Mineral Rights and Surface Rights Can Be Owned Separately

Wood County has a history of oil and gas production. Oil was first found in the county in 1941. Since then, mineral rights have often been sold or leased apart from the surface land. When you buy property here, you may own only the surface. Someone else may own what is underground.

The Texas Railroad Commission regulates oil and gas operations. They publish well records and production data for Wood County going back decades. Before buying rural land, get a title search. It should show whether the mineral rights have been split off from the surface. If they have been split, that is called a severed mineral estate. The Railroad Commission does not settle royalty or lease disputes. Those are civil matters between landowners and operators.