American Mineral RegistryResearch & data

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Press kit and reuse

Figures that can be quoted, with their scope and source; maps and charts free to reuse with credit; and how to cite the right version.

What is new in release 2026.10.1

AMR re-read the official law for the 50 states and D.C. The review found a rule or mechanism that can end or move an interest in 11 jurisdictions that the June 2026 edition listed as having none (Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Maine, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Wisconsin); it found that several “lapse” states end an interest only after a surface owner’s notice or a court case; and it retired the 0 to 100 risk score. Full change record.

Figures you can quote

Each figure is computed from the published data. Quote it with its scope; a figure without its scope can mislead.

18 of 51 jurisdictions have a dormant mineral statute under which an unused severed interest can lapse or be declared abandoned, subject to that statute's conditions. 15 more use a different mechanism, and AMR found no such statute in 18.

Scope and source: Law Atlas release 2026.10.1, 50 states and D.C. Data.

In 13 of the 19 jurisdictions with a nonuse rule, the interest does not end until the surface owner takes a step such as a notice, a recorded claim or a court action.

Scope and source: Law Atlas release 2026.10.1, 50 states and D.C. Data.

Where a nonuse rule has a period, it ranges from 10 to 50 years.

Scope and source: Law Atlas release 2026.10.1, 50 states and D.C. Data.

152 of 153 consequential fields (dormant mineral rule, forced pooling, surface damages, for 51 jurisdictions) were checked against official text or searched in the official code in this release.

Scope and source: Law Atlas release 2026.10.1, 50 states and D.C. Data.

U.S. crude oil production was 4,986,606 thousand barrels in 2025, +2.7% from 2024; Texas produced 42.2% of it.

Scope and source: EIA annual tables released September 30, 2026. Data.

ONRR disbursed $14.61 billion from federal and offshore mineral revenue in fiscal year 2025, down from $16.45 billion in 2024; New Mexico received the largest state share, $2.76 billion.

Scope and source: ONRR fiscal year disbursements, downloaded October 1, 2026. Data.

Readings to avoid

“These states take your minerals.” In most states with a dormant mineral statute, nothing happens until a surface owner gives notice, records a claim or goes to court, and a recorded claim often preserves the interest.

“No law means minerals are safe forever.” “No statute found” is a search result. Title defects, tax sales and other rules can still affect an interest.

“X percent of owners lose their minerals.” AMR has no data on owners, interests or losses, and its figures count statutes, not people.

Any risk score or ranking from the June 2026 edition. It has been retired.

Maps and charts

Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with the credit printed on each image.

Tile map of U.S. states colored and lettered by dormant mineral rule type, release 2026.10.1

Datasets you can download

Every dataset behind these figures is free to download from the data page: the Law Atlas as CSV, JSON and XLSX with a data dictionary; production by state and federal revenue by state as CSV and JSON; state tax on royalty income; and the monthly price series as CSV. Each file names its release and its sources.

Editorial standards

Law findings come from the official text wherever it could be read, with a pinpoint citation and the operative words quoted, and every field carries its own evidence label. Agency figures are reproduced as the agency publishes them, with the release date. Corrections are made in public on changes and corrections, with the date, the old and new reading and the source. The full method is in the methodology.

Related open data

The primary sources behind AMR Research are public. Production and prices: the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Federal mineral revenue: the Office of Natural Resources Revenue’s Natural Resources Revenue Data. State law: each legislature’s official code, linked from the state pages and listed in the source register. Well records: each state’s oil and gas regulator.

License and contact

AMR’s text, maps, charts and data are licensed CC BY 4.0: reuse them, including commercially, with credit to American Mineral Registry and a link to the page used. Statute text and U.S. government data keep their own terms. For press questions, interviews about the data or a correction, use the research message form.

How to cite

Cite the release you used, and the specific page where possible. The DOI 10.5281/zenodo.20935348 identifies only the June 2026 edition, which this release corrects; do not use it for current figures.

Cite the Law Atlas

American Mineral Registry. U.S. Mineral Rights Law Atlas. Release 2026.10.1, October 6, 2026. https://americanmineralregistry.com/research/mineral-rights-by-state

About the publisher

American Mineral Registry is a privately run website that also offers a commercial service to owners who want offers for their interests, and earns money when a sale it arranges closes. Its research is free, open and carries no offers, and every law field carries its own evidence label. See About AMR Research and the methodology.