a pooling order for which public notice was given shall be deemed to have elected to lease his interest to the gas or oil operator at a rate to be established by the Board.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/VA-45.2-1620-1624-pooling.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-VA-007", "jurisdiction": "VA", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title45.2/chapter16/section45.2-1622/", "publisher": "Virginia General Assembly, Legislative Information System (Code of Virginia)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Va. Code § 45.2-1622(A)", "excerpt": "If there are conflicting claims to the ownership of coalbed methane gas, the Board, upon application from any claimant, shall enter an order pooling all interests or estates in the coalbed methane gas-drilling unit for the development and operation thereof.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/VA-45.2-1620-1624-pooling.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-VA-008", "jurisdiction": "VA", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title45.2/chapter16/section45.2-1632/", "publisher": "Virginia General Assembly, Legislative Information System (Code of Virginia)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Va. Code § 45.2-1632(A)(1)", "excerpt": "the applicant shall provide notice of the application to the following persons: 1. Every surface owner, coal owner, and mineral owner on the tract to be drilled;", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/VA-45.2-1632-1637-1649-surface-owner.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-VA-009", "jurisdiction": "VA", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title45.2/chapter16/section45.2-1649/", "publisher": "Virginia General Assembly, Legislative Information System (Code of Virginia)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Va. Code § 45.2-1649", "excerpt": "the operator of such gas well shall promptly provide a replacement water supply that shall be capable of meeting the uses such water supply met prior to the contamination or partial or complete interruption.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/VA-45.2-1632-1637-1649-surface-owner.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-WA-001", "jurisdiction": "WA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=78.22.010", "publisher": "Washington State Legislature", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "RCW 78.22.010", "excerpt": "Any mineral interest, if unused for a period of twenty years, may be extinguished by the surface owner as set forth in RCW 78.22.050 and 78.22.060 .", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/WA-78-22.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-WA-002", "jurisdiction": "WA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=78.22.030", "publisher": "Washington State Legislature", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "RCW 78.22.030(3), (6)", "excerpt": "(3) Rents or royalties have been paid for the purpose of delaying or enjoying the use or exercise of the mineral interest; ... (6) Taxes have been paid on such mineral interest;", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/WA-78-22.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-WA-003", "jurisdiction": "WA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=78.22.050", "publisher": "Washington State Legislature", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "RCW 78.22.050(1)", "excerpt": "After the later of the expiration of the twenty-year period set forth in RCW 78.22.010 or two years after June 7, 1984, the surface owner may extinguish the mineral interest held by another person and acquire ownership of that interest by providing sixty days notice of intention to file a claim of abandonment and extinguishment", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/WA-78-22.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-WA-004", "jurisdiction": "WA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=78.22.060", "publisher": "Washington State Legislature", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "RCW 78.22.060", "excerpt": "if the surface owner files the claim of abandonment and extinguishment, together with a copy of the notice and the affidavit of publication, as required in RCW 78.22.050 , in the county auditor's office for the county where such interest is located then the mineral interest shall be conclusively presumed to be extinguished.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/WA-78-22.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-WA-005", "jurisdiction": "WA", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=78.22.080", "publisher": "Washington State Legislature", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "RCW 78.22.080", "excerpt": "Mineral interests retained or owned by any public entity or mineral interests resulting from land exchanges between public and private owners shall not be subject to a claim of abandonment and extinguishment.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/WA-78-22.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-WA-006", "jurisdiction": "WA", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=78.52.240", "publisher": "Washington State Legislature", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "RCW 78.52.240", "excerpt": "In the absence of this voluntary pooling, the department, upon the application of any interested person, shall enter an order pooling all interests, including royalty interests, in the development unit for the development and operation thereof. Each such pooling order shall be made after notice and hearing.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/WA-78-52-pooling-permit-notice.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-WA-007", "jurisdiction": "WA", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=78.52.120", "publisher": "Washington State Legislature", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "RCW 78.52.120", "excerpt": "the applicant must notify the surface landowner, the landowner's tenant, and other surface users in the manner provided by regulations of the department that a drilling permit has been applied for by furnishing each such surface landowner, tenant, and other users with a copy of the application concurrent with the filing of the application.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/WA-78-52-pooling-permit-notice.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-WA-008", "jurisdiction": "WA", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=79.14.040", "publisher": "Washington State Legislature", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "RCW 79.14.040 (state oil and gas leases only)", "excerpt": "No lessee shall commence any operation upon lands covered by the lease until such lessee has provided for compensation to owners of private rights therein according to law, or in lieu thereof, filed a surety bond with the department", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/WA-79-14-state-lease-surface-survey.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-WV-001", "jurisdiction": "WV", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://code.wvlegislature.gov/55-12A-2/", "publisher": "West Virginia Legislature", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "W. Va. Code 55-12A-2(1)", "excerpt": "\"Abandoning owner\" means any person, vested with title to any interest in minerals, who is proved to have abandoned the interest, that is, to have relinquished any right to possess or enjoy the interest with the expressed intention of terminating ownership of the interest, but without vesting the ownership in any other person.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot September 11, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/WV-55-12A-missing-abandoning-owners.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-WV-002", "jurisdiction": "WV", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://code.wvlegislature.gov/55-12A-4/", "publisher": "West Virginia Legislature", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "W. Va. Code 55-12A-4(a)", "excerpt": "If the title to any mineral interest is vested in an unknown or missing owner or an abandoning owner and it is proved that the development of the minerals would be advantageous to a prudent owner ... the circuit court ... shall have the power to appoint a special commissioner", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot December 4, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/WV-55-12A-missing-abandoning-owners.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-WV-003", "jurisdiction": "WV", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://code.wvlegislature.gov/55-12A-7/", "publisher": "West Virginia Legislature", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "W. Va. Code 55-12A-7(a)(1)", "excerpt": "If an owner of any mineral interest leased under section six of this article remains unknown or missing, or does not disavow the abandonment, for a period of seven years from the date of the special commissioner's lease, the special or general receiver shall report the same to the court", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot January 10, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/WV-55-12A-missing-abandoning-owners.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-WV-004", "jurisdiction": "WV", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://code.wvlegislature.gov/55-12A-7/", "publisher": "West Virginia Legislature", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "W. Va. Code 55-12A-7(a)(1)(i) and (ii)", "excerpt": "order the special Commissioner to convey to the proven surface owner, subject to the special commissioner's lease, the mineral interest specified in the motion ... and (ii) order the special or general receiver to pay to the Oil and Gas Reclamation Fund established pursuant to §22-6-29 the funds which have accrued", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot January 10, 2026", "saved_as": "sources/WV-55-12A-missing-abandoning-owners.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-WV-005", "jurisdiction": "WV", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://code.wvlegislature.gov/37B-1-4/", "publisher": "West Virginia Legislature", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "W. Va. Code 37B-1-4(g)", "excerpt": "After seven years from the date of the first report to the treasurer, a bona fide surface owner may file an action to quiet title to the interests of all unknown and unlocatable interest owners of the oil and natural gas estate underlying the surface tract.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot November 13, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/WV-37B-cotenancy-unknown-owners.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-WV-006", "jurisdiction": "WV", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://code.wvlegislature.gov/22C-9-7A/", "publisher": "West Virginia Legislature", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "W. Va. Code 22C-9-7a(o)(6)", "excerpt": "The court may appoint a special commissioner at any time to deliver a deed to the petitioners in the form provided herein five years after first production reported to the state occurs or one year after the first publication service of a petition under this subsection is made, whichever is later.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot December 14, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/WV-22C-9-pooling-unitization.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-WV-007", "jurisdiction": "WV", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://code.wvlegislature.gov/signed_bills/2026/2026-RS-SB686-SUB2%20ENR_signed.pdf", "publisher": "West Virginia Legislature", "type": "session_law", "pinpoint": "2026 SB 686, new W. Va. Code 37B-3-4(g)", "excerpt": "After seven years from the date of the first report to the State Treasurer, a surface owner may file an action to quiet title to the interests of all unknown and unlocatable interest owners of the coal estate.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/WV-2026-sb686-coal-cotenancy.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-WV-008", "jurisdiction": "WV", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2021_SESSIONS/RS/bills/HB2205%20INTR.pdf", "publisher": "West Virginia Legislature", "type": "official_agency", "pinpoint": "2021 HB 2205, introduced bill (not enacted)", "excerpt": "all relating to the procedure for claiming abandoned mineral interests; creating a procedure to quiet title to abandoned mineral interests by serving notice on a mineral rights owner", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/WV-2021-hb2205-abandoned-mineral-bill.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-WV-009", "jurisdiction": "WV", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://code.wvlegislature.gov/22C-9-7/", "publisher": "West Virginia Legislature", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "W. Va. Code 22C-9-7(b)(1)", "excerpt": "the commission shall enter an order pooling all tracts or interests in the drilling unit for the development and operation thereof and for sharing production therefrom ... in no event shall drilling be initiated on the tract of an unleased owner without the owner's written consent.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot November 9, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/WV-22C-9-pooling-unitization.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-WV-010", "jurisdiction": "WV", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://code.wvlegislature.gov/22C-9-7A/", "publisher": "West Virginia Legislature", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "W. Va. Code 22C-9-7a(c)(1)", "excerpt": "For all horizontal wells, including shallow horizontal wells and deep horizontal wells, the commission may unitize tracts, or portions of tracts, in a horizontal well unit established under this section upon the filing of an application with the commission by a person that controls the horizontal well unit", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot December 14, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/WV-22C-9-pooling-unitization.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-WV-011", "jurisdiction": "WV", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://code.wvlegislature.gov/22C-9-3/", "publisher": "West Virginia Legislature", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "W. Va. Code 22C-9-3(b)(1)", "excerpt": "This article shall not apply to or affect: (1) Shallow wells other than shallow horizontal wells and those utilized in secondary recovery programs", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot September 7, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/WV-22C-9-pooling-unitization.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-WV-012", "jurisdiction": "WV", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://code.wvlegislature.gov/22-7-3/", "publisher": "West Virginia Legislature", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "W. Va. Code 22-7-3(a)", "excerpt": "The oil and gas developer shall be obligated to pay the surface owner compensation for: (1) Lost income or expenses incurred as a result of being unable to dedicate land actually occupied by the driller's operation ... (2) the market value of crops destroyed, damaged or prevented from reaching market, (3) any damage to a water supply", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot November 12, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/WV-22-7-surface-damage-compensation.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-WV-013", "jurisdiction": "WV", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://code.wvlegislature.gov/22-7-5/", "publisher": "West Virginia Legislature", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "W. Va. Code 22-7-5", "excerpt": "Any surface owner, to receive compensation under section three of this article, shall notify the oil and gas developer of the damages sustained by the person within two years after the date that the oil and gas developer files notice that reclamation is commencing", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot November 13, 2025", "saved_as": "sources/WV-22-7-surface-damage-compensation.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-WI-001", "jurisdiction": "WI", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/706/057", "publisher": "Wisconsin Legislature, Legislative Reference Bureau", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Wis. Stat. § 706.057(3)(a)", "excerpt": "Except as provided in par. (b) or (c), an interest in minerals lapses if the interest in minerals was not used during the previous 20 years.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Official page the official page, captured October 1, 2026, currency through 2025 Wis. Act 247 in effect October 1, 2026; the official host was not available when AMR checked. Text matches the official ch. 706 PDF of April 3, 2026 (Internet Archive snapshot April 12, 2026).", "saved_as": "sources/WI-706-057.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-WI-002", "jurisdiction": "WI", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/706/057", "publisher": "Wisconsin Legislature, Legislative Reference Bureau", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Wis. Stat. § 706.057(2)(a) to (c)", "excerpt": "an interest in minerals is used if any of the following occur: (a) Any minerals are mined in exploitation of the interest in minerals. (b) A conveyance of mineral interests is recorded under this chapter. (c) Any other conveyance evidencing a transaction by which the interest in minerals is created, aliened, reserved, mortgaged or assigned is recorded under this chapter.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Official page the official page, captured October 1, 2026, currency through 2025 Wis. Act 247 in effect October 1, 2026; the official host was not available when AMR checked. Text matches the official ch. 706 PDF of April 3, 2026 (Internet Archive snapshot April 12, 2026).", "saved_as": "sources/WI-706-057.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-WI-003", "jurisdiction": "WI", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/706/057", "publisher": "Wisconsin Legislature, Legislative Reference Bureau", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Wis. Stat. § 706.057(2)(d) and (e)", "excerpt": "(d) Property taxes are paid on the interest in minerals by the owner of the interest in minerals. (e) The owner of the interest in minerals records a statement of claim under sub. (4) or (5) concerning the interest in minerals.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Official page the official page, captured October 1, 2026, currency through 2025 Wis. Act 247 in effect October 1, 2026; the official host was not available when AMR checked. Text matches the official ch. 706 PDF of April 3, 2026 (Internet Archive snapshot April 12, 2026).", "saved_as": "sources/WI-706-057.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-WI-004", "jurisdiction": "WI", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/706/057", "publisher": "Wisconsin Legislature, Legislative Reference Bureau", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Wis. Stat. § 706.057(4)", "excerpt": "The statement of claim shall contain the name and address of the owner of the interest in minerals, a description of the location and boundary of the interest in minerals and a reference to the recorded instrument which created the interest in minerals.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Official page the official page, captured October 1, 2026, currency through 2025 Wis. Act 247 in effect October 1, 2026; the official host was not available when AMR checked. Text matches the official ch. 706 PDF of April 3, 2026 (Internet Archive snapshot April 12, 2026).", "saved_as": "sources/WI-706-057.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-WI-005", "jurisdiction": "WI", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/706/057", "publisher": "Wisconsin Legislature, Legislative Reference Bureau", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Wis. Stat. § 706.057(5)", "excerpt": "is cured if the owner of the interest in minerals records a statement of claim complying with all of the requirements of sub. (4) before the surface owner records a statement of claim under sub. (6) (a) or before a statement of claim takes effect under sub. (6) (b) 1., whichever is later.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Official page the official page, captured October 1, 2026, currency through 2025 Wis. Act 247 in effect October 1, 2026; the official host was not available when AMR checked. Text matches the official ch. 706 PDF of April 3, 2026 (Internet Archive snapshot April 12, 2026).", "saved_as": "sources/WI-706-057.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-WI-006", "jurisdiction": "WI", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/706/057", "publisher": "Wisconsin Legislature, Legislative Reference Bureau", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Wis. Stat. § 706.057(6)(b)", "excerpt": "a statement of claim which is recorded under par. (a) before the lapse of the interest in minerals to which the claim applies takes effect when the interest in minerals lapses.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Official page the official page, captured October 1, 2026, currency through 2025 Wis. Act 247 in effect October 1, 2026; the official host was not available when AMR checked. Text matches the official ch. 706 PDF of April 3, 2026 (Internet Archive snapshot April 12, 2026).", "saved_as": "sources/WI-706-057.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-WI-007", "jurisdiction": "WI", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/706/057", "publisher": "Wisconsin Legislature, Legislative Reference Bureau", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Wis. Stat. § 706.057(9)(c)", "excerpt": "if no action is brought under par. (a), at the end of the 3-year period after the surface owner’s claim is recorded or at the end of the 3-year period after the claim takes effect as provided under sub. (6) (b) 1., whichever is later, the ownership of the interest in minerals reverts to the owner of the land", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Official page the official page, captured October 1, 2026, currency through 2025 Wis. Act 247 in effect October 1, 2026; the official host was not available when AMR checked. Text matches the official ch. 706 PDF of April 3, 2026 (Internet Archive snapshot April 12, 2026).", "saved_as": "sources/WI-706-057.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-WI-008", "jurisdiction": "WI", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/706.pdf", "publisher": "Wisconsin Legislature, Legislative Reference Bureau", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Wis. Stat. § 706.01(7m)", "excerpt": "“Interest in minerals” means any fee simple interest in minerals beneath the surface of land that is: (a) Separate from the fee simple interest in the surface of the land; and (b) Created by an instrument transferring, granting, assigning or reserving the minerals.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot April 12, 2026 of the official ch. 706 PDF (currency through 2025 Wis. Act 103, published 4-3-26)", "saved_as": "sources/WI-706-01-definitions.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-WI-009", "jurisdiction": "WI", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/706.pdf", "publisher": "Wisconsin Legislature, Legislative Reference Bureau", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Wis. Stat. § 706.01(8m)", "excerpt": "“Mineral” means a naturally occurring substance recognized by standard authorities as mineral, whether metalliferous or nonmetalliferous.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot April 12, 2026 of the official ch. 706 PDF (currency through 2025 Wis. Act 103, published 4-3-26)", "saved_as": "sources/WI-706-01-definitions.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-WI-010", "jurisdiction": "WI", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/1983/related/acts/455.pdf", "publisher": "Wisconsin Legislature", "type": "session_law", "pinpoint": "1983 Wis. Act 455, s. 7", "excerpt": "SECTION 7. Effective date. This act takes effect on July 1, 1984.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot February 18, 2025 of the official session law PDF", "saved_as": "sources/WI-1983-act-455.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-WI-011", "jurisdiction": "WI", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.wicourts.gov/ca/opinion/DisplayDocument.pdf?content=pdf&seqNo=338851", "publisher": "Wisconsin Court of Appeals", "type": "court_opinion", "pinpoint": "Lakeland Area Property Owners Ass’n v. Oneida County, 2021 WI App 19, ¶38", "excerpt": "once an interest has been used during the requisite three-year period, it is again subject to subsec. (3)(a) and will therefore lapse if not used at least once every twenty years.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Official URL was not available; read the court’s slip opinion PDF as stored by CourtListener (storage.courtlistener.com), which lists the official URL as its download source", "saved_as": "sources/WI-lakeland-2021-WI-App-19.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-WI-012", "jurisdiction": "WI", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.wicourts.gov/ca/opinion/DisplayDocument.pdf?content=pdf&seqNo=338851", "publisher": "Wisconsin Court of Appeals", "type": "court_opinion", "pinpoint": "Lakeland Area Property Owners Ass’n v. Oneida County, 2021 WI App 19, ¶43", "excerpt": "did not use their mineral rights at any time during the twenty-year period following January 12, 1987. As a result, their interests in the mineral rights lapsed on January 13, 2007.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Official URL was not available; read the court’s slip opinion PDF as stored by CourtListener (storage.courtlistener.com), which lists the official URL as its download source", "saved_as": "sources/WI-lakeland-2021-WI-App-19.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-WI-013", "jurisdiction": "WI", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://www.wicourts.gov/ca/opinion/DisplayDocument.pdf?content=pdf&seqNo=338851", "publisher": "Wisconsin Court of Appeals", "type": "court_opinion", "pinpoint": "Lakeland Area Property Owners Ass’n v. Oneida County, 2021 WI App 19, ¶52", "excerpt": "the statute requires a surface owner to record a statement of claim with respect to any lapsed mineral rights, see § 706.057(6), and it sets forth a process by which the ownership of mineral rights may be determined after a surface owner records a statement of claim", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Official URL was not available; read the court’s slip opinion PDF as stored by CourtListener (storage.courtlistener.com), which lists the official URL as its download source", "saved_as": "sources/WI-lakeland-2021-WI-App-19.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-WI-014", "jurisdiction": "WI", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/295.pdf", "publisher": "Wisconsin Legislature, Legislative Reference Bureau", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Wis. Stat. § 295.35(3)(e) and (f)", "excerpt": "(e) Spacing of wells. (f) Regulation of well production, including the allocation of allowable production in any field or pool.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot April 12, 2026 of the official ch. 295 PDF (currency through 2025 Wis. Act 103)", "saved_as": "sources/WI-295-oil-gas.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-WI-015", "jurisdiction": "WI", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/295.pdf", "publisher": "Wisconsin Legislature, Legislative Reference Bureau", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "Wis. Stat. § 295.35(2)(d)", "excerpt": "Reclamation of affected land when exploration and production are completed.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "Internet Archive snapshot April 12, 2026 of the official ch. 295 PDF (currency through 2025 Wis. Act 103)", "saved_as": "sources/WI-295-oil-gas.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-WY-001", "jurisdiction": "WY", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://wyoleg.gov/statutes/compress/title34.pdf", "publisher": "Wyoming Legislature, Legislative Service Office (Wyoming Statutes, title PDFs created May 9, 2026)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "W.S. 34-10-108(a)(iv) (this act 'shall not be applied')", "excerpt": "To bar or extinguish any title, estate or interest in and to any timber or any minerals (including without limiting the generality of that term, oil, gas and other hydrocarbons) and any development, mining, production or other rights or easements related thereto", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/WY-34-10-marketable-title.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-WY-002", "jurisdiction": "WY", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://wyoleg.gov/2003/Digest/HB0176.htm", "publisher": "Wyoming Legislature", "type": "session_law", "pinpoint": "2003 HB0176, Termination of mineral interest, journal digest (not enacted)", "excerpt": "1/30/2003 H Failed CoW; Indef Postponed", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/WY-2003-HB0176-failed-bill.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-WY-003", "jurisdiction": "WY", "fields": [ "dormancy" ], "url": "https://wyoleg.gov/statutes/compress/title34.pdf", "publisher": "Wyoming Legislature, Legislative Service Office (Wyoming Statutes, title PDFs created May 9, 2026)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "W.S. 34-24-117(a)", "excerpt": "Any sum payable as mineral proceeds that has remained unclaimed by the owner for more than three (3) years after it became payable or distributable and the owner's underlying right to receive those mineral proceeds are deemed abandoned.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/WY-title34-survey-related.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-WY-004", "jurisdiction": "WY", "fields": [ "pooling" ], "url": "https://wyoleg.gov/statutes/compress/title30.pdf", "publisher": "Wyoming Legislature, Legislative Service Office (Wyoming Statutes, title PDFs created May 9, 2026)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "W.S. 30-5-109(f)", "excerpt": "In the absence of voluntary pooling, the commission, upon the application of any interested person, may enter an order pooling all interests in the drilling unit for the development and operation thereof.", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/WY-30-5-109-pooling.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-WY-005", "jurisdiction": "WY", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://wyoleg.gov/statutes/compress/title30.pdf", "publisher": "Wyoming Legislature, Legislative Service Office (Wyoming Statutes, title PDFs created May 9, 2026)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "W.S. 30-5-405(a)(i)", "excerpt": "The oil and gas operator shall pay the surface owner as follows: (i) A sum of money or other compensation equal to the amount of damages sustained by the surface owner for loss of production and income, loss of land value and loss of value of improvements caused by oil and gas operations", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/WY-30-5-401-split-estate.md", "official": true }, { "id": "SRC-WY-006", "jurisdiction": "WY", "fields": [ "surface_damages" ], "url": "https://wyoleg.gov/statutes/compress/title30.pdf", "publisher": "Wyoming Legislature, Legislative Service Office (Wyoming Statutes, title PDFs created May 9, 2026)", "type": "official_statute", "pinpoint": "W.S. 30-5-402(c)", "excerpt": "Entry upon the land for oil and gas operations shall be conditioned on the oil and gas operator providing the required notice, attempting good faith negotiations and:", "accessed": "2026-10-01", "via": "", "saved_as": "sources/WY-30-5-401-split-estate.md", "official": true } ] }