I have no knowledge of mineral rights. I am now the executor of my mother’s estate and she had two deeds in Oklahoma County. I believe they are non-producing as she received no royalties from them. They are:
Inst 1992-136517, (Book 6365, Pg 2071) Lot 23, Block 12 North, Subdivision 3 West
Inst 1992-136518, (Book 6365, Pg 2073) Lots 9&10, Block J, Subdivision Oak Park
Any information on how to locate them or get the status, including the possibility of selling them would be appreciated.
@axeman79, both of these areas are inside of Oklahoma City.
The first one is in the SW of 23-12N-3W. Roughly 1201 E Madison, the vacant area behind the houses.
The second one is in the NW of 34-12N-3W. Roughly 800 Research Pkwy. Difficult to locate since the old neighborhood was reworked once or twice and is now a research center.
Both areas had oil well activity in the 1930’s and 1940’s. There is still active production east
of the Research Park. You could attempt to sell them or put them up for auction, although you might only make enough to cover the costs of paperwork.
You can search the records online for free here County Clerk of Oklahoma County go to Records Search > Registrar of Deeds.
Because everything is probably platted now, you might use the street addresses provided by the previous poster - go to the Oklahoma County Assessor’s webpage, and search those properties the subdivision name, lot and block - and then search the deed records accordingly. Just to make sure your legal descriptions match up with the county. Deed search you should be able to find the original mineral reservation.
I can’t speak for these exact properties because I haven’t looked at any of the documents - but back in the day - OKC had a rule of 1 oil well per block (approximately 2.5 acres) and 1 gas well per 4 blocks (10acres). You’ll have to see in the records if any of your parcels were ever unitized with other blocks (greater acreage than a single 2.5 acre block) to know if it may be included in a producing well in a nearby block. OCC (Oklahoma Corp Comm) also has pooling and spacing records that you may want to view also. Over the years I’ve helped a few people work on similar properties. There are still alot of producing wells in the city limits.
Thank you both for your insights. Knowledge is more valuable than oil or gas. I’ve got to figure out how to get rid of these because everytime the owner dies it results in thousands of dollars of probate and title transfer. I need to prevent my children from dealing with them in the future. Maybe I’ll donate them to the city? I will attempt to auction them first.
@axeman79, putting these into a trust or an LLC could avoid future probates and transfers,
but if this is not appropriate in your situation, you can also donate to a charity or a university.
They will probably sell them on their own, but you would not have to do that part of the work.
Always check unclaimed property in Oklahoma and the state(s) where you mother lived.
This post is not legal, tax or investment advice. Reading or responding to this post does not create an attorney/client relationship.
Thank you PeteR! I appreciate the insight.
