Hello all!
I inherited some mineral right a little over a year ago in Weld County through my mother’s estate. I know absolutely nothing about it, just that I get a check from Oxy every month. It’s nearly impossible to get any information from Oxy. Maybe I’m not asking the right questions.
How do I find who is operating there, what the lease term is, how do I advocate for myself without involving an attorney because I can’t afford one?
Any help at all will be greatly appreciated.
Welcome to the forum. Condolences on the passing of your mother.
The estate documents should have given a description of the assets. Start with that. It should have a section, township and range. If you care to share it, we can help you with the location and what activity is going on nearby. You may have more than one property. The probate should list what you inherited. Some may be producing and some may not. Weld is a pretty active county, so that is encouraging.
The check from OXY is useful. It should have the name of the property/well(s) that are producing. OXY is most likely the operator since they are sending the checks, so that question is answered. You need to send a certified mail return receipt to their Division Order department. Use the address on the checks. You will need to give them your name, your mother’s name, the Owner Number which should be on the check or the statement. Ask them nicely for a copy of the lease which determines the decimal amount on the DO. Tell them that you are trying to compile your records and would be grateful to have it. If they do not have it, then it is likely filed in the Weld County courthouse. It might be available online. Ask them for a copy of the Division Order. It can take weeks to get a reply. Normal…
The lease has a primary term and a secondary term. The primary term is usually three to five years. If they drill and find a productive zone and turn the well on for production, then the lease moves into the secondary term that lasts as long as the original well or any other well under the terms of the lease remain economically productive. That can be years to decades. I have one of our family leases that is a hundred years old and still producing. Tiny check now, but a really old gas well.
At this point, you are in the secondary term, so you just collect what you are owed on this property. If you have others, then we can address those separately. You can advocate for yourself by collecting the documents that you need-probate, lease, DO. Don’t sweat too much about anything right now as everything is in motion and you are bound by the current lease. Nothing to negotiate.
Read the Mineral Help tab above to get familiar with the business. Read the Weld county topics to get a feel for the questions that folks ask and the answers.
Hi, welcome! If you are already in pay, then you are doing well already.
First, if you are getting paid by Oxy, then they are the ones operating there. The lease term (for the producing property) is no longer important. Once a lease is drilled and paying from production, the lease will be “held by production” (HBP) - in other words it is still good as long as there is production. It would be good to get a copy of the lease or memo that is filed with the county. You can get that from the county clerk yourself. Ask if you need help with that process. Really, as long as you are not signing anything, then you don’t need an attorney to advocate for you. Good luck and enjoy your gift!