A plain-language glossary of the terms Oklahoma mineral owners run into most often. If we missed one you want explained, let us know.
Acre — 43,560 square feet, roughly 208¾ feet square. Also equal to 10 square chains or 160 square rods.
Ad Valorem Tax — Annual property tax on mineral interests, assessed by your county.
Affidavit of Heirship — A sworn document filed when someone dies without going through probate. It identifies the heirs, their relationship to the deceased, marital status, and how ownership passes. There are specific legal requirements an affidavit of heirship must meet to create marketable title — a generic one may not check all the boxes. Once filed and undisputed for a period of time (typically 10 years), it can establish marketable title.
Affidavit of Pooling — A document that records who elected what under a pooling order. Not always filed, but helpful for landmen and title attorneys trying to determine ownership and working interest breakdowns. It's good practice for operators to file one.
Allotment — Land originally assigned to individual Native Americans under the Dawes Act (1887). Many Oklahoma mineral interests trace back to allotments.
Anadarko Basin — One of the deepest sedimentary basins in the US, covering western Oklahoma. Home to prolific oil and gas production for over a century.
API Number — A unique well identification number — think of it like a social security number for the well. Oklahoma wells start with 35, followed by a three-digit county code, then the individual well number.
Arkoma Basin — A basin in eastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas.
Basin — A large geological depression where sedimentary rocks and hydrocarbons have accumulated over time. Oklahoma sits on several.
BBL (Barrel) — A barrel of oil, equal to 42 US gallons. The abbreviation comes from "blue barrel."
Blowout Preventer (BOP) — A safety device installed at the wellhead designed to seal the well if pressure control is lost during drilling.
Bonus Payment — The up-front cash paid to a mineral owner when signing a lease. This is negotiable and paid per net mineral acre. In modern practice, the full bonus is typically paid up front rather than in annual delay rentals.
Broker — A person or company that facilitates oil and gas transactions. A broker may employ landmen to do title work, acquire leases on behalf of an operator, and negotiate terms. Compensation varies — they may receive an overriding royalty interest, a daily rate, or they may participate directly. If they're not the operator themselves, they may sell the leasehold position to one.
Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) — Federal agency that oversees trust land and mineral interests held for certain Native American tribes and individuals.
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) — Federal agency that manages public lands and resources, including mineral leasing on federal lands.
Call — The directional description used to locate a tract within a section. A call can be a quarter (NW/4 = 160 acres), a quarter-quarter (NE/4 of SW/4 = 40 acres), a half-quarter, or other combinations. To read a call, work right to left: "NW/4 NW/4 NE/4" means start in the northeast quarter of the section, then the northwest quarter of that, then the northwest quarter of that.
Casing — Steel pipe set into the wellbore and cemented in place to prevent collapse and protect formations. Casing is set over the aquifer to protect groundwater, and at other points in the well as needed.
Cause Number (CD Number) — The case number assigned to any OCC application or order.
Chain — A unit of land measurement. One chain equals 66 feet, or 4 rods. There are 80 chains in a mile.
Chain of Title — The sequence of recorded documents that traces ownership of a mineral interest from one owner to the next, all the way to the current owner.
Cherokee Platform — A geological province in northeastern Oklahoma, historically productive from shallow formations.
Cimarron Meridian — The reference meridian used for legal descriptions in the Oklahoma Panhandle (Cimarron, Texas, and Beaver counties).
Communitization — Combining tracts for the purpose of creating a single unit, often involving state, federal, or BIA-managed lands.
Completion — The process of finishing a drilled well so it can produce. Includes perforating, stimulating, and installing production equipment.
Condensate / Gas Condensate — Light liquid hydrocarbons that separate from the gas stream when it reaches the surface. Valued similarly to crude oil.
Consent to Assign — A lease provision requiring the mineral owner subject to that lease to approve before the operator can assign the lease to another company. If you don't want a certain oil and gas company on your property, this gives you a say.
Continuous Drilling Provision — A common lease provision that allows a temporary cessation of production without automatically terminating the lease, provided the operator recommences operations within a specified time period (typically 30 to 120 days). This is a double-edged sword: without one, courts may allow a "temporary cessation" with no hard deadline. With one, the time limits are strict — if the operator doesn't resume within the stated period, the lease can terminate regardless of the reason for the delay. Important for HBP analysis, especially on older leases.
Correction Section — Sections along the north and west sides of a township that are not exactly 640 acres, accounting for the curvature of the Earth. The correction sections are: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 (across the north), and 7, 18, 19, 30, and 31 (down the west side). In these sections, portions are described as lots with specific acreages shown on the plat map — for example, Lot 1 containing 39.72 acres. Section 6 (the northwest corner) has the most lots.
Cost-Free Royalty / Post-Production Deductions — Lease language that determines whether the operator can charge you for gathering, processing, compressing, or transporting your share of production. "Cost-free" or "no deductions" or "gross proceeds" language protects you from these charges. Without it, they can reduce your royalty check. This is important lease language.
Cross Conveyance — An instrument where parties convey interests to each other to clarify or reconcile ownership.
Curative — Actions taken to fix title problems — affidavits of heirship, stipulations of interest, cross conveyances, corrective deeds, and other instruments. The goal is to move title toward marketability.
Defensible Title — Title supported by evidence and documents, but that may have some ambiguity. "Here's what we believe based on these documents." Compare with marketable title, which is the higher standard everyone wants to achieve.
Delay Rental — An annual payment made to keep a lease alive during the primary term without drilling, depending on the term of the lease. Mostly an older practice — modern leases typically pay the full bonus up front instead. In older leases, a missed delay rental payment could expire the lease.
Depth Clause — A lease provision that releases formations below (or above) certain depths at the end of the primary term. There are multiple versions: deepest depth drilled, deepest depth penetrated, stratigraphic equivalent, deepest producing depth. These all do very different things. The most beneficial version for the mineral owner releases all non-producing depths at the end of the primary term, letting you negotiate new leases for those formations separately.
Directional Drilling — Controlled deviation of the wellbore from vertical. Horizontal wells typically use some form of directional drilling.
Division Order — A document from the operator or purchaser stating your unit interest in a well. Signing it is essentially you agreeing to the net acres they show you owning. You may not technically be required to sign one to get paid — it's more for the operator to clean up their records. Be careful signing one blindly, because if you don't understand what you're agreeing to, it could work against you.
Downstream — The refining and marketing sector of the oil and gas industry.
Due Diligence — The research process before buying minerals, leasing, or drilling. Includes title examination, engineering review, and verifying what you're actually getting.
Executive Rights — The right to negotiate and execute oil and gas leases. Someone else may hold the executive rights while you are subject to that mineral interest — for example, you could own 50 mineral acres but 25 of them are subject to an NPRI where someone else gets royalty but you hold the executive rights. The executive rights holder typically negotiates the deals.
Farm Out Agreement — An agreement where one operator assigns the right to drill on their lease to another, generally retaining an override or other interest. Important concepts: BPO (before payout) is the period before the well's total costs have been recovered from revenue. APO (after payout) is when the well starts generating profit. The party farming out often has an option to convert their override to a working interest after payout.
Federal Lease — A lease on minerals owned by the federal government, managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
Fee Title — Private ownership of land or minerals, free and clear of any trust restrictions. A trust can own fee title. Most Oklahoma mineral interests are held in fee title.
Flaring — Burning off natural gas at the wellsite, usually when there's no pipeline connection or processing capacity.
Force Pooling — An OCC process (52 O.S. § 87.1) that combines all mineral interests in a spacing unit when the operator can't get everyone to voluntarily lease. One mineral owner who doesn't want to lease can't prevent all the other owners from benefiting from their rights. After a hearing, the OCC issues a pooling order. Non-consenting owners get a deadline to elect their option — accept the offered lease terms, elect a higher royalty alternative, or participate as a working interest owner. If you don't respond, you'll generally default to the minimum royalty. Pooling orders are formation-specific — formations not named in the order aren't covered. Responding to a force pooling notice is critical. Keep your address and title records up to date so you actually receive the notice.
Formation — A named layer of rock with identifiable characteristics. Oklahoma wells target specific formations for production.
Gamma Ray Log — A well log that measures natural radioactivity in formations. Helps distinguish between different rock types.
Gathering Agreement — A contract between the operator and a midstream company for transporting and processing production from the wellsite. Generally refers to gas or gas gathering, though oil gathering pipelines exist as well.
Gathering System — The network of smaller pipelines connecting individual wells to processing plants or larger trunk lines.
Geologist — A professional who evaluates formations, identifies drilling targets, and interprets well logs and geological data.
Granite Wash — A series of formations found across Oklahoma, generally at shallower depths. Many formations fall into the granite wash category.
Gross Acres — The total acreage of the tract, regardless of how much of it you actually own. A common source of confusion — a mineral owner may see "160 gross acres" on a document and think they own 160 acres, when they actually own a fraction of that. See net mineral acres.
Gross Production — The total volume of oil or gas produced from a well before any ownership splits or deductions.
Gross Production Tax — Oklahoma's severance tax on oil and gas produced at the wellhead.
Gross Working Interest — The total working interest percentage before royalties and overrides are subtracted. This is what the working interest owner pays costs on.
Held by Production (HBP) — When a lease continues beyond its primary term because the well is producing. Once a well is producing, the lease stays in effect as long as production continues. You can also be HBP while still in the primary term.
Horizontal Well — A well drilled vertically to a target depth, then turned to run laterally through the formation. Most modern Oklahoma wells are horizontal.
Hunton — A formation beneath the Mississippian system. Along with the Mississippi Lime and the Woodford, one of the commonly targeted formations in Oklahoma.
H₂S (Hydrogen Sulfide) — A toxic gas sometimes present in formations. The real danger comes during drilling when H₂S is encountered unexpectedly, or if it leaks. Requires special safety equipment and procedures.
Increased Density Order — An OCC order allowing additional wells in an existing spacing unit in order to effectively drain it.
Indian Country — A legal term for land within tribal jurisdiction. Tribes maintain sovereignty over these areas.
Indian Meridian (IM) — The principal meridian for Oklahoma's Jeffersonian survey system, located at 97°14'W longitude. Nearly all Oklahoma legal descriptions reference the Indian Meridian, save and except the panhandle (which uses the Cimarron Meridian).
Injection Well — A well used to inject fluids underground. In a waterflood unit, injection wells pump water into the formation to push oil toward producing wells. Not the same as a saltwater disposal well, though a saltwater disposal well is technically a type of injection well.
Jeffersonian System — The survey system used to describe land in Oklahoma and much of the western US using sections, townships, and ranges. Each township is a 6×6 grid of 36 sections anchored to a meridian. This is how legal descriptions are structured.
Joint Tenancy — When two or more people own one interest together, with a right of survivorship. If one joint tenant dies, the surviving joint tenant automatically takes over the entire interest without probate.
Lay-Down / Stand-Up Unit — Describes the orientation of a drilling unit. A stand-up unit runs north to south (taller than wide), while a lay-down unit runs east to west. You might hear stand-up 80, lay-down 320, etc.
Legal Description — The full formal description of a parcel of land. Can be section, township, range, and calls; metes and bounds; or lots and blocks — whatever is appropriate for the tract.
Life Estate — An ownership interest that lasts only for the lifetime of the holder (the life tenant). Typically described in trusts, probates, or deeds. The life tenant is essentially the steward of the interest until their death, at which point it passes to the specified remainderman. If the life tenant executed a lease, the remainderman may not be bound by those terms unless they ratified it. See also: remainderman, ratification.
Life Tenant — The person who holds a life estate. They have use of the interest during their lifetime, but it transfers to the remainderman upon their death.
Limestone — Sedimentary rock made of calcium carbonate. The Mississippi Lime is a major Oklahoma target.
Link — A unit of land measurement. One link equals 0.66 feet (about 7⅞ inches). There are 100 links in a chain.
Location Exception — An OCC variance allowing a well to be drilled at a non-standard surface location. The well's surface location may be on a different section than where it actually produces.
Lot / Block — A numbered parcel. Lots appear in correction sections where sections aren't perfectly square due to the curvature of the Earth. In townsites, land is described as lots within numbered blocks (e.g., Lot 4, Block 43), as shown on the plat map.
Marketable Title — The highest standard of title — clear, defensible, and free of material defects. This is what everyone wants to achieve. Curative measures are taken to get title to this point.
MCF / MMCF / BCF — Thousand / million / billion cubic feet of natural gas.
Measured Total Depth (MTD) — The total length of the wellbore path, including all curves. On a horizontal well, the MTD will be significantly more than the true vertical depth because it includes the entire lateral.
Metes and Bounds — A legal description using distances and directions from a starting point. It's what a surveyor would use to plot the actual tract of land. Can range from vague (referencing a tree or a boulder) to extremely specific (using degrees, minutes, and seconds). Used when the land doesn't fit neatly into standard call descriptions, or when a survey is needed.
Midstream — The sector between production (upstream) and refining (downstream). Covers gathering, processing, and transporting oil and gas.
Mineral Buyer — A person or company that contacts mineral owners about selling their interests. Do your research before responding to any unsolicited offers.
Mississippi Lime — A limestone formation in Oklahoma that has seen significant horizontal drilling activity.
Mud Log — A real-time record of drilling parameters and rock cuttings based on the depth they were encountered during drilling. The mud logger identifies formations based on the rock that gets pumped back up from the hole. It's the first look at what formations are being penetrated.
Multi-Unit Well — A horizontal well that crosses spacing unit boundaries, producing from more than one unit. Production is allocated proportionately based on how much of the lateral is in each unit. A two-unit well with two-thirds of the lateral in one section and one-third in another will allocate revenue accordingly. This is why the OCC's surface-location-only records can be misleading — the well may produce from sections other than where the surface hole is located.
Net Mineral Acres (NMA) — The actual mineral acreage you own after accounting for your fractional interest. If you own one-fourth of the minerals under 160 gross acres, you have 40 NMA.
Net Revenue Interest (NRI) — The working interest minus royalties and overrides — what the working interest owner actually receives as revenue. A working interest owner might pay for 100% of the costs but only receive 75% of the revenue. Generally, the working interest side tries to avoid an NRI below 75%, as it becomes less desirable below that point.
Non-Participating Royalty Interest (NPRI) — A royalty interest without the right to execute leases, negotiate bonus payments, or make decisions about the property. You get a check, but someone else makes the deals.
Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC) — The constitutionally created body that regulates oil and gas activity in Oklahoma. Handles spacing, pooling, well permits, production reporting, and enforcement.
Oklahoma Tax Commission (OTC) — The state agency handling gross production tax filings and other tax matters related to oil and gas.
Operator — The company responsible for drilling, completing, and operating a well. They hold the OCC permits, file the regulatory paperwork, and run the day-to-day operations.
Option to Extend — A lease provision allowing the lessee to extend the primary term by paying additional consideration, typically based on the original per-acre amount. Common structures are three plus two or five plus two year terms. Gives the operator more time if they haven't drilled during the initial term.
Orphan Well — A well where the current operator or status is ambiguous. It may have a completion report but no plugging record. The operator may have abandoned it without properly plugging and filing, or it may have been plugged without the paperwork being filed. Common with older wells from the 1940s–60s. When someone wants to drill or take new leases in an area, they need to verify whether an existing well is truly orphaned.
Overriding Royalty Interest (ORRI) — A royalty interest carved out of the working interest.
Pay Zone — The specific interval within a formation that contains producible hydrocarbons.
Perforations — Holes punched through the casing and cement into the formation using charges, creating pathways for oil and gas to flow into the wellbore.
Permeability — How easily fluid can flow through rock. Higher permeability generally means easier production.
Petroleum Engineer — A professional who designs well completions, estimates reserves, and works to optimize production.
Pit — An earthen excavation used to hold drilling fluids, cuttings, or produced water during operations.
Plat / Plat Map — A visual description showing the layout of sections, lots, tracts, blocks, and other features. Can show acreages, owners, rivers, boundaries, and other details. Useful for determining net acres, especially where natural features like rivers divide a tract.
Play — A geographic area where a particular formation is being actively targeted for drilling.
Plug and Abandon (P&A) — Permanently sealing a well with cement plugs and removing surface equipment when the well is no longer economic.
Plugged Back Total Depth (PBTD) — The depth after an operator plugs back a well from its original total depth to produce from a shallower formation. Operators sometimes drill deeper than necessary specifically to hold deeper lease depths, then plug back to produce from a shallower zone. This is exactly why depth clause language matters — "deepest depth drilled" vs. "deepest producing depth" can mean very different things for what the lease holds.
Plugging Record (Form 1003) — The OCC filing documenting the plugging and abandonment of a well.
Pooling Order — The OCC order issued after a force pooling hearing. Contains the election options and deadline for owners who haven't leased — whether by choice or because they couldn't be reached. See also: affidavit of pooling.
Porosity — The percentage of pore space in rock — how much room there is for oil and gas.
Primary Term — The initial period of an oil and gas lease, during which the operator must drill or the lease expires. Can include an option to extend. Modern leases are generally not more than a few years; longer terms (10+ years) are more common in older leases.
Probate — The legal process of settling a deceased person's estate and transferring ownership.
Processing Plant / Gas Plant — A facility that separates raw natural gas into its components for sale and transport.
Produced Water — Water that comes to the surface along with oil and gas during production. Generally disposed of via saltwater disposal wells.
Production Revenue Standards Act — Oklahoma law (52 O.S. § 570) setting standards that operators and those producing oil and gas must adhere to, including how and when royalties must be paid. Among other provisions, late payments accrue interest at 12% per annum compounded.
Pugh Clause — A lease provision that releases acreage not included in a producing unit at the end of the primary term. Before the statutory Pugh clause (around 1978), a single well on a small tract could hold thousands of acres if they were all on one lease without this language. There's a statutory Pugh clause now, but it only applies to leases after that date. Older leases without one can still hold large amounts of acreage with minimal production. Both horizontal and vertical Pugh clauses exist — a horizontal Pugh is essentially a depth Pugh (cutting horizontally across formations), while a vertical Pugh cuts acreage out of the unit laterally.
Pump Jack — The surface beam pump that pumps air into the well to create pressure, helping oil flow to the surface from wells that don't flow naturally.
Quiet Title — A court action to establish clear ownership of a mineral interest when there's a dispute or cloud on the title.
Quit Claim Deed — A deed that conveys whatever interest the grantor may own, if any, as of that date. If you quit claim and later come into title, the new interest is not affected — you only conveyed what you had at the time. A quit claim can still create marketable title, but warranty is generally preferred.
Ratification — A document where you agree to the terms of an existing lease. If the lease language was ambiguous or there was a question about what it stated, a ratification confirms that you adhere to those provisions. It might reference a corrected oil and gas lease or clarify conflicting terms (e.g., if a lease referenced both 1/8 and 3/16 royalty). Generally in the operator's interest, not yours — they're still obligated to pay you under the existing terms. Think carefully about what you're agreeing to before signing.
Reclamation — Restoring a well site to its original condition after operations end.
Recompletion — Completing a well in a different formation than it was originally producing from — either shallower or deeper.
Remainderman — The person who inherits a property interest after a life estate ends. The remainderman is the one who really holds the power — the minerals ultimately belong to them. It's best to have a death certificate attached via a notice of death or affidavit of death, as this helps create marketable title. If the life tenant signed a lease, the remainderman may not be bound by those same terms.
Reservoir — The specific porous rock within a formation that holds oil and gas.
Restricted Indian Land — Land held in trust by the federal government for a tribe or individual. Approval from the Bureau of Indian Affairs is generally required to sell or lease.
Revenue Statement — The detail accompanying your royalty check, showing well name, production volumes, prices, any deductions, and your decimal interest.
Right-of-Way / Easement — The right to use or cross someone else's surface for a specific purpose — pipelines, roadways, railroads, access to wells, etc. One important nuance: many older right-of-way conveyances, especially for railroads, actually conveyed the land itself (surface and sometimes minerals), not just the right to cross it. Even if the intent was to grant only a right-of-way, the language of the instrument may have effectively conveyed fee title. This has resulted in railroads and their successors owning significant mineral interests. A right-of-way and an easement are essentially the same concept.
Riparian Rights — Rights related to water and waterways on or adjacent to a property. Generally, the government controls riparian rights. Rivers and waterways can change course over time, which can affect property boundaries — an updated survey may be needed.
Rod — A unit of land measurement. One rod equals 16½ feet, or 5½ yards. There are 320 rods in a mile.
Royalty Interest — An ownership interest that entitles you to a share of production revenue without having to financially invest on your own. Think of it like a record deal — the label (operator) puts up the money, takes the risk, and you get your percentage off the top.
Royalty Owner — An owner who receives a share of production revenue without bearing any drilling or operating costs.
Royalty Payment — Your share of production revenue, typically paid monthly based on your decimal interest.
Royalty Rate — The percentage of production revenue you're entitled to under your lease. There's no single standard — rates vary depending on negotiation, the area, and the deal.
Saltwater Disposal Well (SWD) — A well specifically for disposing of produced water by injecting it underground into an approved formation. Different from an injection well used for enhanced recovery.
Sandstone — Sedimentary rock made of cemented sand grains. Some Oklahoma formations are sandstone reservoirs.
SCOOP (South Central Oklahoma Oil Province) — A major play in the Grady, Stephens, Garvin, and McClain county area targeting the Woodford Shale and Springer formation.
Section, Township, Range — The components of the Jeffersonian survey system used in Oklahoma. A section is one of 36 in a township, numbered 1 through 36. Sections are nominally 640 acres, but correction sections may vary. Township describes the north-south position, range describes east-west, and the meridian (Indian or Cimarron in Oklahoma) anchors the grid.
Separator — Surface equipment that separates produced fluids into oil, gas, and water.
Shale — Fine-grained sedimentary rock. Many Oklahoma plays target shale formations.
Shut-In — A well that is capable of producing but has been temporarily closed. The shut-in clause in your lease determines how long an operator can keep a well shut in without losing the lease. Older leases sometimes had open-ended shut-in language that allowed operators to hold leases for years without producing. Modern leases typically limit cumulative shut-in time to two years. This is one of those provisions that can really hurt you if the language isn't right.
Shut-In Royalty — A nominal payment made by the operator to keep a lease alive while a well is shut in and not producing. See shut-in.
Spacing Order — An OCC order establishing the size and shape of a drilling unit. The size is formation-specific — deeper formations generally require more acreage. Both vertical and horizontal wells can be on 640-acre spacing or other sizes depending on the formation.
Spud / Spud Date — The date drilling operations begin on a well. Some leases define this differently — it could mean when the bit actually enters the ground, or when operations commence at the site. How "spud" is defined in your lease matters, because some operators may begin site preparation and call that "drilling operations" to extend their timeline.
STACK (Sooner Trend Anadarko Basin Canadian and Kingfisher) — A play in Canadian, Kingfisher, and Blaine counties generally targeting the Meramec and Woodford formations.
Stipulation of Interest — An instrument that states what parties currently own. May be used to clarify ambiguous language, even out interests, or establish ownership for the record. Not a correction deed — it's a statement of current ownership.
Stratigraphic Column / Strat Chart — A diagram showing the vertical sequence of formations in a region, from shallowest to deepest.
Surface Damages — Compensation paid to the surface owner for damage caused by drilling operations. Oklahoma law (52 O.S. § 318.2–318.9) requires operators to negotiate or have damages assessed.
Surface Use Agreement — A contract between the surface owner and the operator governing how the surface will be used during drilling and production. This can also address water usage — operators may use water from the surface owner's aquifer for drilling or pit operations, and the surface use agreement may specify compensation per gallon or a set amount for that water. Surface damages and surface use agreements go hand in hand.
Suspense — When royalty payments are being held rather than paid out. Could be a title issue, missing address, unsigned division order, or other reasons. You can also request to be placed in suspense yourself — for example, if you don't agree to certain terms or there's pending litigation. If you're in suspense, it generally means something needs to be resolved before payments resume.
Tenants in Common — When two or more people each own a separate, undivided fractional interest in the same property. Unlike joint tenancy, there is no right of survivorship — each owner's share passes through their estate upon death.
Title Opinion — A formal legal opinion prepared by an attorney evaluating the state of title for a tract. There are different types: a drilling title opinion is done before the first well or first production, and a division order title opinion is used for payment purposes within certain formations. Title opinions can be limited — less and except existing wellbores, limited to certain formations — to make the examination more focused. The title opinion identifies what's marketable, what's defensible, what needs curative, and drives the curative process.
Top Lease — A lease taken on minerals that are currently under an existing lease. Not always effective when the current lease expires — it could be dated from a specific date, and the operator may file it a few months before their primary term ends. It's a way for companies to lock up acreage.
Total Depth (TD) — The deepest point reached by the drill bit, measured vertically. On a vertical well, this is straightforward.
Transfer of Operator (Form 1073) — An OCC filing when a new operator takes over responsibility for a well.
Transfer on Death Deed — A deed that transfers ownership of minerals (or other property) upon the owner's death, without going through probate. Unlike a life estate, the owner retains full fee ownership and executive rights during their lifetime. Upon death, the interest transfers to the specified beneficiary.
True Vertical Depth (TVD) — The vertical distance from the surface to a point in the well, as opposed to the measured depth along the wellbore path.
Unclaimed Property / Escheat — If royalty payments go uncashed or the operator can't find you, your money eventually gets turned over to the state. Oklahoma's unclaimed property office holds millions in uncashed royalty checks. You can search for yours at the state's unclaimed property website.
Unit Interest — Your ownership in a well or unit expressed as a decimal (e.g., 0.00390625). This is what appears on division orders and revenue statements. You can use this number to reverse-engineer the acreage the operator is showing for you in their records.
Unitization — Creating a unit by combining multiple tracts or spacing units, often for enhanced recovery operations or waterfloods.
Upstream — The exploration and production sector of the oil and gas industry.
Vertical Well — A well drilled straight down. Spacing and acreage depend on the target formation.
Warranty Deed — A deed where the grantor warrants and defends that they own what they're conveying. Important nuance: if you convey with warranty and later come into title, that interest may have already been effectively conveyed by the warranty. This is why warranty language matters in both deeds and leases — in a lease, if you strike the warranty provision and it turns out you didn't own, you might not be liable to return the bonus.
Waterflood — An enhanced recovery method where water is injected into the formation through injection wells to push oil toward producing wells. Waterflood units can span many sections and often involve older wells grouped together.
Well Log — A record of the formations encountered during drilling, measured along the depth of the wellbore.
Wellhead — The assembly of valves and fittings at the surface that controls flow from the well.
Woodford Shale — A prolific organic-rich shale formation and a major target in both SCOOP and STACK plays.
Working Interest — An ownership interest that bears a proportionate share of all drilling and operating costs in exchange for a share of production revenue after royalties and burdens (such as overriding royalties) are paid. The working interest side pays for everything — drilling, completion, maintenance, workovers.
Working Interest Owner — An owner who bears their share of costs and receives their share of revenue after royalties and burdens are paid.
Workover — Major well intervention to restore or improve production. Could involve cleaning out the wellbore, replacing equipment, or other downhole work.
Workover Rig — A smaller rig brought in for well maintenance, recompletions, or other downhole work after the original drilling rig has left.
Basic OCC Form Quick Reference:
- Form 1000 — Intent to Drill
- Form 1001A — Notice of Spud
- Form 1002A — Completion / Recompletion Report
- Form 1003 — Plugging Record
- Form 1073 — Transfer of Operator
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