MS HB836

Mineral estates separated from surface estates after January 1, 2021, automatically revert to the surface estate owner after ten years of nonproduction or no bona fide drilling attempt.

The ten-year nonproduction period can be interrupted by actual production or drilling operations, and restarts the day after the last production or drilling activity ceases.

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

Oil and gas are considered nonproductive if the well is not located in the same governmental quarter-quarter section (oil) or half section (gas) as the mineral interest.

The act takes effect July 1, 2020, and applies only to mineral estates separated after January 1, 2021.