The proceeds derived from the sale of oil or gas production from an oil or gas well located in this state must be paid to each payee by payor on or before 120 days after the end of the month of first sale of production from the well. After that time, payments must be made to each payee on a timely basis according to the frequency of payment specified in a lease or other written agreement between payee and payor. If the lease or other agreement does not specify the time for payment, subsequent proceeds must be paid no later than:
has sold or authorized the sale of its share of the oil or gas to the purchaser of such production; or
a requirement in a title opinion that places in issue the title, identity, or whereabouts of the payee and that has not been satisfied by the payee after a reasonable request for curative information has been made by the payor; or
the payments are subject to a child support lien under Chapter 157 (Enforcement), Family Code, or an order or writ of withholding issued under Chapter 158 (Withholding from Earnings for Child Support), Family Code.
A payee does not have a common law cause of action for breach of contract against a payor for withholding payments under Subsection (b) unless, for a dispute concerning the title, the contract requiring payment specifies otherwise.
(1) As a condition for the payment of proceeds from the sale of oil and gas production to payee, a payor shall be entitled to receive a signed division order from payee containing only the following provisions:
a description of the property from which the oil or gas is being produced and the type of production;
the fractional and/or decimal interest in production claimed by payee, the type of interest, the certification of title to the share of production claimed, and, unless otherwise agreed to by the parties, an agreement to notify payor at least one month in advance of the effective date of any change in the interest in production owned by payee and an agreement to indemnify the payor and reimburse the payor for payments made if the payee does not have merchantable title to the production sold;
the authorization to suspend payment to payee for production until the resolution of any title dispute or adverse claim asserted regarding the interest in production claimed by payee;
a notification to the payee that other statutory rights may be available to a payee with regard to payments.
Such a division order does not amend any lease or operating agreement between the interest owner and the lessee or operator or any other contracts for the purchase of oil or gas.
In the alternative, the provisions of Subsection (c) of this section may be satisfied by a division order for oil payments in substantially the following form and content: The undersigned severally and not jointly certifies it is the legal owner of the interest set out below of all the oil and related liquid hydrocarbons produced from the property described below: Property name: Legal Description: DIVISION OF INTEREST THIS AGREEMENT DOES NOT AMEND ANY LEASE OR OPERATING AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE INTEREST OWNERS AND THE LESSEE OR OPERATOR OR ANY OTHER CONTRACTS FOR THE PURCHASE OF OIL OR GAS. The following provisions apply to each interest owner (“owner”) who executes this agreement: TERMS OF SALE: The undersigned will be paid in accordance with the division of interests set out above. The payor shall pay all parties at the price agreed to by the operator for oil to be sold pursuant to this division order. Purchaser shall compute quantity and make corrections for gravity and temperature and make deductions for impurities. PAYMENT: From the effective date, payment is to be made monthly by payor’s check, based on this division of interest, for oil run during the preceding calendar month from the property listed above, less taxes required by law to be deducted and remitted by payor as purchaser. Payments of less than $100 may be accrued before disbursement until the total amount equals $100 or more, or until 12 months’ proceeds accumulate, whichever occurs first. However, the payor may hold accumulated proceeds of less than $10 until production ceases or the payor’s responsibility for making payment for production ceases, whichever occurs first. Payee agrees to refund to payor any amounts attributable to an interest or part of an interest that payee does not own. INDEMNITY: The owner agrees to indemnify and hold payor harmless from all liability resulting from payments made to the owner in accordance with such division of interest, including but not limited to attorney fees or judgments in connection with any suit that affects the owner’s interest to which payor is made a party. DISPUTE; WITHHOLDING OF FUNDS: If a suit is filed that affects the interest of the owner, written notice shall be given to payor by the owner together with a copy of the complaint or petition filed. In the event of a claim or dispute that affects title to the division of interest credited herein, payor is authorized to withhold payments accruing to such interest, without interest unless otherwise required by applicable statute, until the claim or dispute is settled. TERMINATION: Termination of this agreement is effective on the first day of the month that begins after the 30th day after the date written notice of termination is received by either party. NOTICES: The owner agrees to notify payor in writing of any change in the division of interest, including changes of interest contingent on payment of money or expiration of time. No change of interest is binding on payor until the recorded copy of the instrument of change or documents satisfactorily evidencing such change are furnished to payor at the time the change occurs. Any change of interest shall be made effective on the first day of the month following receipt of such notice by payor. Any correspondence regarding this agreement shall be furnished to the addresses listed unless otherwise advised by either party. In addition to the legal rights provided by the terms and provisions of this division order, an owner may have certain statutory rights under the laws of this state. Failure to furnish your Social Security/Tax I.D. number will result in withholding tax in accordance with federal law, and any tax withheld will not be refundable by payor.
If an owner in a producing property will not sign a division order because it contains provisions in addition to those provisions provided for in this section, payor shall not withhold payment solely because of such refusal. If an owner in a producing property refuses to sign a division order which includes only the provisions specified in Subsection (c) of this section, payor may withhold payment without interest until such division order is signed.
Payment may be remitted to a payee annually for the aggregate of up to 12 months’ accumulation of proceeds if the payor owes the payee a total amount of $100 or less for production from all oil or gas wells for which the payor must pay the payee. However, the payor may hold accumulated proceeds of less than $10 until production ceases or the payor’s responsibility for making payment for production ceases, whichever occurs first. On the written request of the payee, the payor shall remit payment of accumulated proceeds to the payee annually if the payor owes the payee less than $10. On the written request of the payee, the payor shall remit payment of proceeds to the payee monthly if the payor owes the payee more than $25 but less than $100.
Division orders are binding for the time and to the extent that they have been acted on and made the basis of settlements and payments, and, from the time that notice is given that settlements will not be made on the basis provided in them, they cease to be binding. Division orders are terminable by either party on 30 days written notice.
The execution of a division order between a royalty owner and lessee or between a royalty owner and a party other than lessee shall not change or relieve the lessee’s specific, expressed or implied obligations under an oil and gas lease, including any obligation to market production as a reasonably prudent lessee. Any provision of a division order between payee and its lessee which is in contradiction with any provision of an oil and gas lease is invalid to the extent of the contradiction.
A division order may be used to clarify royalty settlement terms in the oil and gas lease. With respect to oil and/or gas sold in the field where produced or at a gathering point in the immediate vicinity, the terms “market value,” “market price,” “prevailing price in the field,” or other such language, when used as a basis of valuation in the oil and gas lease, shall be defined as the amount realized at the mouth of the well by the seller of such production in an arm’s-length transaction. Added by Acts 1983, 68th Leg., p. 966, ch. 228, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1983. Amended by Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 650, Sec. 2, eff. Aug. 26, 1991; Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 681, Sec. 1, eff. June 15, 1995. Amended by: Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 961 (S.B. 1965), Sec. 4, eff. September 1, 2017. Acts 2021, 87th Leg., R.S., Ch. 101 (S.B. 1259), Sec. 1, eff. May 24, 2021.