What are Mineral Rights?

What Are Mineral Rights?

Mineral rights are the legal rights to explore for, extract, and profit from natural resources beneath a piece of land. These resources can include oil, gas, coal, salt, and more.

Owning mineral rights doesn’t always mean you own the land on top. In Texas, it’s common for mineral and surface rights to be split, especially on land that’s been bought and sold many times.

What Minerals Are Included?

Mineral rights can apply to:

• Oil and natural gas (most common in Texas)

• Coal, uranium, salt, and lignite

• Groundwater and sand in certain cases (though these are often regulated differently)

If you own the mineral rights, you can lease or sell access to these resources - or just hold onto them.

Who Owns The Mineral Rights?

Ownership can be:

• Unified: Surface and minerals owned by the same person

• Severed: Mineral rights were sold or retained separately from surface

• Fractionalized: Divided among multiple heirs or parties over time

Texas landowners often don’t know if they still own their minerals - and that’s where our research can help.

Surface Rights vs. Mineral Rights

Surface Rights control the surface of the land. It can encompass land, buildings, and crops.

Mineral Rights control subsurface resources.

Both surface and mineral rights can be sold separately.

If severed, mineral rights take legal precedence over surface rights - meaning drilling could occur even without surface owner consent. 

How Are Mineral Rights Transferred?

Mineral rights can be:

• Sold outright

• Leased (common for oil and gas operators)

• Passed down through wills, estates, or intestate succession

• Reserved in deeds (e.g., "Seller reserves all oil and gas rights")

Over time, ownership becomes harder to trace - especially through family lines. That’s where professional research comes in.

What Can You Do With Mineral Rights?

If you own mineral rights, you can:

• Lease them to oil & gas companies for royalties

• Sell them outright

• Retain them and monitor drilling activity

• Pass them on to your heirs

We offer ownership reports so you can make informed decisions.

What If You Inherited Mineral Rights?

Common signs you may have inherited rights:

• You’re receiving small royalty checks

• A company reached out to lease or buy minerals

• You inherited land but don’t know what’s under it

We specialize in tracing these complicated situations. You don’t need to be a land expert - we’ll help you figure it out.

How To Research Ownership

To confirm ownership, you may need to:

1. Review old deeds or probate records

2. Search county clerk offices or online title databases

3. Understand oil & gas lease history

4. Trace how rights were divided over generations

This process can be complex - and that’s exactly why we exist. Learn more about our Parcel Lookup or Title Reports.

Landman

When you're trying to figure out whether you own mineral rights - or what to do with them - you'll likely hear the term "landman." But what exactly does a landman do, and how can one help?

At Texas Mineral Search, this is our specialty. Here's what you need to know. 

What Is a Landman?

A landman is a professional who specializes in researching land and mineral ownership records, negotiating leases, and resolving questions about property rights - especially in oil and gas.

There are two common types:

• In-house landmen work for oil or gas companies to acquire drilling rights.

• Independent landmen work for individuals, attorneys, or investors - like you - to investigate and clarify ownership.

What Does a Landman Do?

A landman's work includes:

• Title research: Tracing deed records to determine mineral ownership.

• Lease analysis: Reviewing oil & gas lease terms to understand your obligations and opportunities.

• Ownership verification: Confirming if you own 100%, a fraction, or none of the mineral rights.

• Negotiation support: Advising you on fair lease terms or royalty offers.

• Due diligence: Helping avoid scams or rushed sales by identifying red flags.

Why Would You Hire a Landman?

You should consider hiring a landman if:

• You inherited land in Texas and don't know what you own

• You received a royalty check or lease offer out of the blue

• You're thinking of selling or leasing your mineral rights

• You want clarity before speaking with oil companies or land agents

A good landman levels the playing field. While oil companies have entire departments protecting their interests - a landman protects yours.

What You Get from Texas Mineral Search

At TexasMineralSearch.com, we act as your personal landman — not a broker working for someone else. When you hire us, you get:

• A detailed, easy-to-read report on your mineral ownership

• Clear guidance based on public deed records, not guesses

• Low-rate pricing and no-pressure consultations