# Oil and Gas lease question.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-and-gas-lease-question/495472>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 5, 2009, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-and-gas-lease-question/495472 "2009-05-05T22:53:09Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\
**Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-and-gas-lease-question/495472/1 "2009-05-05T22:53:09Z")

</div>

My Wife and I own 40 acres in an area that is going to be explored for natural gas.  
We do not own mineral rights, which is common.

I was wondering if anyone has had an exploration company set up camp on their property? As I understand it, they do have to lease surface rights to be able to do so.

Do they just lease a portion? What might such a lease be worth?

If product is found and they set up a well, don’t they have to continue the lease as long as the well head is there?

We have no idea if they are interested in our specific property; but, the adjacent landowner has asked us three times if we would like to sell. He is the president of a different Oil and Gas exploration company. And has a house on his land.

I know there are too many unknowns, for anything but speculative answers. The SDMB is as it often is, a first step and a place for me to get some ideas.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Alpine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpine/32/17813_2.png) [@Alpine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpine)\
**Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-and-gas-lease-question/495472/2 "2009-05-06T01:57:08Z")

</div>

You might find some info from these folks: the [Oil & Gas Accountability Project](http://www.earthworksaction.org/ccsupport.cfm)

I think they can help you understand the rules & your rights & so on.

On the [Colorado Oil & Gas Conservation Commission](http://cogcc.state.co.us/)website, they have mapping and info on past lease sales by county.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\
**Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-and-gas-lease-question/495472/3 "2009-05-06T14:07:14Z")

</div>

Thanks Alpine,

Lots of good information there, and I’m still looking through it.

I’m wondering if you can be forced into a lease since I don’t own the mineral rights And if you did lease, what the value might be. Is it $10 a year, or $1000 a month.

eta: Just saw our first bear of the season. Waddled down our ‘driveway’ from behind the house. Looked healthy, and quite big.