Needing to understand a bit more


I recently visited my family's old farm and ranch (Atascosa County, Texas, near McCoy), that was sold sometime in the '80's and subsequently subdivided into "ranchettes". Although we retained NPRI, and I am assuming the fellow we sold to retained mineral rights, how can land be drilled if there are a few inhabited, though meager "farm houses" on the land in question?
This is probably a really stupid question, but only the first of potentially many!

The surface owners interests are subject to the mineral owners rights to drill, as I assume you are saying these current surface owners do not own the minerals.

Now for another really stupid question: If there are houses on the land in question, what happens to them? Do they sell out? Is this what horizontal drilling seeks to avoid? I am genuinely probably the most naive person in this whole forum. Thanks for your help thus far, and anymore forthcoming!

Wade Caldwell said:

The surface owners interests are subject to the mineral owners rights to drill, as I assume you are saying these current surface owners do not own the minerals.

Generally the state has rules that the well can be no closer than some hundreds of feet from a structure. I have heard of some people selling out and the company using their house as a bunkhouse. tara pratt said:

Now for another really stupid question: If there are houses on the land in question, what happens to them? Do they sell out? Is this what horizontal drilling seeks to avoid? I am genuinely probably the most naive person in this whole forum. Thanks for your help thus far, and anymore forthcoming!

Wade Caldwell said:

The surface owners interests are subject to the mineral owners rights to drill, as I assume you are saying these current surface owners do not own the minerals.

Thank you so much for your help.

r w kennedy said:

Generally the state has rules that the well can be no closer than some hundreds of feet from a structure. I have heard of some people selling out and the company using their house as a bunkhouse. tara pratt said:

Now for another really stupid question: If there are houses on the land in question, what happens to them? Do they sell out? Is this what horizontal drilling seeks to avoid? I am genuinely probably the most naive person in this whole forum. Thanks for your help thus far, and anymore forthcoming!

Wade Caldwell said:

The surface owners interests are subject to the mineral owners rights to drill, as I assume you are saying these current surface owners do not own the minerals.

Ridiculous question(s) du jour: How do I determine who has the mineral rights to the property for which I have NPRI? How does one determine whether surveying, drilling, testing, or what ever else is happening with a piece of land? I have been to the Texas Rail Road Commission and viewed the wealth of fascinating information with shock and awe, but with very little understanding of what information is important or not.