On the Texas RRC site (online research queries), they have lease numbers shown in the data. So for a large lease with multiple wells, there are more than one lease number (I think they come from the operators). Say, Smith, T.E. is one lease number, then Smith, T is another lease number, etc. All the same lease legally.
The lease numbers feature prominently in the RRC data, as you can enter the number in search.
How can I find out the outline for the lease numbers? I’ve called the RRC and they act like they don’t know what it is…frustrating.
You asked how to find the outline of a lease. Not sure what you are trying to determine, but if you are wanting to see the boundaries of a lease to know the acreage the lease includes you can pull up the drilling permit for the well and look at the plat the operator filed for the unit. On RRC’s map click the Identify Tool on the tool bar at the top of the map. On that pulldown menue select “identify well”, then click the well you want to check. On the page that opens select “drilling permit” and go to the last page where attachments are listed and select the plat that will show the boundaries of the unit the lease is located in.
RRC assigns the lease numbers but not until the operator files a completion report for a well. Like you mentioned, multiple wells can be drilled and producing in a single unit but they will each will have a separate well number. Sometimes operators report the production from all the wells in a lease as a combined amount but it can also be reported separately for each well.
RRC assigns the lease id numbers - 5 digits for an oil well and 6 digits for a gas well. The term lease in RRC world has nothing to do with your personal oil and gas lease. All gas wells have a unique lease id. Multiple oil wells can have the same lease id if they are all within a pooled unit or drilled under a tract with all undivided interests and in the same field and formation. First on RRC Online Research, go to Wellbore Query and enter the district and lease number. That will give you the list of wells included under the same RRC lease id. You can pull the permit for the well(s) in question and look at the plat which will show an outline of the relevant area. Also look at the completion plats. The Smith, T.E. and the Smith, T may have different RRC lease numbers because they are on different formation depths and fields, even though drilled on same section. Or two operators may have divided up the section and each is drilling on part of the section and so they have different RRC leases. It takes time to understand how this all works. Here are 2 links to information to learn about this. https://www.mcginnislaw.com/media/publication/15281_2016_WhatYouNeedToKnowAboutTheRailroadCommissionOfTexas_2016FundamentalsOfOilGasAndMineralLaw.pdf and https://webapps2.rrc.texas.gov/PDA/resources/docs/RRC_OIL_User_Guide.pdf
What about a well that seems to have 2 names? In Cherokee County Texas, permitted as Weaver 1H but then the name seems to flip to Montano 2H. Has anyone ran into this before?
This can happen for several reasons. RRC may require a name change for conformity where an operator drills wells on same acreage and in same formation. In your case, go to the RRC online Completions. Enter the last seven digits of API # 073-31579 and search. Select first of 2 sets of completion reports 244381. View Report for G1 form. Go to end of report and see operator’s explanation of name change.
Very helpful links, thank you. You know, though, several of the wells I look up only have a plat filed for the well itself (for the drilling permit). Sometimes a unit outline but not very often on all that I’ve looked up.
What if one lease has 5 oil wells, at 80 ac spacing. The units are 80 acs. which I assume is for each well (I don’t have those plats). The production reporting for ONE lease is for all 5 wells. How do I know what that one lease looks like?
The lease number used by the RRC features so prominently in the search, I find it hard to believe that there is no ‘outline’ used for RRC purposes? Or a description even?
There are not separate units for each 80 acres as you describe. There will be one large 400 tract with the 5 wells, as each well requires 80 acres for drilling spacing under RRC rules. This could be a formal unit compose of multiple tracts owned by A, B, C, etc which combine to the 400 acres. Or it could be one 400 acre tract which A, B, C, etc all own as undivided interests. Sometimes one plat will only show its 80 acres, but at least one plat will have the outline of the entire 400 acres. The permit will list the total acreage. For your well files, you should consider saving the permit, permit plat, the completion report and the as-drilled plat which is filed with the completion report for each well. You can compare the plats to construct the acreage and well locations. Understanding all of this is a process, and there is always something new to learn.