MS HB1437

Mineral estates separated from surface estates on or after January 1, 2020 shall revert to the surface estate owner after ten years of nonproduction or no bona fide attempt to drill for minerals.

The ten-year nonproduction period may be interrupted by actual production or drilling operations; the period restarts the day after production or drilling ceases.

Shut-in rental payments can interrupt the ten-year period, which restarts at the end of the rental payment period if no production occurs.

Oil wells must be located in the regular governmental quarter-quarter section where the mineral estate lies to be considered in production; gas wells must be in the half-section containing the mineral interest.

The act takes effect July 1, 2019.