Seasoned Oil And Gas Law Counsel
Colorado is one of the country's top oil producers, and most of it comes from Weld County. When an oil and gas company wants your minerals or your surface, they arrive with their own lawyers and their own paperwork. We make sure you understand what you are signing and get a fair deal.
Our attorneys have long represented landowners, mineral owners and local businesses in dealings with oil and gas companies.
For landowners and mineral owners
- Reviewing and negotiating oil and gas leases
- Surface use agreements and easements
- Forced pooling notices and hearings
- Royalty disputes and unpaid royalties
- Finding out who owns the minerals under your land
What landowners should know
- The minerals and the surface can have different owners. In Colorado, mineral rights are often owned separately from the land, and the mineral owner has a right to reasonable use of the surface to develop them.
- The operator must accommodate the surface owner. Colorado law requires operators to minimize damage to your land and to use reasonable alternative locations or methods, and you can sue if they do not (C.R.S. 34-60-127). A good surface use agreement spells out where, when and what you are paid.
- Forced pooling has rules. An operator that holds or has the consent of more than 45 percent of the minerals in a drilling unit can ask the state's Energy and Carbon Management Commission to pool the rest. You must get a good-faith lease offer at least 60 days before the hearing, and you can protest (C.R.S. 34-60-116).
- Pooled without a lease, you still get paid, but less at first. You are treated as having a 13 percent royalty on gas or 16 percent on oil until the operator recovers its costs plus a risk penalty.
For oil and gas service companies
We help water and oil hauling companies, construction contractors, electrical companies and other businesses that work for operators with contracts, regulatory questions and disputes. See our business law page. Talk with an oil and gas attorney by calling our office or using our contact form.
Oil and gas questions
Should I sign the first lease I am offered?
Rarely. Royalty rate, bonus, lease length, deductions and surface protections are usually negotiable, and a lease can bind your land for decades.
Can an oil and gas company take my minerals without my agreement?
Not by condemning them. The tool is forced pooling, which goes through a state commission hearing where you have notice and a chance to object, and you are still paid from production.
Call An Experienced Attorney
Our lawyers will review your case details and give you a clear plan for how we can help. Based in Northern Colorado, we represent clients along the entire Front Range and across Colorado. Call our law firm or send an email to talk to a professional and understanding attorney.