Question About Owner Rights of Lease Covering Different Units

If a landowner leased signed a lease that included property in different units (in this case different sections), should production in one unit hold the lease for the property in both units?  In this area, 16N 16W, Section 3 has a Haynesville Shale drilled and under production, while the owner also has property in Section 4 covered by the same lease.  At this time to my knowledge, there has been no Haynesville unit designation for Section 4.  From what I understand, the current lease expires in July 2011, and the lease included a possible extension for 2 years with another lease bonus payment.  But the company has been contacted by the landowner and they said not to expect another bonus, but I am not sure of the details here.  But it does not seem logical that production in one unit could hold property in another unit.

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Did the lease contain a Pugh Clause?
I have not seen the lease, but I think it did.  I will try to get a copy.
private message me the names, and I can look in the courthouse records for you.

Most leases today contain a "horizontal Pugh Clause."  Spring Branch is right in noting that  you need to see if your lease has one.  This clause covers exactly the issue you are writing about.  It would say that if one part of y our land falls into a production unit and another part doesn't, then the part that doesn't go into the production unit should be released after the primary term of the lease expires. 

 

Note:  If you have such a clause in your lease, and part of your land is released at the end of the primary term, you might ask your lessee to file a formal release in the courthouse, just to make it clear for any future dealings with that land, that it is not HBP on the earlier lease. 

Actually far more leases do not have a horizontal pugh than those that do.

 

Most will only include them if the mineral owner requests it. We do not offer a horizonral pugh, but will almost always grant one if asked.

 

 

Bud:

 

If you have a producing well, your lease will not expire, it will be held by production. If you have no horizontal pugh, the entire tract covered will be held as well. This is very common. You will not be due any new bonus, as there will be no new lease to sign.

 

If you do have a horizontal pugh, read it carefully to see what the terms are.

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