I bought 10 acres in Pecos Texas that has some type of storage tanks/tanks on the property I saw on Google earth. I wasn’t told anything about the tanks. How can I find out who owns them? I want them removed. Thank You
Do you own the mineral interest or just the surface of the tract?
If you didn’t acquire the minerals, or get a waiver of surface use, those tanks could relate to a prodcuing unit that includes your tract.
Post a legal description of your tract (block and section, or survey abstract number) and someone should be able to help you determine the status of production that area.
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It seems that you bought the 10 acres without inspecting the land, which may be unfortunate. Keep in mind that it can be difficult to match Google earth view with the exact location of a particular 10 acres. Same with RRC GIS Viewer. The section overlays are not always exact. So the tanks or equipment may not be on your tract. If they are on your tract, you will need to not only determine who owns them, but also how the owner has or had the right to locate them on the 10 acres. For example, it is related to a oil and gas production (dominant mineral rights) or is there an outstanding rental lease or easement which entitles a company to place them there?
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Google Earth Images have a date the photo or image was taken usually near the bottom right. Some images may be several year’s old. If you got a title insurance policy when you bought the tract it should provide information about the tract title, right of ways and things such as that. You may have “bought” problems!
If you are not local, then you will have to put on a sleuth hat. Have you tried taking to the previous owner or the real estate agent about the property? You can try calling the Tax Assessors Office and ask if they have any information on the tanks since they should be subject to advalorem/personal property. Have the tax parcel number available. If there is a near by neighbor, contact them to take a picture of the tanks and email to you. There should be information posted at the tanks (sign) to tell you who is the owner.