I am very interested in knowing the process for researching and updating mineral right ownership. I see mention of Landman services to make this happen and looking for best options. Open to any suggestions. ~Thanks!
Hi Jason,
Welcome to the forum! When you say “updating mineral right ownership” do you mean updating official records with things like address changes, or just updating your personal records? Two very different things! 
There are a few options (especially depending on what you meant above). Yes, a landman can usually perform this research, as can a title attorney. If you’re looking to sell, many mineral buying companies offer some research services free in exchange for them having your captive audience in case you want to sell to them.
That said, they only do this because it’s not terribly hard work to do with the right resources on your hands. Usually it’s a combination of courthouse records and data services. Most counties offer digital county records (either through their own county website, or a centralized service that has multiple county info). If something can’t be found digitally, the last resort is to send a person to the courthouse to research it. Landman (landmen? landperson? what’s the plural of landman? I should know this…) will probably be the lowest cost, highest quality blend for this work since they typically don’t have expensive law degrees to cover but still live and breathe the business of contracts and who owns what.
I’m not certain the best unbiased source for this, as I’m not sure “Landman” is listed on Angie’s List or YellowPages (but maybe?). There are associations that might be a good starting point, like APLA, AAPL, SAAPL, depending on where you are (I just listed a few near Dimmit Co). There’s also the NARO and other mineral owner associations which may have resources for you to contact, as well as a Directory listing on this site.
Tracy
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