A surface use agreement: setting the rules on the ground
A surface use agreement is a contract between the surface owner and an operator about how wells, roads, pipelines and water use will work on the land. It often sits alongside a lease that the surface owner did not sign.
What it does
When the minerals and the surface belong to different people, the lease may say little about the surface. A surface use agreement fills that gap: where things go, what is paid, what gets restored and who to call.
Read for locations on a map, sizes of pads and roads, fences and gates, cattle guards, water use, produced water, noise and lights near a house, and reclamation when operations end.
What we mark on a review sheet
Normal
- A map showing pad, road and pipeline locations.
- Damage payments and a reclamation plan.
Missing
- Notice before new work, and a named contact.
- What happens with later wells or added pipelines.
- Produced water, disposal wells and dust control.
Ask about
- Open-ended rights to add pads or roads anywhere on the land.
- A release of all future damage claims for a single payment.
Questions to ask the company
- Will you attach a map of every pad, road and pipeline, and agree that new locations need my written consent?
- How are damages paid for later wells and lines?
- What will reclamation look like when you are done, and when will it happen?
Common questions
What is a surface use agreement?
A contract between a surface owner and an operator setting where wells, roads and pipelines go, what is paid, and how the land is restored.
Do I need a surface use agreement if I do not own the minerals?
It is often the main way a surface owner sets locations, payments and restoration. The lease between the mineral owner and the company may not cover them.
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.