Hi all,

This is a common thread around here and I wanted to give a little bit of information on what is going on behind the scenes.

I am not a land or title guy (actually I'm a geologist) but I've chatted with a few and I'd like to dispense some information to those landowners left wondering.

The general timeline is 90 working bank days after you deposit your note is the limit for funds being released.  But during this time, is the company sitting on their hands, looking at your lease and wondering if they should really give out the money?

Of course the answer is no.  In virtually every case, whichever company you signed with truly wants your parcel, even if just to update their map.  What is going on is verifying title at the courthouse to make sure you do in fact own your mineral rights.  So, if you have a sizeable piece of property that has been in your family for quite some time, this process will likely be fast and you will see your funds released relatively quickly (although as is the case with all paperwork it will still need to touch a number of different desks and hands so it can still take some time).  If, however, your property has changed hands many times, perhaps even subdivided or some such complicated history, tracking down the rights is a very time consuming process.  An additional slow down is the limited courthouse facilities - as leasing heats up, small local courthouses become very popular and each company has a number of folks researching and occupying space in a very limited area.  If the land guys have to wait to even get access to what they are looking for, obviously this will slow down the process even more.

Please note, I'm not trying to defend some rare instances of poor practice - I'm sure there are examples where a landowner may have been dealt with inappropriately.  My info here is intended as a general guide for what happens after you sign your lease.

All in all, be patient - I'm sure the operator is more than willing to pay your agreed amount.  It just may take some time for all the paperwork to filter through appropriate channels.

Hope this info helps some.

Cheers!

-Area Man