About a year ago, I signed a lease with a smaller landman for our mineral rights out in Roosevelt County, Montana, Township 28N Range 57E area Section 23 and 26. He then paid my cousin and me for the lease bonus. September came, and the landman we signed with said that we should be seeing royalty payments in a few months (November/December).
December came, and we had not seen anything yet. About halfway through December, my dad found a letter from Continental trying to contact my grandma or the people running her estate, which is weird because they never contacted him in the first place but all of a sudden found his new address that we had just moved him to a few months prior, when the landman we had signed with was getting invoices from Continental for our “share” of the well.
I contacted the Division Orders department with Continental, gave them some paperwork to prove who I was/that my grandma had passed, and all they give me is it will be 2-3 months longer before we get paid and that they will contact me via email if they have any questions. They really haven’t answered any of my questions about how any of this happened or if our contract is being honored or not. The landman we signed with hasn’t been super helpful, but he also said that because it’s in my grandma’s/my cousin’s and my name, there isn’t much he can do. Should I be contacting the lawyer who helped me draft these papers or anything, or is this something that happens from time to time?
Looks like the wells are the Courtney Federal 3-26H and 4-26H and Courtney FIU 5-26HSL (All Completed 7/1/25). It usually takes about five months after first sales to receive a Division Order. I did check FracFocus and all three wells were fracked back in May. They may be building the connector gas line.
. See the left three wells that fan out starts in 26. Zoom in really close to get the surface location to get more info on the wells.
If you click on the well bores you can get the production. Looks like first production is listed in July 2025, so they are probably still working on the DOs. If you don’t hear back by February, bug them again. They are working with hundred of thousands of mineral owners across the country, so it does take a while.
The mail my dad got and all the email correspondence I had with Continental read more like they never had my info or my cousin’s info at all even though we are leased up with someone else who has been getting invoices from Continental about our share. Just confused about if they have any of our actual lease information or did they somehow just pool us.
Contact the division order analyst at the operator. Ask them if they have all of your information. It can take several weeks to get an answer. Be ready with your lease, names, addresses, any probate documents, etc.
Just out of curiosity. What’s a typical turnaround time for responding to emails when dealing with DO analysts? I’ve emailed mine at least 6-7 times to confirm what I have sent him was the correct stuff but haven’t heard back from him since he was initially assigned to me last month. Getting really anxious about it all and there is no way to contact anyone other than email or a phone voicemail.
I did get something in the mail from Continental about W9s and I filled that out and sent it back, but it seems like that was sent to us before the DO analyst was assigned to us and before I sent any more paperwork to confirm who we were.
It can take two-three months to get replies. Did you send your request by certified mail return receipt to the Division Order Analyst or royalty department so that you get a return receipt with a name and date on it?
I have mineral interests in Township 29N Range 57 East, and I am looking to lease Sections 7 and 30. I have been approached by 2 companies. How do I find out the going rate for per-acre bonuses? What else should I be aware of?
7-29N-57E already has the Sorensen 1-6-7H well by Green Valley Operating. Depending upon the spacing of the well and your lease, you may already be held by production and not open to leasing. Are you getting paid on the Sorensen?
Phoenix has four horizontal wells just to the south. Kimono wells just permitted. Are you asking about offers to buy or offers to lease?
Bonus offers are not public, so someone would have to share what they are getting in offers. Most of us would like the highest royalty option, especially if four wells are about to be drilled. Best to get a good oil and gas attorney to help with the language. The draft is not in your favor.
These four will look like cigars, not a fan.
I have not been paid for any production to date. I guess I am not sure what the best way to move forward is, and quite frankly, everyone you talk to has a different answer.
