Mineral Rights Under Your Land May Be Owned by Someone Else

In Texas, the surface and the minerals under it can belong to different people. If minerals were sold off years ago, the mineral owner may have rights the surface owner does not expect. That matters in Johnson County because it sits over the Barnett Shale.

Horizontal drilling moved south into the county after 2005, and operators leased large blocks of mineral acreage. A parcel you like may already have minerals owned or produced under someone else's name.

Old reservations and leases live in the title chain. A title company or real estate attorney can tell whether minerals come with the land. The Railroad Commission keeps drilling permits and well records if you want to see nearby wells.