Hello, I am new to this topic, my parents got notification of mineral rights they own and now owe taxes on. The land is not owned by them, but the amount of taxes owed is astronomical. Does anyone know where I can get information concerning who owns the land and what exactly the mineral rights entail. Any help will be greatly appreciated!
In my experience, dormant mineral interests/rights are not taxed by the counties. Taxes are generally based on the amount of royalties received. I would begin the process by determining if your parents own/have owned property in the county requesting payment. It may be that the monies (for production royalties) are held in escrow pending determination of ownership. In either case, contact the county tax assessor collector and discuss this bill. Also, if the taxes are that high and it is determined that your family is in fact a potential owner of the property, contact the oil company producing the well(s) and begin the process of verifying ownership. Hopefully, there is a pile of money laying in wait for the rightful owners (your family) to be known. Good luck.