I have the opportunity to purchase mineral rights beneath the cotton valley. These minerals are held by production by numerous cotton valley wells. The Seller of the minerals does not currently own the surface land. The Seller is offering to sell me the deep mineral rights. My question is whether or not the current CV wells will hold the deeper rights for longer than 10 years or will the deeper rights revert to the mineral owner of the CV wells after 10 years?

Thanks in advance.

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Jim,

Do I understand correctly that the minerals servitude would continue indefinitely until 10 years after production ceases?

If it is drilled for HS production then it would not cease until 10 years after said production ceased?
So, simplified, the servitude would exist for 10 years after production ceases or 10 years after a well is plugged.

It would exist indefinitely as long as there is production. Correct?
Jim Krow, what happens if they don't make a producing well, but don't plug it either. I have seen language on Sonris like, "may have some future utility" and the well does not appear to be plugged. Will that keep prescription from starting, and how long can an operator leave a well unplugged but not producing?
Phaco:

One more thing.

You can do a bunch of your due diligence on this site without revealing the location of your proposed purchase. I assume you have bought minerals before and know what to look for. That said, undeveloped Haynesville rights could be worth lots of money, or, nothing at all. Fact is, the boundaries of what the primo Haynesville is yet to be defined.

In other words: Caveat Emptor.

Good luck,

JM
What if there was no depth clause? To my understanding most older leases did not have them. The CV wells could be holding ALL minerals couldn't they?
A depth clause in the lease wouldn't have any effect on prescription. You could have a lease from surface of the servitude to 3000' which is producting. That shallow production interrupts prescription for the entire contiguous servitude. Don't confuse leasehold with mineral servitudes.
If Phaco has the expertise to do his own due diligence then he won't need any help.
Jim:

To expand, I've read and cured a gazillion title opinions over the past couple of years and that exercise has made me more cautious. I suppose its a function of how much money is involved and one's willingess to assume risk.

JM
Seems like I remember someone posting on here that a well could be "shut-in" for three years. In my case, my minerals were being held by a shut-in well that either dried up or the shut-in period expired. Then the company went and drilled a dry-hole, I wonder if they drilled at all since the time from spudding to plugging was one week. It could have been just a manuver to try and start the clock over. But it didn't last. Nothing else happened and 10 years later i got the minerals. I'm one of the few people that have been so fortunate.
Hi Hereford:

The are lots of wells that are in the shut-in future utility catagory. They are usually not holding squat. It's all about the operator not wanting to spend the money to plug the well. Clock starts ticking on the date of last production, regardless of the shut-in status of the well.

BTW, the only legit reason to shut-in a well (other than for re-working) is lack of a market.

JM
Waiting on pipeline is another.
WO pipeline is the same thing as lack of market.

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