What do mineral rights mean




















The number of tons obtained in this calculation is the total tons below. The number of tons that can be recovered will be a much smaller number.

A professional geologist or a state geological survey might be able to help you determine if coal seams exist beneath your property. They might also have an estimate of how thick those seams might be. Sometimes a mining company does not want to purchase a property because they are uncertain of the type, amount or quality of minerals that exist there.

In these situations the mining company will lease the mineral rights or a portion of those rights. A lease is an agreement that gives the mining company the right to enter the property, conduct tests and determine if suitable minerals exist there. To acquire this right the mining company will pay the property owner an amount of money when the lease is signed.

This payment reserves the property for the mining company for a specific duration of time. If the company finds suitable minerals it may proceed to mine. If the mining company does not commence production before the lease expires, then all rights to the property and the minerals return to the owner.

When minerals are produced from a leased property, the owner is usually paid a share of the production income. This money is known as a "royalty payment. It can be a fixed amount per ton of minerals produced or a percentage of the production value. Other terms are also possible.

When entering into a lease agreement, the property owner must anticipate any activities that the lessee might do while exploring the property. This exploration might include drilling holes, opening excavations, or bringing machines and instruments onto the property. Defining what is allowed and what restoration is required is part of a good lease agreement. Should you sign a gas lease? Part One : A discussion of the factors landowners need to consider before signing a gas lease on their property.

Mineral rights often include the rights to any oil and natural gas that exist beneath a property. The rights to these commodities can be sold or leased to others. In most cases, oil and gas rights are leased. The lessee is usually uncertain if oil or gas will be found, so they generally prefer to pay a small amount for a lease rather than pay a larger amount to purchase. A lease gives the lessee a right to test the property by drilling and other methods. If drilling discovers oil or gas of marketable quantity and quality, it may be produced directly from the exploratory well.

To entice the property owner to commit to a lease, the lessee generally offers a lease payment often called a "signing bonus". This is an up-front payment to the owner for granting the lessee a right to explore the property for a limited period of time usually a few months to a few years. If the lessee does not explore, or explores and does not find marketable oil or gas, then the lease expires and the lessee has no further rights. If the lessee finds oil or gas and begins production, a regular stream of royalty payments usually keeps the terms of the lease in force.

Part Two : A discussion of the factors landowners need to consider before signing a gas lease on their property. One problem that can occur is when the lessee discovers oil or gas but has no way to transport it to market. Some lease agreements have a "waiting on pipeline" clause that extends the lessee's rights for a limited or indefinite period of time.

In addition to a signing bonus, most lease agreements require the lessee to pay the owner a share of the value of produced oil or gas. The customary royalty percentage is Some states have laws that require the owner be paid a minimum royalty often However, owners who have highly desirable properties and highly developed negotiating skills can sometimes get 15 percent, 20 percent, 25 percent or more.

When oil or natural gas is produced, the royalty payments can greatly exceed the amounts paid as a signing bonus. Royalty estimation tool for dry natural gas. In some parts of the state it is immediately above the Onondaga Limestone. The Utica Shale is located beneath the Onondaga. Here is a quote from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection website that explains the significance: "Your oil or gas could be produced or captured from a well outside your property tract boundaries.

In fact, your only protection is if your oil or gas property is subject to the Oil and Gas Conservation Law, 58 P. If so, the gas on your property could be included in a unitization or pooling order issued by the Commonwealth at the behest of a producer on a neighboring tract.

That well operator would then have to pay you a production royalty based on your prorated share of the production from the well, depending on how much of your tract was deemed to be contributing to the well's pool.

This law applies to oil or gas wells that penetrate the Onondaga horizon and are more than 3, feet deep. Open-File Report Series United States Geological Survey. View complete stratigraphy for other areas. Below the surface, oil and gas have the ability to move through the rock. They can travel through tiny pore spaces - such as between the grains of sand in sandstone or through the tiny openings created by fractures.

This mobility allows a well to drain oil or gas from adjacent lands. So, a well drilled on your land could drain gas from a neighbor's land if the well was drilled sufficiently close to the property boundary.

Some states have recognized the ability of oil and gas to cross property boundaries underground. These states have produced regulations that govern the fair sharing of oil and gas royalties. These states generally require drilling companies to specify how oil and gas royalties will be shared among adjacent property owners when a permit for drilling is filed.

The proposed sharing of royalties will be based upon what is known about the geometry of the oil or gas reservoir compared to the geometry of property ownership at the surface. This procedure is known as "unitization. Some states do not have rules for unitization of oil and gas royalties.

Other states have them but only for wells that produce from certain areas or from certain depths. These rules can play a critical role in a leasing or resource development strategy. Some people tell stories about landmen saying "Lease to me now or we will drill your neighbor's land and drain your gas without paying you a cent. If you are contacted about leasing your mineral rights, you should contact an attorney for advice on how the laws of your state will apply to your property.

Note: In Pennsylvania the rules for natural gas sharing change at certain depths below the surface and at certain positions in the stratigraphic column.

See the section labeled "Stratigraphic Column" near the bottom of this page for more information. In some areas the rules used for sharing Marcellus Shale gas can be different from the rules used for sharing gas from the underlying Utica Shale.

Consult with an attorney on how these might apply to your property. Horizontal drilling: In this illustration a well has been drilled vertically but deviated to horizontal below the surface. This type of drilling can extend the reach of a well for a mile or more in any direction. It is therefore possible to drill a well on one property and drain oil or gas from adjacent lands. How the gas and royalties will be shared is sometimes determined by state regulations and sometimes by private agreements.

Regulations governing the sharing of oil and gas production vary from one state to another and for different drilling situations within a single state. It is critical to either know the regulations or get reliable advice before entering into any oil and gas transaction.

A short story Two men were at the hardware store and in walks a guy who asks The other man grabbed the lease and ran straight to his attorney. One of these men had a million friends that night. The other had a million dollars in the bank. Three things are required to make a successful mineral rights deal: 1 knowledge, 2 skill, and 3 patience. If your abilities fail in any one of the three, you can lose a lot of money.

In a mineral rights transaction you will be dealing with a professional negotiatior with deep knowledge. If you don't have all three of the required abilities, then find a good attorney or other mineral property professional. Their assistance usually doesn't cost a lot, but the difference that they can make in the transaction can be enormous.

Anticlinal oil and gas deposit: This illustration shows a well that will produce oil and natural gas from an anticline. In this drawing we can easily see that only a portion of the surface property is directly above the oil and gas accumulation.

The placement of the well is critical for proper development of this reservoir. In addition to financial matters, a lease or sales contract can do more than simply specify the amounts paid to the owner. It can also contain language that protects the owner's property and way of life while exploration, mining, drilling and production take place.

The contract can set guidelines that protect the owner's buildings, roads, livestock, crops and other assets. Yesterday, I was talking to my sister and she mentioned that she inherited a lot of land from her biological father. She has heard that other places in the area have valuable minerals under the surface.

She should look into her options for the value of the minerals and see if she has the proper rights. Before "cashing out" on wind rights, beware of the pitfalls involved with the severing of wind rights for both the landowner and the wind energy developer. Land brokers and real estate agents, among others in Texas, have witnessed first-hand the positive economic impacts of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing fracking , which make it possible for producers to tap vast deposits of natural gas and oil trapped in tight sand and shale formations.

Lands of America is the premier rural real estate site with farms, ranches, country homes, mountain property for sale and more. A top-tier rural property marketplace, Land And Farm receives more than 2 million visits and 16 million pageviews monthly.

LandWatch is an online leader in rural properties and land for sale, including homesites for vacation, recreation or investment. Minerals What You Need to Know What are surface rights? What are mineral rights? Things to consider when buying land Once mineral rights have been severed from surface rights, they remain that way. Annika Hipple. Show Comments. September 8, Reply. David Hearne. John R Woodard Jr. Denise Murray. Greta James. December 30, Reply. If your goal is to invest in mineral rights, the first step is to determine whether the property you own or the piece of land you're interested in purchasing still has mineral rights.

This will entail a special mineral rights search with professional landmen. Your county and municipality will not have a record of any such transaction or separation of rights, so don't assume you have mineral rights just because your title company says the title is clear. If you confirm ownership of mineral rights, you'll need to determine their potential value.

This can be ascertained by consulting with a mineral rights consultant or reputable mineral rights broker. If you luck out and have valuable minerals you still have legal ownership over, it's quite possible those rights are worth considerably more than the land itself.

But this will vary based on reserves, location, market, desirability, and proximity to existing resources or other projects. To actually seal the deal and sign a lease or sell the ownership, good negotiation skills and knowledge of the particular industry will be critical.

Generally, a specialized real estate agent or lawyer will be the ones who bring this potential to fruition. Not all these professionals will be well-suited to your particular mineral type and size, so seek assistance from an experienced broker or lawyer in the specific industry you'll be marketing to, as well as the scope or potential your project holds. Hiring the right person for the job will make or break your profits.

It's also a good idea to consult with an accountant about tax implications before buying or selling anything. The impact will vary depending on whether it's a sale or lease, what industry the mineral interest or royalty interest is generated from, and your other personal and business details. Throughout the process of selling mineral rights, you'll be hiring and utilizing a lot of specialized professionals since this industry is so unique, with an excruciating amount of detail.

Don't make the mistake of thinking your experience as a real estate investor transfers to this industry unless you truly have the boots-on-the-ground experience necessary. Mineral rights can potentially earn great returns and potentially even long-term, reliable passive income. But they do come with some significant risks and a lot of specialized knowledge. Market variability could turn a great deal into a complete bust in a matter of weeks.

It's also important to seriously consider the potential use of the property if expecting to retain the surface rights for alternative purposes. Figure out the endgame, hire the right team, and you could be on your way to serious returns. Our team of analysts agrees. These 10 real estate plays are the best ways to invest in real estate right now.

Find out how you can get started with Real Estate Winners by clicking here. Liz Brumer-Smith is a real estate investor and Millionacres contributor. Advertiser Disclosure We do receive compensation from some affiliate partners whose offers appear here. Millionacres Logo.

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