How to Lease Your Land For A Siesmic Or Seismograph Survey
If you are a landowner you may be approached by an oil and gas seismic surveying company who wants to do a survey of your land. Here are some options that you have.
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Instructions
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Learn what is involved with seismic surveying before consenting to lease your land to be surveyed. For the most part seismic surveying will do no harm, but could cause some damage to water wells located near areas where charges will be set up or vibrating machines operate. With oil and natural gas in demand, oil and gas companies are ordering more and more seismic surveys of areas where they suspect holds the prospect of being productive.
Regardless of whether you have the mineral rights or not you are entitled to compensation for access and damages to your property.
The seismograph company will offer you an amount per acre for doing the survey on your land. If you are a farmer and have crops planted, the damage can be extensive since they will use ATV's and trucks to lay out cables and set up seismograph stations at locations around your property. -
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Negotiate the amount compensation for surface damages since each piece of property is different and since different crops have different values. Talk to fellow property owners with similar crops and see what they have been paid. Calculate your yield per acre and the profit you make from that yield and how much labor and fuel you have into the crop. Get specifics on how much right of way they will damage and figure this up in acres and use this in your negotiations.
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Get something more out of the deal. When leasing your land for a seismic survey for oil or natural gas you can negotiate into the contract that they build gates and shred brush and weeds for a specified width along the paths of the seismic cable.
In addition you can specify in exact terms how you want your fences repaired, with new wire and posts if necessary, after they are cut by the seismic company. Adding in specific value amounts for livestock lost due to down fences can be a good idea as well.
For most deals with geophysical companies you won't need a lawyer, however for large tracts of land it may be a good idea to consult a qualified real estate attorney.
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