Start with the documents—not a purchase offer or an unexplained royalty decimal. Your first task is to determine what is actually owned, where that interest lies, and which instruments control it.
Six Steps to Understanding Your Minerals
01 · LAND
Identify the Tract
Locate the county, legal description, acreage, and formation restrictions.
02 · RECORDS
Trace the Deeds
Find recorded conveyances, mineral reservations, probate decrees and trusts.
03 · CONTRACTS
Review the Lease
Check royalties, deductions, term, extensions and pooling authority.
04 · REGULATION
Find Wells & Units
Check formation, well/API identifiers, spacing orders and agreements.
05 · REVENUE
Reconcile Payments
Compare checkstubs, title decimals, product volume and deductions.
06 · VALUE
Protect Future Value
Document potential sale, inheritance, valuation or fiduciary decisions.
Documents to Gather
- Original mineral and surface deeds with recording references.
- Oil and gas leases, amendments, assignments, division orders and royalty statements.
- Probate and trust records, deeds into or from a trust, court orders and heirship evidence.
- Unit/pooling orders, well and owner numbers, production months and payor correspondence.
- Written offers and valuation reports, if a sale or estate distribution is under consideration.
