Wondering if someone can help please. I know that my father lest us Mineral RIghts in Wyoming and we know a general area. No one has been able to locate exactly where it is or who lives there, but we are very interested in locating our Mineral RIghts and seeing what is available or there. Thank you so much! Dana Fortner
Hi Dana, can you provide any other clues? County name ? Any other legal description info?
Dana, If you know the county where the minerals are located you can go to the county clerk and recorder (either online if available or in person) and perform what is called a title search. I have a podcast episode that talks about how to perform a title search step by step (you can google “how to mineral rights title search” to find it or other articles that talk about this). It is pretty straight forward but can be time consuming:
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Search for your father’s name (or if that doesn’t yield any results, search for the name of the person that he inherited from) as the “Grantee” (person receiving the property).
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You will be looking for a deed (mineral deed, personal representatives deed, quit claim deed, etc.) - the deed will include the legal description of the property (or properties).
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It is also helpful to search for any oil and gas leases in the event the property has producing well(s) on it.
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Search the state oil and gas commission’s website to see if there are any producing wells on the property, if so, find out the name of the operator.
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Contact the operator to let them know you inherited minerals, and ask what documentation they will need from you (e.g. probate docs, affidavit of heirship, etc.) to clear up title so you can be put in “pay status” to start receiving royalties.
Good luck! Matt Sands
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