A ratification: confirming a lease or unit
A ratification is a short document asking you to confirm, adopt or agree to an existing lease or pooled unit. Companies ask for one when a lease has a defect, a new owner has come into the title, or a unit needs every owner on board.
What it does
It often arrives with little explanation and looks like routine paperwork. It is more than that. Words such as "ratify, adopt and confirm" or "grant, lease and let" can bind you to the whole lease, and in some cases can bring back a lease that had already ended.
Read what exactly is being confirmed: one named lease, one unit, or "any lease" covering your land. Ask whether the underlying lease is still in force before you sign.
What we mark on a review sheet
Normal
- A ratification limited to a named lease or unit, with its recording details.
- A stated reason, such as a new heir in the title or a unit correction.
Missing
- A copy of the lease or unit being ratified.
- Any payment, when the ratification gives the company something it did not have.
Ask about
- Granting words that lease your land again.
- Wording that covers every lease or unit, not just the one named.
- A ratification of a lease that may have expired.
Questions to ask the company
- What is this ratification for, and what happens if I do not sign it?
- Please send a copy of the lease or unit designation I am being asked to confirm.
- Is that lease still in force, and is there any payment for signing?
Common questions
What is a ratification of an oil and gas lease?
A document confirming an existing lease or unit. It can bind you to every term of that lease, so read what it covers before signing.
Can a ratification revive an expired lease?
Broad wording has been read that way in some cases. Ask whether the lease is still in force, and keep the ratification to the named lease or unit.
Send it before you sign
Tell us what you got and what you want to know. We reply by email and tell you how to send the pages. A landman reads them and sends back a one-page review sheet.
Email hello@landman.review with what you got and your question, or call (307) 263-8515.