In Tarrant County, Surface Rights and Mineral Rights Can Be Separate

The surface and the minerals can have different owners. A deed can reserve the minerals, and a lease can give another party the right to develop them. If the seller owns the minerals and the deed does not reserve them, they will usually pass with the sale. The full chain of filed records settles the answer for a tract.

A mineral owner or lessee may use the surface as much as is reasonably needed to find and produce oil or gas. That right is not open-ended. The deed, lease, city rules, careless use, and Texas rules that protect some surface uses may all set limits.

Start with the Tarrant County Clerk's land records. They include deeds and oil and gas leases. The County Law Library guide can help you follow the trail. Clerk staff do not do a title or lien search. TAD tax accounts can offer clues, but they do not prove title. A title company or lawyer can check the record for a sale or drilling plan.