Within the oil and gas industry, oil and gas exploration companies are often referred to as operators or producers. The Operator of an oil gas well is the entity responsible for drilling wells and the ongoing maintenance of the producing well.
Usually the operator is the same company that pays out the royalty checks, but this isn’t always true. Sometimes operators outsource this to a different company who takes the oil and gas to market for the operator and handles the royalty payments. This is why we generally use the word “Producer” when describing the entity responsible for paying royalty checks to mineral owners.
To understand exactly who you need to contact it’s best to look at your revenue statement for your royalty payments. The oil company listed on the check is most likely the company you need to contact. If you aren’t receiving royalties yet, then check the name on your division order or your oil and gas lease. Some companies are a lot easier to contact than others and response times can vary between companies as well.
When communicating with mineral owners, producers often use the phrase “owner relations” to describe this part of their business. When searching for your producer contact information, if you find an “owner relations” email or phone number that’s usually the best place to start.
To help you out contact your oil and gas company, we’ve created a directory for you to search for the contact information by state where your wells are located. If you’re unsure of your oil and gas company, look at your revenue check. If you don’t have revenue checks, look at your oil and gas lease or your division order.
How do I update my address with my oil and gas company
Updating your address with your oil and gas producer is a fairly simple process. Most of the time you’ll fill out a standard form with some information they need to make the update in their records.
If you’re set up on direct deposit for your revenue disbursements, you still need to update your address with the oil company. For example, tax documents such as 1099’s will still be mailed to you. Also, any new wells will have new division orders that will be mailed and you certainly don’t want to miss out on the new wells.
Some producers only require your owner number, old address, and new address. However, most producers require additional information to process your address change request such as a taxpayer ID or a social security number.
These requests are usually required to be received in writing and must be signed by the owner(s) of the oil or gas interests.
Some of the more forward-thinking oil and gas companies have embraced technology and have a digital form available with an electronic signature. As you can imagine, this is better for everyone involved as it takes away the hassle of printing, scanning and manual data entry. It also reduces the chance of human error.
*Pro Tip* When you contact your producer, this could be a good opportunity to see if they offer direct deposit and email distribution of your revenue checks. These can help minimize the effort involved with managing your royalty payments.
I need to update my ownership name with my oil and gas company
There are a few common scenarios when you’ll need to update your ownership information with the oil company. For the most part, the oil companies are going to let the counties sort out the ownership change and then ask for copies of the documents proving the change was recorded. However, this isn’t always true.
Personal name change
Here are a few common scenarios for updating your personal name with your producer and the documentation that is commonly needed. For each of these, you’ll need to make sure you provide a new W9 Form to your operator for tax purposes.
Marriage: Provide a copy of your marriage certificate recorded with the county.
Divorce: Provide a copy of the divorce decree reinstating the maiden name or the prior name. Also a copy of the final order/decree evidencing the distribution of assets and copies of any conveyance documents with the courthouse.
Personal: If you’ve changed your personal name for a different reason then provide a copy to your producer evidencing the name change from the county. If you’re like Prince and changed your name to a sign, I’m not sure how to help with that.
Name change from a purchase or sale of mineral rights
Provide a copy of the recorded conveyance with the county to show evidence that the property changed ownership. Also, make sure to provide a new W9 form for tax purposes. For the conveyance document, this is usually a deed.
Name change to a trust or partnership
Creation of a trust or partnership: Provide a copy of the conveyance document with the county or parish evidencing the transfer of ownership to the Trust or Partnership.
Change of the trustee from death: Provide a copy of the death certificate, a copy evidencing the Successor Trustee from the county or parish and a copy of the Trust Agreement.
Change of the trustee from resignation: Provide a copy with the county evidencing the Trustee resignation, a copy evidencing the Successor Trustee, and a copy of the Trust Agreement.
Company name change
Entity name change: Provide a certificate from the county evidencing the name change
Merger/Name Change: Provide a certificate of merger
Contact your oil and gas company
We’ve made searching for oil and gas companies simple through the button above.
For a list of the top ten oil and gas companies based on energy production for a few key states, there are some quick options below. These lists contain the top 10 list by state for barrels of oil equivalent (BOE) production. This calculation is based on crude oil production plus the natural gas production measured in thousands of cubic feet (mcf) divided by 6. Dividing natural gas production by 6 gives an approximate energy equivalent to 1 barrel of oil production. Keep in mind that in today’s market 1 barrel of oil is trading for a substantially higher price than 6 MCF of natural gas despite the same approximate amount of energy potential.
Top ten oil and gas producers in Texas
Top ten oil and gas producers in New Mexico
Top ten oil and gas producers in North Dakota