Land managers and landmen
Extra hands when your department has more title and leasing work than people.
Oil and gas landman services
Landman and title services for operator land departments
Title research, runsheets and abstracts, curative, acquisition due diligence, leasing, division orders and mapping, handled by professional landmen.
Tell us the tracts and the due date. We'll get back to you to talk it through.
Clients
Who we help
A&D teams
Due diligence on trade-in and trade-out deals, so you can make the call with confidence.
Title attorneys and operators
Title reports prepared for drilling and division order title opinions.
What we do
Services
Hand us one piece or the whole project, big or small.
Title
Title research and curative
We research and track complex mineral and leasehold title, and work to resolve the title issues we find.
IncludesMineral ownership reports and detailed reports for drilling and division order title opinions.
Records
Runsheets, abstracts and division orders
Runsheets and abstracts built from the county records, and division order records prepared and kept up to date.
IncludesEach instrument in the chain listed with its recording information.
Acquisitions
Due diligence
Thorough investigation and reporting for trade-in and trade-out transactions.
IncludesMeticulous reporting, so your team can make confident investment decisions.
Leasing
Leasing and agreements
Lease agreements secured quickly and professionally, to clear the way for exploration and development.
IncludesOwner research and contact, and lease taking.
Compliance
Regulatory assistance
We help you navigate the often complex regulatory landscape.
IncludesSupport from start to finish, so the project stays compliant and moves smoothly.
Mapping
GIS mapping and imaging
GIS maps for a clear picture of your acreage, plus imaging and digitizing of records.
IncludesMaps and scanned records your team can find and use.
Where we work
Three states, three ways of recording land
Each state describes, records and regulates land its own way. Knowing the system is a big part of getting title right. Much of our recent title work has been in New Mexico, including state and federal leases.
New Mexico
Section, township, range
- Most land is described with the Public Land Survey System, from the New Mexico Principal Meridian. Old land grants are described by their own boundaries.
- Minerals can be fee, state trust or federal. The State Land Office leases state trust land, and the Bureau of Land Management handles federal leases.
- The Oil Conservation Division sets well spacing and hears compulsory pooling cases.
Records: county clerk, State Land Office lease files, BLM case files. State Land Office · OCD · BLM records
Texas
Survey, abstract, block, section
- Texas does not use the federal township-and-range grid. Land is described by original survey and abstract number, and in much of West Texas by block and section from railroad surveys. Some blocks also carry a township number.
- In Relinquishment Act lands, the state owns the minerals and the surface owner leases them as the state's agent, on the General Land Office's form and with its approval.
- The Railroad Commission regulates drilling and spacing. Texas has a pooling statute, but most pooling is done by agreement under lease terms.
Records: county clerk, General Land Office for state lands. Railroad Commission · General Land Office
Oklahoma
Section, township, range
- Land is described with the Public Land Survey System, from the Indian Meridian, and from the Cimarron Meridian in the Panhandle.
- The Corporation Commission sets drilling and spacing units and issues pooling orders, so an owner who does not lease can be force pooled.
- Spacing and pooling orders are part of the title picture, alongside the county records.
Records: county clerk, Corporation Commission case files. Corporation Commission
Working in one of these states, or somewhere else?
Email us a projectHow a project runs
From first email to finished report
Tell us the job
Send the tracts or legal descriptions, the scope and your due date.
We talk it through
We follow up to confirm the scope, the timing and the format you want.
We work the records
Our landmen research the county records and build the runsheets and reports.
You get the work
Delivered to your team, with the urgency your deadline needs.
| Instrument | Grantor to grantee | Dated | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mineral deed | A. Sample to B. Example | 03/14/1952 | Vol. 212, Pg. 340 |
| Oil and gas lease | B. Example to C. Operating Co. | 06/02/1981 | Vol. 498, Pg. 12 |
| Affidavit of heirship | Estate of B. Example | 11/20/2004 | Inst. 2004-08817 |
Made-up names for illustration. A runsheet lists each instrument in the chain of title with its recording information.
A complete runsheet entry shows
- The type of instrument, and who signed it to whom
- The date it was signed and the date it was recorded
- The book and page or instrument number
- The lands and depths it covers
- The interest conveyed, and anything reserved or excepted
Our commitment
Quality work. Unwavering integrity.
Simple answers to complex problems
Our core mission is to provide simple, intuitive solutions to complex problems in the land services world.
Honest, hardworking people
We field a team of honest, hardworking professionals committed to quality work with accuracy and integrity.
Urgency on every job
We treat every client's time and investment with urgency. Big or small, we aim to get it done on time and to meet and exceed expectations.
From the records
Title problems worth catching early
These come up again and again. Finding them before a well is drilled or a deal closes saves time, money and suspended revenue.
Heirs who were never probated
An owner dies and the estate is never probated. Before anyone can lease or pay that interest, the heirs have to be identified, often with an affidavit of heirship or a probate.
Liens and leases never released
Old mortgages, judgments and expired leases stay on the record until they are released or shown to have ended. Each one has to be cleared or explained.
Depth severances
Leases and assignments are often limited to certain depths, so ownership can change from one formation to the next. The depth you plan to drill decides whose title matters.
Double fractions in old deeds
Old deeds with a double fraction, like "1/2 of 1/8", can be read more than one way. In Van Dyke v. Navigator Group (2023), the Texas Supreme Court read "one-half of one-eighth of all minerals" as half of the whole mineral estate. Royalty deeds can come out differently, depending on their exact words. Your attorney decides. We flag the language.
Name variations and missed conveyances
The same owner can appear under several names, and a search of the tract index alone can miss a deed. That is why we also search the name indexes for every party in the chain.
Royalty owners and pooling
A non-participating royalty owner usually is not bound by a lease's pooling clause, so a pooled unit may need that owner's ratification.
Questions
Before you reach out
Do you replace our title attorney?
No. We are landmen, not attorneys. Our work supports a title opinion. It does not replace one.
What's the difference between a runsheet and a mineral ownership report?
A runsheet lists every instrument in the chain of title. A mineral ownership report uses that chain to show who owns what today, and in what share.
What are DTO and DOTO title opinions?
A drilling title opinion (DTO) is written before a well is drilled, to show who owns the lands and who must lease or consent. A division order title opinion (DOTO) is written before production is paid, to set each owner's decimal interest. Attorneys write both. We prepare the title work and reports they rely on.
Do you work state and federal leases?
Yes. In New Mexico we work fee, state trust and federal minerals, including State Land Office and BLM records.
Can you update older title work?
Usually, yes. Send the prior runsheet or opinion and its effective date, and we'll tell you what it takes to bring the title current from there.
Where do you work?
New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma. Working somewhere else? Tell us the county and we'll tell you how we can help.
What do you need from us to get started?
The legal descriptions or a tract list, the depths and scope, your due date, and the format you want.
Why do the depths matter?
Ownership can change by depth. Tell us the formations or depths you plan to drill, and we note every depth limit we find in the leases and conveyances.
How long will it take?
It depends on the county, the records and the scope. We'll talk through timing with you before the work starts.
How do you price a project?
Pricing depends on the scope. Tell us about the project and we'll follow up to talk it through.
Is my project kept confidential?
Yes. We don't name clients or share client documents without written permission.
Are you hiring landmen?
Yes. We are committed to the growth and development of our landmen. Email your resume to sales@clwlandservices.com with "Resume" in the subject.
Common land terms, in plain English
- Runsheet
- A list of every recorded instrument in a tract's chain of title.
- Mineral ownership report (MOR)
- A report showing who owns the minerals in a tract today, and each owner's share.
- Drilling title opinion (DTO)
- An attorney's opinion on ownership written before a well is drilled.
- Division order title opinion (DOTO)
- An attorney's opinion that sets each owner's decimal interest before production is paid.
- Curative
- The work of clearing the requirements and defects a title opinion lists.
- Working interest (WI)
- The share of a lease that pays the cost of drilling and operating, and receives what is left of production after royalties.
- Net revenue interest (NRI)
- The share of production revenue an owner actually receives after royalties and other burdens.
- Overriding royalty (ORRI)
- A share of production carved out of the working interest. It usually bears no drilling costs, and usually ends when the lease ends unless the document says otherwise.
- Non-participating royalty (NPRI)
- A royalty share whose owner has no right to lease the minerals or receive bonus.
- Pooling
- Combining tracts or interests into one unit for a well.
- Top lease
- A lease that takes effect only if the existing lease ends.
- Ratification
- A signed document in which an owner agrees to an existing lease or pooled unit.
- Affidavit of heirship
- A sworn statement, usually by someone who knew the family, naming a deceased owner's heirs.
- Stipulation of interest
- An agreement among owners on how an interest is shared, often used to settle a disputed fraction.
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