Sell mineral rights in Michigan

Where Michigan mineral rights buyers are most active

Most Antrim Shale gas comes from Antrim, Crawford, Montmorency, Oscoda and Otsego counties, and the densest cluster of wells sits in Antrim, Kalkaska, Otsego and Crawford counties in the northwestern Lower Peninsula. The Antrim gas accumulation extends across parts of six counties in the northern Michigan Basin, and the Niagaran pinnacle reef trend that crosses northern Michigan lies directly under large areas of it (USGS). That overlap is why one tract of Michigan mineral rights can carry both shallow gas wells and deeper reef oil wells.

Antrim wells are vertical gas wells that produce water along with gas for decades at low rates. Niagaran reef wells are conventional oil wells drilled into small, isolated reefs, so one reef can be a strong producer while the next section has nothing. The 1970s reef boom set the state's oil record: 29 million of the 35 million barrels produced in the peak year of 1979 came from reefs (EIA, 2025). Output was about 4.5 million barrels in 2024, and gas production fell from nearly 312 billion cubic feet in 1997 to 68 billion cubic feet in 2023 (EIA, 2025).

What buyers check before a Michigan mineral rights offer

Mineral rights buyers start with the state's well records. The Geologic Resources Management Division of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) regulates oil and gas wells and publishes well locations, permits and production data through its GeoWebFace map and DataMiner records tool. A buyer will pull your wells, their status, the operator and the monthly production history before pricing Michigan mineral rights.

For producing Antrim gas, buyers look at the decline curve and the gas price, because Antrim wells are long-lived but low-volume. For Niagaran reef oil, they look at how much of the reef has already been produced and whether a nearby reef is still being drilled. For non-producing acreage they check how close you are to the active trend and whether a lease is in place. Michigan also has the largest underground natural gas storage capacity in the nation, with 44 storage fields (EIA, 2025), so some northern tracts earn storage rental rather than royalty, and buyers price those differently.

Michigan mineral rights records and the dormant minerals act

Michigan's dormant minerals act matters more here than in most states. Under MCL 554.291, a severed oil and gas interest is treated as abandoned if, for 20 years, it has not been sold, leased, mortgaged or transferred by a recorded instrument, no drilling permit was issued for it, no oil or gas was produced from it or from land pooled with it, it was not used for gas storage, and no claim of interest was recorded. An abandoned interest vests in the surface owner. Severed Michigan mineral rights that have sat untouched for decades can therefore belong to someone else by the time an heir tries to sell them.

Under MCL 554.292, you keep an interest alive by recording a notice of claim of interest with the register of deeds in the county where the land is located. The notice is verified under oath, describes the land and the interest, gives your name and address, and states that you intend to keep the interest. Deeds, leases and royalty assignments for Michigan mineral rights are recorded in the same county register of deeds office, so buyers run title there and compare the chain of title against the 20-year test before they close.

If your family's interest has no recorded activity in the last 20 years, talk to a Michigan oil and gas attorney before you ask for offers. A claim of interest filed in time is cheap. A sale of mineral rights that have already vested in the surface owner is not a sale at all.

Selling Michigan mineral rights: leases, royalties and closing

To sell mineral rights in Michigan, gather your deed or the probate record that gave you the interest, any lease, and your last 12 months of royalty statements. The statements show the well names, the operator and your decimal interest, which is what buyers check against EGLE production records. If you own only a royalty interest, say so; it prices differently from full mineral rights with leasing rights.

Offers from independent buyers can differ widely for the same Michigan mineral rights, because each buyer has a different view of gas prices and reef drilling. Collect several written mineral rights offers, compare them against your real royalty income, and ask a tax professional how the sale will be taxed before you sign. Closing is a recorded mineral rights deed, payment, and a change of payee with the operator.

How to get offers for Michigan 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 Michigan. 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.