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Mineral Rights

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MightyMoe
(@mightymoe)
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A client of mine wanted to trade occupied lands along a fence line. The fence cuts off lands either side of a high ridge line it runs along. So a BLA was needed and the other ranch wanted to use a surveyor that did work for them so he did the BLA survey. 

That was last summer, and my client just called me yesterday wanting to see if I wanted to finish the BLA. Seems there was a block in the transfers because the ranch didn't want to transfer mineral rights. It's fairly common that grantors reserve minerals. However, with a BLA not so much it doesn't make much sense. So for five months there was a back and forth between my client and the ranch over minerals and it stopped the BLA from preceding, yesterday was the first I've heard about it. 

I decided to look into it a bit, called up the MT plat. No one has any minerals in that area, it's all feds. 

First thing I do is I look up the MT plats when I work in that type of area, it's really important for a number of reasons when doing surveys in this part of the country. 

Five months of negotiations for nothing. 

 
Posted : January 15, 2025 9:23 am
jimcox
(@jimcox)
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@mightymoe Better negotiation than litigation

 
Posted : January 15, 2025 2:04 pm
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MightyMoe
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Posted by: @jimcox

@mightymoe Better negotiation than litigation

That's my fear, litigation over this, the landowners can't seem to get along. 

 

 

 
Posted : January 15, 2025 2:23 pm
peter-lothian
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What is "MT plat"? Mineral Transfer?

 
Posted : January 16, 2025 8:34 am
Williwaw
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Posted by: @peter-lothian

What is "MT plat"? Mineral Transfer?

Master Title Plat? aka MTP? Sort of an index of past federal conveyances. No doubt I will get schooled here if I'm wrong. Probably not as familiar to East coasters as there's so little by way of federal land there.

 

Just because I'm paranoid, doesn't mean they aren't out to get me.

 
Posted : January 16, 2025 11:09 am

MightyMoe
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Yes, Master Title Plat, there is a bunch of good info on them since the feds have tentacles everywhere I tend to work.

 Also, I will look at the OG (Oil and Gas) Plats which have more information usually and don't forget the Historical Index. 

The Historical Index might have useful information. 

And of course patents are very important when tracing land back in time. 

We were recently having an issue with a county road access. The feds told my client that the "County Road" crossing their parcel wasn't valid. However, when pulling up the MT Plat, it shows a 30' wide road easement lying north of the Federal land south boundary; where the county road is. So, they backed off. 

 

 

 
Posted : January 16, 2025 11:34 am
peter-lothian
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If the Feds have any Master Title Plats covering lands in the eastern states, I wouldn't even know where to look for one. All Federal property was either purchased or taken by eminent domain and the deeds are in the appropriate registries.

 
Posted : January 16, 2025 1:39 pm
MightyMoe
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Posted by: @peter-lothian

If the Feds have any Master Title Plats covering lands in the eastern states, I wouldn't even know where to look for one. All Federal property was either purchased or taken by eminent domain and the deeds are in the appropriate registries.

 

I will say while researching items in their database it asks for a State name then a Township-Range to narrow the location down, and I've seen many of the original 13 pop up under the state pull down. I can't think of how you would find your location but there is info in there.

 

 
Posted : January 16, 2025 2:28 pm
(@monte-king)
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Eastern States does not have MTPs. They are still using the original tract books even in PLSS states. I think there was an effort to produce MTPs but I don't think it went anywhere.

The colonial states in dropdown typically pertain to resurveys in those specific states. Massachusetts has a total of 4 groups. I executed 3 and 4 in 2015-16. In comparison here in Idaho we are at Group 1625 or so. Each group pertains to an individual resurvey.

 
Posted : January 16, 2025 3:53 pm