Sell Mineral Rights in Michigan

If terms like division order and decimal interest are unfamiliar, start here: this lesson teaches the Michigan sale process one glossary term at a time, in the order you'll need them.

Michigan's mineral owners are concentrated around the Antrim Shale, a gas play across the northern Lower Peninsula in counties like Otsego, Antrim, and Grand Traverse. Antrim wells were drilled in large numbers in the 1980s and 1990s and many are still producing today, decades later, at low and very stable volumes, which is one reason Michigan interests read differently than newer shale plays.

Selling one means learning a short list of terms, so this lesson works through them in order, from finding your deed to closing the sale.

Term: deed, and where to find yours

Your deed is the document that first established your mineral ownership, either through a purchase or a reservation when the surface was sold separately. In Michigan, deeds are recorded with the register of deeds in the county where the property sits, and that office's index is where you start if your own copy is missing.

Antrim Shale ownership frequently passed through several generations of the same family, so don't be surprised if the recorded deed is in a grandparent's or great-grandparent's name.

Term: decimal interest, and how to confirm yours

Your decimal interest is the fraction of a well or unit's production revenue that belongs to you. Antrim wells are commonly grouped into drilling units under state spacing rules, so your check reflects a share of that unit rather than one specific well, and confirming the exact decimal figure from a division order keeps later steps accurate.

If several heirs split an original interest, your individual share may be smaller than the family's original interest, so verify your own number rather than assuming an even split.

Term: division order, your production evidence

A division order is the document an operator issues confirming your decimal interest and directing payment. Request one if you don't have a recent copy, and pull twelve to twenty-four months of statements alongside it. Antrim wells decline slowly compared to modern shale wells, so a longer history shows a buyer the well's real trend rather than one unusually strong or weak month.

If your interest isn't currently producing, note any nearby active wells instead, since undeveloped Antrim-area minerals are valued largely on proximity to production that's still ongoing.

Term: offer, and how to read one

An offer is a buyer's proposed purchase price, and in Michigan that number should reflect current market conditions for natural gas along with your unit's specific production history rather than arrive as a flat guaranteed figure. Request offers from more than one buyer and ask each to explain their reasoning.

Compare the net amount after any fees, and confirm precisely what's being purchased, your full decimal interest or a portion of it.

Term: closing, the last step

Closing means signing the mineral deed and having it recorded with the register of deeds in the county where the property sits. The buyer usually manages that filing and notifies the operator of record so future payments route correctly, and keeping your own recorded copy closes out the process.