Updated June 29, 2026 When gas company operations affect water on a Pennsylvania property, the issue can be far more serious than an ordinary surface-damage claim. Water is essential to a home, farm, business, livestock operation, recreational property, and long-term land value. If a private water well, spring, pond, stream, wet area, drainage feature, or… Read more »
Posts Tagged: Gas Lease
Pennsylvania Damage Releases: What Landowners Should Know Before Signing Away Oil and Gas Claims
Updated June 16, 2026 Pennsylvania landowners are often asked to sign documents called Damage Releases, Settlement Agreements, Release Agreements, Waivers, or similar forms after oil and gas activity affects their property. The document may be presented after damage occurs. It may also be presented before work begins, as part of a Well Pad Agreement, Roadway… Read more »
Pennsylvania Reclamation Issues: What Landowners Should Know After Gas Company Operations
Updated June 22, 2026 When a gas company, pipeline company, or contractor finishes work on a Pennsylvania landowner’s property, the landowner may expect the property to be returned to the condition promised in the lease, addendum, surface use agreement, well pad agreement, roadway agreement, or other written contract. Unfortunately, that does not always happen. Reclamation… Read more »
Pennsylvania Roadway and Access Road Agreements: What Landowners Should Know Before Signing
When a gas company wants to build, improve, or use a road across a Pennsylvania landowner’s property, the company may present a Roadway Agreement, Access Road Agreement, Roadway Easement Agreement, Temporary Road Agreement, or similar document. The agreement may sound simple. The landman may explain that the company only needs a road to reach a… Read more »
What Pennsylvania Landowners Should Know Before Signing a Surface Use Agreement
When a gas company wants to use the surface of a Pennsylvania landowner’s property, the company may present a document called a Surface Use Agreement. This agreement may involve a well pad, access road, water line, pipeline, impoundment, above-ground facility, meter station, valve site, staging area, or other surface operation. In many cases, the surface… Read more »
What Pennsylvania Landowners Should Know About Unit Declarations, Unitization, and Pooled Acreage
Many Pennsylvania landowners sign oil and gas leases without fully understanding one of the most important concepts in modern shale development: Unitization and pooled acreage. Years later, the landowner may suddenly receive: At that point, many landowners realize they are unsure: These issues can have enormous financial and legal consequences. What Is Unitization or Pooling?… Read more »
Can a Pennsylvania Oil and Gas Lease Expire? What Landowners Need to Know About “Held by Production” Claims
When a Pennsylvania landowner signs an oil and gas lease, the lease usually includes a primary term and a secondary term. The primary term is the initial period during which the gas company has the right to explore, drill, pool, unitize, or otherwise take action to preserve the lease. The secondary term is the period… Read more »
PA Gas Lease Extension, Ratification or Amendment: What to Do
When a Pennsylvania landowner is contacted by a gas company years after signing an oil and gas lease, the request often comes in the form of a lease extension, ratification, or amendment. These documents are frequently presented as routine or administrative. In many cases, they are anything but. In reality, when a company reaches out… Read more »
Pennsylvania Oil and Gas Lease Addendum: 10 Clauses to Demand
When a Pennsylvania landowner receives an oil and gas lease, the first instinct is often to focus on the bonus payment and royalty percentage. Those numbers matter, but they are only part of the story. In many cases, the most important protections in the entire transaction are found in the lease addendum. The addendum is… Read more »
PUGH Clauses in Pennsylvania Oil & Gas Leases: How to Prevent Companies from Holding Your Entire Property
One of the most important—and most overlooked—provisions in a Pennsylvania oil and gas lease is the PUGH clause. Without it, a gas company can drill a single well on a small portion of your property and use that well to hold your entire acreage under lease indefinitely, even if the vast majority of your land… Read more »
