My mother has the mineral rights on 80 acres in Williams county and because she has moved around without notifying anyone not received any correspondence since early 1980's. Can one loose their rights by doing nothing? Is there any way to obtain money retroactively if drilling has occurred on/near this property?
thanks
Alan,
You can loose your mineral rights by not doing anything. If for a period of 20 years there has been no activity on your interest, they can be/are considered abandonded and the surface owner can initiate a process to claim them. Your mother needs to submit a statement of claim immediately to protect her interests.
If there has been production from your mother's interest and the surface owner has not claimed theses minerals under North Dakota's Dormant Mineral law, any owed monies would be held in trust for your mother for a period of time set out by the state.
How did this turn out?