The Severance Tax Shell Game: When Your Operator Tries to Tax Your Royalty
Kentucky operators have a history of deducting severance taxes from royalty checks. The state's highest court finally called their bluff.
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Articles: Legal
46 articles in this topic
The 20-Day Booby Trap: How Oklahoma Pooling Orders Make Your Decisions For You
Ignore an Oklahoma pooling order and the state makes a default election for you. Here is how the 20-day clock works and why silence costs you money.
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The “12.5%” That Isn’t 12.5%: Pennsylvania’s Minimum Royalty Illusion
Pennsylvania law guarantees a 12.5% minimum royalty. So why does your check look closer to 9%? Here is how post-production deductions actually work.
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The 20-Year Eraser: How Indiana’s Mineral Lapse Act Takes Your Land
Unused mineral rights in Indiana can automatically revert to the surface owner after 20 years. Learn how the Lapse Act works and how to protect your asset.
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The 20-Year Fuse: How Michigan Quietly Extinguishes Severed Mineral Rights
Michigan's Dormant Minerals Act will wipe out your family's severed oil and gas rights after 20 years of silence. Here is how to stop it.
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The “Zombie Lease” Problem: How Your Minerals Get Held Hostage by One Token Well
Why you can't sign a new lease when your old well barely produces, and how to break the legal spell holding your family's minerals captive.
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The “75% Coup”: How Your Cousins Can Lease the Minerals Without You in West Virginia
In West Virginia, if 75% of your co-owners sign a lease, the operator can drill even if you say no. Here is how the law works and what it means for your leverage.
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The “Pooling by Mail” Nightmare: How Colorado Turns Your Silence Into a Cost-Recovery Problem
Ignored a lease offer in Colorado? You might be force-pooled as a nonconsenting owner. Here is how silence costs you money and what to do about it.
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The “Integration Order” You Never Read: Arkansas’ Quiet Forced-Pooling Machine
In Arkansas, silence is an election. How ignoring an AOGC integration order can lock your minerals into a deal you never signed.
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Illinois’ “Missing Owner” Trap: How Your Family’s Minerals Can Get Leased (or Taken) If You’re Not Visible
In Illinois, if you don't show up in the county records, the law assumes you don't exist. Here is how trustees and surface owners can legally take control of your asset.
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The “Nonconsent” Mirage: How Doing Nothing in Wyoming Can Cost You
In Wyoming, ignoring a pooling notice isn't a safe harbor. It often means you're electing into a risk penalty that diverts your revenue for years.
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New Mexico State Trust Land Minerals: The “Third Regime” Nobody Understands
Why your New Mexico royalty checks are complicated by the mix of Private, Federal, and State Trust Lands. A guide to the regulatory maze.
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