My father passed away in 2022. He shared mineral rights with my mother. He had no will but everything went to me through an affidavit of heirship. I was able to find an outdated lease to his gas rights at the district clerk but the company has no website and no one answers the numbers. My question is how do I claim my gas rights? I don’t know where to start.
Welcome to the community and sorry for the loss of your father. You might want to include the state where the minerals are located as laws vary wildly depending on the jurisdiction. Depending upon the state you may be able to determine whether there is current production. Members will likely chime in with valuable information.
This post is not legal, tax or investment advice. Reading or responding to this post does not create an attorney/client relationship.
Thank you! The minerals are located in Van Zandt county, TX. 46 acres of the William Heart survey, A-342. The lease I have indicates the original deed. Do I just need to have the deed changed to my name?
Since this is an issue of Texas law, I don’t believe that my input would be very helpful as I am only licensed in Oklahoma. Perhaps another person can chime in. In general terms, people tend to think of title to land the same as they car titles. A person’s title is usually established by the documents (deeds, probate orders, affidavits of heirships, etc) that are on file with the land records. Unlike a car title, the state or county does not issue any deed.
This post is not legal, tax or investment advice. Reading or responding to this post does not create an attorney/client relationship.
Below is the current Railroad Commission map of the area around Abstract 342. They have that survey name spelled Hart.
The map shows three vertical gas wells, the orange sunburst symbols, in that survey but RRC’s records only shows recent production (2020) from one of them. That’s the well, marked 01062, that is near the west boundary of the survey which is called the R.H. Parkter No. 1. The most recent operator is shown as Tactical Operating Company who took over in 2018. The last production they reported to RRC was in April, 2020. The second attachment below is the plat of the 45 acre producing unit for that well.
The two wells further east in that survey were drilled by Amoco and appear to have been plugged years ago although RRC’s map is still showing them as active.
Figuring out where your mineral interest is located in the survey may require getting a legal description from the deed covering that interest unless that is shown in the affidavit of heirship or the old lease you mentioned. If it turns to be within the unit area of the Parker No. 1 you could try contacting Tactical Operating Company LLC in Houston at (281) 475-2265 to check on the status of the well and get your father’s royalty interest changed into your name. If your mineral interest is in a different part of the survey you might confirm your name and contact information is shown in the VanZant County deed records, either through that affidavit of heirship, or an affidavit you file, so someone searching the deed records would know how to contact you.
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