Sell Mineral Rights in California
Sell mineral rights in California by asking buyers for written offers before you sign anything. California produced about 105 million barrels of crude oil and about 112 billion cubic feet of marketed natural gas in 2025, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Most activity centers on Kern County in the San Joaquin Basin, and we take your interest to buyers at no cost to you.
Request offers Free to ask, with no upfront fee and no obligation to sell.
What shapes an offer for California minerals
Buyers price each tract on its own wells and the wells around it, so the San Joaquin Basin and the Los Angeles and Ventura basins along the coast are priced differently.
Well and production records are kept by the California Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM), and your deed is recorded with the county where the land sits.
California rules to know before you sell
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. California Dormant Mineral Act (opens in a new tab) gives the statute and its conditions.
On forced pooling, no general forced pooling procedure for drilling units was found, but three narrower compulsory tools exist in the Public Resources Code.
California has no statewide severance tax; the state charge is the CalGEM production assessment, about $1.28 per barrel of oil or per 10 thousand cubic feet of gas for fiscal year 2025/26, reset each June. The operator pays the charge and withholds each royalty owner’s proportionate share.
California taxes royalty income through its personal income tax. Payers must withhold state income tax from some royalty payments. Oil and Gas Severance Tax by State (opens in a new tab) compares every state.
One request. Buyers compete in writing. You call the shots.
Keep a recent check stub or the lease handy if you have one; it helps buyers price an offer, but you can ask without either. Nothing goes to a buyer until we have talked with you. If a buyer has already written to you, tell us; that letter becomes the number every other offer has to beat.
Free for families. You never pay us a dime.
Asking for an offer costs you nothing, and there is no fee when you sell. Usually we buy the interest ourselves, and the offer says so. We may resell it, and that is how we are paid; it never changes the price you agreed.
Your money moves through a licensed title company, escrow agent or closing attorney, never through our hands. Every written offer names its buyer.
Common questions
How do I sell mineral rights in California?
Tell us the county and your interest, add a check stub or lease if you have one, and we ask buyers for written offers. You choose the offer you prefer, or none, and close through a licensed closing or title company.
Can my California minerals lapse if I do not use them?
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. Read the rule and its sources (opens in a new tab).
Where is oil and gas activity concentrated in California?
Oil and gas activity in the state centers on the San Joaquin Basin.
What is a non-participating royalty interest (NPRI)?
A non-participating royalty interest pays a share of production but carries no leasing right and no bonus. It sells like a producing royalty, priced on the income it returns.
Do I sign a division order before selling?
Signing a division order confirms your share for payment purposes. It is not a sale, it does not transfer ownership, and you can sign it and still sell later.
Is getting California mineral offers free?
Yes. Asking for offers is free, with no upfront fee and no obligation to sell.
What taxes apply when I sell California minerals?
A sale is generally treated as the sale of a capital asset, so federal capital gains rules usually apply, while royalty checks are ordinary income. California taxes royalty income from California property as part of its income tax; how a gain on a sale is taxed depends on where you live and on California’s rules for nonresidents. State production taxes, where they apply, usually come off the royalty check, and some producing minerals are also taxed locally.
Inherited minerals usually receive a stepped up basis as of the date of death, which can reduce the gain on a later sale. AMR’s state tax reference (opens in a new tab) has the rules and sources; confirm your own situation with a tax professional.
Does California tax oil and gas royalty income?
Yes. California’s income tax reaches royalty income from California property, including for owners who live in another state. California’s withholding rules list royalties among payments subject to 7 percent withholding once California payments pass $1,500 in a year.
If you live elsewhere, your home state may tax the same income. Federal tax applies on top.
What is the severance tax on oil and gas in California?
California levies no statewide severance tax; the state charge is the CalGEM production assessment, about $1.28 per barrel of oil or per 10 thousand cubic feet of gas for fiscal year 2025/26, reset each June. The operator pays the charge and withholds each royalty owner’s proportionate share. Rates, exemptions and sources (opens in a new tab).
How do I find out what minerals I own in California?
Check the county recorder where the land sits for the deed, the California Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM) for well and production records, and the state unclaimed property program for any unclaimed royalty money. Our unclaimed royalties finder builds the checklist.
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Find out what your California soil would bring, before the next letter lands in your mailbox.
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