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Probate & Trust Law Section Conference Manual ... - Minnesota CLE

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8. Leases usually pay the lessor the rent and royalties based on the net<br />

mineral acres owned. Net mineral acres are the total acres multiplied by<br />

the percent of ownership in the minerals interests. For example, 10% of<br />

the mineral interests in a 160 acre parcel is 16 net mineral acres.<br />

The creation of Spacing Units is allowed by N.D.C.C. § 38-08-07<br />

under the North Dakota Industrial Commission, which provides the<br />

size and shape definition for the efficient and economical<br />

development of a pool or underground reservoir containing a<br />

common accumulation of oil or gas, or both. It brings together<br />

small tracts for the drilling of a single well.<br />

<br />

Unitization is the combination of spacing units over a producing<br />

reservoir (usually after the primary recovery of oil and/or gas).<br />

9. A royalty interest owner cannot sign an oil and gas lease as a lessor. Only<br />

a mineral interest owner can sign the lease. Therefore, the royalty interest<br />

owner doesnot enjoy the lease bonus payment.<br />

10. Royalty interests are usually referred to as a percentage or fraction of the<br />

production.<br />

11. It has been my experience that oil companies will have a purported heir<br />

sign a lease and will pay a lease bonus payment when there are mineral<br />

interests that must still be probated. However, royalty payments are held<br />

by the oil company until full ownership is perfected through probate, or<br />

other relevant proceeding.<br />

12. Mineral interests are commonly held in life estate, revocable living trusts,<br />

family trusts, limited liability companies and partnerships (including LLPs<br />

and LLLPs). Transfer-on-death (TOD) deeds may be used with mineral<br />

interests too.<br />

B. Keeping Your Mineral Interests.<br />

1. North Dakota Century Code Chapter 38-18.1 provides the laws for<br />

dormant mineral interests.<br />

<br />

<br />

Pertains to oil, gas, coal, clay, gravel, uranium and all other<br />

minerals of any nature owned by a person other than the surface<br />

owner.<br />

If any mineral interests are “unused” for 20 years preceding the<br />

publication of the notice to take the mineral interests by the surface<br />

owner, those mineral interests are deemed to be abandoned, unless<br />

2

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