Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Lance Nimmo on March 20, 2012 at 2:10pm

A better question is are the owners of the gas locatable? If you do not know, it might be worth your time to file a Quiet Title and get your deed back intact.

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Permalink Reply by Hunter on March 20, 2012 at 3:39pm

What state are you in? Has there be an activity in regards to minerals in last 30 years?

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Permalink Reply by Finnbear on March 21, 2012 at 1:27am

Gas & Oil rights go hand in hand. I have never seen them separated and I don't know that they could be since they normally come out of the same hole together. A driller can't drill a well and ensure that only gas will come out or only oil will come out. You need a full title search done to determine who, if anyone still owns those rights today. If you are in Ohio, there is a section of ORC that provides for a surface owner to possibly regain a severed mineral interest. Since your severed interest is so old, there is a chance that it may have automatically vested back with the surface under a previous version of the current law.

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Permalink Reply by DEER HUNTER on March 21, 2012 at 2:51am

I live in pa and chevron did the title search and the gas rights were sold out right to peoples gas co. for 500 dollars. With them being a gas surplier i thought maybe they just bought the gas rights. Is their any way that i can find out ?

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Permalink Reply by Finnbear on March 21, 2012 at 6:12am

If they were sold outright, there should be a deed for the conveyance, probably similar to a coal deed. I doubt this would be in the form of a lease, since a lease is basically a rental agreement, and you indicated an outright sale. You will need the document that conveyed the gas rights away from the property as a starting point to even look into your options, if any exist.

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Permalink Reply by DEER HUNTER on March 21, 2012 at 3:35am

Thank you for your advice i will see what i can do.

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Permalink Reply by Mike Robertson on March 21, 2012 at 5:50am

As you explain it the gas rights have been sold.  If the deed does not state oil, you would still own the oil rights.  This is an unusual situation that I have only seen in Pa.

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Permalink Reply by Nancy Mosley on March 27, 2012 at 3:19am

In West Virginia, there can be separation of gas and of oil. My ancestor bought a fractional gas interest and a separate (smaller) fractional oil interest in a property in the early 1900s.

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Permalink Reply by Lee Ann Sowers on March 27, 2012 at 2:41am

You may have to run the gas company out in the courthouse to see who actually owns the gas rights at this point.  Just to clarify, this is not an unusual situation in Pennsylvania.  When Peoples bought your gas rights, they more than likely left the oil alone, but the deed of conveyance should specify that.

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