News & Analysis as of

Property Owners Texas

Gray Reed

Limitations and Standing to Sue Dry Up Landowners’ Claim to Texas Riverbed

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State of Texas. V. Reimer et al. studied lawyer-nerdy questions of standing to bring a lawsuit and statutes of limitations as applied to inverse condemnation suits.  Spoiler alert: To the chagrin of the landowners, waiting...more

Jackson Walker

Texas Supreme Court Clarifies Default Ownership of Produced Water in Oil & Gas Leases – Key Questions Remain

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On June 27, 2025, the Texas Supreme Court issued a pivotal decision in Cactus Water Services, LLC v. COG Operating, LLC, holding that under the language of the granting clause found in the standard oil and gas lease, produced...more

McGinnis Lochridge

26-Step Mechanical Framework For Interpreting Deeds? Texas courts reject "mechanical" deed interpretation while creating a 28-step...

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The El Paso Court of Appeals recently published an opinion that provides what might be characterized as 26-step step system for analyzing a deed that (perhaps inadvertently) highlights a growing irony in Texas jurisprudence....more

Vinson & Elkins LLP

Texas Supreme Court Clarifies Ownership of Salt Caverns

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On May 16, 2025, the Texas Supreme Court issued a decision ruling that, absent specific contractual language, surface owners retain ownership of the caverns created by salt mining operations. The issue of ownership of salt...more

Nossaman LLP

The 411 on Special Commissioners’ Hearings in Texas

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Every condemnation case in Texas must go through an administrative phase in which disinterested real property owners (who live in the county where the suit is filed) are appointed as Special Commissioners to assess the market...more

Gray Reed

Texas Supreme Court Decides Who Must Produce to Maintain an Oil and Gas Lease

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In Cromwell v. Anadarko E & P Onshore LLC the Supreme Court of Texas did what it so often does: In order to provide “legal certainty and predictability”, the Court considered the plain language of a contract in order to...more

Bracewell LLP

Surface vs. Mineral Owners: Texas Supreme Court Settles Salt Cavern Ownership Dispute

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The Texas Supreme Court has settled the issue of who owns the voids, known as salt caverns, created in subsurface salt formations (whether naturally occurring or caused as a result of salt mining operations). In...more

Gray Reed

Operator Excused from Texas Relinquishment Act Claims

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In Williams O & G Resources, LLC v. Diamondback Energy, Inc., a federal magistrate judge concluded that the Texas Relinquishment Act does not apply to public-school lands patented after 1931. The report and recommendation was...more

Gray Reed

Texas Pore Space Ownership – Royalty Calculation

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In Myers-Woodward, LLC v. Underground Services Markham, LLC et al, (discussed previously) the parties disagreed on how to calculate Myers’ royalty on salt produced by Underground....more

McGinnis Lochridge

Affirmative Defenses Are Insufficient to Rebut the Van Dyke Presumption

McGinnis Lochridge on

Under Van Dyke, deeds with double-fraction royalty reservations referencing “1/8” are presumed to reserve a floating royalty interest unless clearly contradicted. Defenses like waiver, ratification, and limitations cannot...more

McGinnis Lochridge

Texas Supreme Court Rules on Modification of NPRIs

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In this recent case, the Texas Supreme Court resolved whether ratification of a lease or signing of a stipulation agreement could transform a fixed non-participating royalty interest (NPRI) into a floating NPRI....more

McGinnis Lochridge

Drowning in Liability: Court Extends "Waste" Rule to SWD Operator; but preserves RPO defense

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In a watershed ruling, the El Paso Court of Appeals extends "waste" liability under the Nat. Res. Code to commercial disposal well operator—potentially increasing exposure for this critical wastewater industry—while...more

Oliva Gibbs

Reservation or Limitation on Warranty? Navigating the Fine Line — Lessons from Valence Operating Co. v. Davidson

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In Valence Operating Co. v. Davidson1, the Court of Appeals for the Sixth Appellate District of Texas at Texarkana addressed whether the provision, “all Oil, Gas and other Minerals have been excepted and reserved by former...more

McGinnis Lochridge

Tackling Free-Use and At-The-Well Royalties

McGinnis Lochridge on

This lease royalty case involved a dispute over whether the lessee was permitted to deduct volumes of gas used off the premises to power post-production activities on other gas produced from the same well. Carl v. Hilcorp...more

McGinnis Lochridge

Who Can Enforce Surface Provisions in an OGL?

McGinnis Lochridge on

Unitex WI, LLC v. CT Land & Cattle Co., LLC, No. 07-23-00390-CV, 2024 WL 3249338 (Tex. App.—Amarillo June 28, 2024, pet. filed)...more

Gray Reed

Lien and Bond Claims in April 2025: Dates to Remember

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Use this guide as a reference when filing lien and bond claim notices for the month of April. Be sure to subscribe to the Texas Construction Law Blog to automatically receive our monthly lien and bond guides, as well as other...more

Gray Reed

Ratifications, Stipulations, and Fixed vs. Floating Royalty Interests

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After four stops at the lower courts, Kenneth Hahn v. ConocoPhillips has been resolved by the Supreme Court of Texas. The Court opined on the effect of two instruments often used to clarify land titles in Texas: ...more

Gray Reed

Lien and Bond Claims in March 2025: Dates to Remember

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Use this guide as a reference when filing lien and bond claim notices for the month of March. Be sure to subscribe to the Texas Construction Law Blog to automatically receive our monthly lien and bond guides, as well as other...more

Gray Reed

Timing Matters: Deadlines for Filing a Texas Mineral Lien Under Chapter 56

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Not all liens are created equal. The most commonly discussed lien is related to construction improvements under Chapter 53 of the Texas Property Code. For those in the oil & gas/energy segment lien rights exist under Chapter...more

McGuireWoods LLP

Texas’ Adoption of ALTA Endorsements Gives Energy Projects Greater Title Coverage

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When it comes to title insurance, Texas is an anomalous state. Most states are “ALTA states” and use title insurance forms that the American Land Title Association — a trade association representing the title insurance...more

Oliva Gibbs

Coverting a “Fixed” to a “Floating” NPRI: What (If Anything) Does ConocoPhillips v. Hahn Add to the Conversation?

Oliva Gibbs on

In ConocoPhillips Co. v. Hahn, the Supreme Court of Texas addressed whether a “fixed” nonparticipating royalty interest (“NPRI”) was later converted to a “floating” NPRI. The court weighed two possible means of this...more

Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP

Texas Property Tax Overview; Value Protests and Appeals

Property tax is a major concern for Texas property owners, since it represents one of the most substantial expenses they face. In 2023, local taxing entities’ property tax collections totaled $82.1 billion, matching the total...more

Nossaman LLP

Come And Take It, and the Basics of Condemnation in Texas.

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In 1831, the colony of Gonzales requested a cannon for defense that was granted by the Mexican authorities.  This cannon was a Spanish made bronze six-pounder.  The grant had one condition; the cannon had to be returned when...more

Husch Blackwell LLP

Negotiating Texas Wind Energy Leases: Do Landmen Need a License?

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The Texas Attorney General recently issued Opinion KP-0467 (the “Opinion”) addressing “whether a person who negotiates a lease for property for the development of a wind power project on behalf of another, for compensation,...more

Porter Hedges LLP

Understanding the Texas Prompt Payment Act

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The construction industry is a cornerstone of Texas’s robust economy, and timely payments are critical for maintaining the health of this sector. To ensure that contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers are paid promptly for...more

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