Sell mineral rights in California

Where buyers are most active in California

Kern County is the center of the California mineral rights market. Its San Joaquin Basin fields produced about 73% of the state's oil and 79% of its gas in 2023 (CalGEM, 2023), and the Bureau of Land Management notes that four of the nation's top seven producing oil fields sit in the county. Fresno County, to the north in the same basin, produced 5.1 million barrels. These are mature fields worked with conventional and steam-assisted wells rather than horizontal shale wells, so royalties tend to be steady rather than fast-growing.

The Los Angeles Basin is the second market. Los Angeles County produced 8.7 million barrels onshore and a further 4.8 million offshore in 2023, and Orange County 2.2 million (CalGEM, 2023). Ventura County produced 4.9 million barrels, Monterey County 4.1 million, Santa Barbara County 2.4 million and San Luis Obispo County about 575,000. Mineral rights under urban fields come with more regulatory risk than rural acreage, and buyers price that in.

The Sacramento Basin is gas country. Sutter, Sacramento, Glenn, Colusa and Solano counties each produced between 1.0 and 2.6 million mcf of gas in 2023 with little or no oil (CalGEM, 2023). Statewide crude output was 105.2 million barrels in 2025 (EIA, 2025), continuing a long decline. Gas-only mineral rights here get offers, but they are small.

What buyers check before a California mineral rights offer

Buyers start with CalGEM, the division of the Department of Conservation that regulates oil, gas and geothermal operations. Its Well Finder map shows every well with its status and history, and WellSTAR holds the permit and production records. Any buyer can see which wells sit on your tract, whether they are active, idle or plugged, and what the field has produced. Idle wells matter: a field full of them tells a buyer the operator may not drill again.

Drilling policy is the second check, and California is unusual here. Senate Bill 1137 created a 3,200-foot health protection zone around homes, schools and hospitals, and since June 28, 2024 CalGEM has not approved new well permits inside those zones (CalGEM). Senate Bill 237, enacted in 2025, allows CalGEM to approve up to 2,000 new well permits a year in Kern County under the county's environmental review through 2036 (CalGEM). Mineral rights in rural Kern County have a drilling outlook; minerals under a Los Angeles neighborhood mostly do not.

Ownership is the third. Federal production is about 8% to 10% of the state total, and more than 95% of federal drilling is in Kern County (BLM). Most California mineral rights in producing areas are privately owned, so buyers verify your net mineral acres and decimal interest against recorded deeds and the operator's division order.

California mineral rights records and ownership

Mineral deeds, royalty deeds and leases are recorded with the county recorder where the land lies, and a buyer traces title from the last recorded deed to you. Inherited California mineral rights often sit in a grandparent's name; the buyer will ask for the probate order or affidavit that connects you to that owner.

California has a dormant mineral rights law that owners of non-producing minerals need to know. Under Civil Code section 883.220, a mineral right is dormant if, for the 20 years before a termination action is filed, there has been no production or exploration, no separate property tax assessment paid on it, and no recorded instrument creating, reserving or transferring it. The owner can protect the interest at any time by recording a notice of intent to preserve the mineral right (Civil Code section 883.230). If your family has held unleased California mineral rights for decades without recording anything, record that notice before you sell or hold.

Producing mineral rights are valued on months of royalty income and the field's drilling outlook. Non-producing mineral rights are valued on net mineral acres and whether any operator could still permit a well there. Your royalty statements and division order are the quickest proof of what you own.

Selling California mineral rights: leases, closing and taxes

Closing means recording a mineral or royalty deed with the county recorder. An existing lease stays in force and the buyer steps into your royalty. Unleased acreage passes with the right to lease, though in California that right is worth less where new permits are restricted.

California taxes personal income (Franchise Tax Board, 2025 tax year), and the gain on a sale is taxable. Ask a tax professional how a lump sum compares with continuing royalty income taxed as ordinary income, and whether a stepped-up basis applies to inherited mineral rights.

To sell mineral rights in California through this site, tell us the county, the field or well name if you know it, and your most recent royalty amount. We pass it to up to three independent buyers active in that county. They make offers, you compare, and you can accept one or keep your mineral rights. You pay nothing.

How to get offers for California mineral rights

Tell us your county and what you own. We send your request to up to 3 buyers who purchase in that part of California. They review the public records and contact you with offers, and you choose whether to sell, sell part, or keep.

Last reviewed October 13, 2026. This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Facts come from the official sources listed above; confirm anything that matters to your sale with a qualified professional.