Land brokerage and land services
Oil and gas title work you can hand to your attorney.
We research county records and build runsheets, abstracts, curative files and image sets for oil and gas land projects. We use modern technology, work with hundreds of landmen around the country, and take on the title files that are hard. You get a packet that is organized, indexed and easy to check.
What we specialize in
More about how we workThree things shape most of our projects.
Technology
We use modern technology, including AI, on the repetitive parts of land work: reading documents, making imaged records searchable, keeping runsheets consistent and running quality checks. A person reviews the work before it goes out.
How we use itScale
We work with hundreds of landmen around the country. They are contract landmen, so we can put the right people in the right counties and finish a project on a deadline.
How we staff projectsComplex title and curative
We take on the hard files: gaps in the chain, missing probates, old mortgages that were never released, and names that do not match. Then we do the curative work to clear them.
Read about curative
Land services and title work
All servicesTitle research
Runsheets, mineral ownership reports, cursory title and bring-downs.
Read moreAbstracting
Full, supplemental and sovereignty abstracts, plus heirship and probate research.
Read moreTitle opinion support
We build the packet. The client's attorney writes the opinion.
Read moreCurative
Tracking each title requirement to closure, with drafts for your attorney to review.
Read moreDocument imaging
Courthouse imaging, scanning, indexing and retrieval, delivered the way you file.
Read moreLease acquisition support
Take-offs, lease checks, lease and deed preparation, and recording.
Read moreDue diligence
Document review, ownership checks and data room preparation for acquisitions.
Read moreMineral title research
Who owns the minerals in a tract, what was reserved, and which leases are of record.
Read moreOil and gas title work
Runsheets, ownership and requirements for drilling units and division orders.
Read more
What a runsheet looks like
Full sampleMade-up example data
A trimmed version of our sample. The parties and tract are invented. Green rows are conveyances. Orange rows are not.
- Green row: the instrument conveys an interest (Conveyance = Yes)
- Orange row: it does not (Conveyance = No)
| Rec. Date | Instrument Type | Grantor | Grantee | Conveyance | Reservation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 03/21/1934 | Warranty Deed | Elias R. Whitcombe | Harlan T. Vance | Yes | Yes |
| 04/10/1951 | Oil and Gas Lease | Harlan T. Vance | Prairie Dog Drilling Co. | No | No |
| 05/20/1957 | Release of Oil and Gas Lease | Prairie Dog Drilling Co. | Harlan T. Vance | No | No |
| 06/01/1972 | Decree of Heirship | Estate of Elias R. Whitcombe | Margaret W. Alder (1/2); Thomas E. Whitcombe (1/2) | Yes | No |
| 08/27/1979 | Mineral Deed | Thomas E. Whitcombe | Marlow Creek Minerals LLC | Yes | No |
| 02/16/1988 | Warranty Deed | Harlan T. Vance | Pine Hollow Farms LLC | Yes | Yes |
How it works
The detailsSend a scope
The county, legal description, how far back, what you need and when.
We confirm
We reply with the scope and a date, and flag anything unclear.
We research
We search the county records and image the instruments.
You get the packet
A runsheet, images and an index that match, plus notes on anything that needs attention.
What we do not do
- Write title opinions or give legal advice. We build the packet. The client's attorney writes the opinion.
- Insure or guarantee title. Our work reports what is of record. It is not title insurance.
- Report what is not of record. Unrecorded deeds, possession, boundary and survey questions, and anything the county does not hold are outside a records search.
- Value property or advise on a deal. We report what the documents say. The decision is yours.
Counties
All countiesOur county notes so far cover Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, Oklahoma and Texas. Our services include land work in Montana. If your county is not listed, send it with the legal description and we will tell you what we can do.
- Weld County, CORecorded documents from 1865 to the present, searchable online.
- Williams County, NDDeed, mortgage and tract index records digitized from patent to present.
- Canadian County, OKLand records indexed by name from 1987 and by name and legal description from 1989.
- Karnes County, TXTwo online systems: one for 1854 to 2003, another for June 2003 to present.
- Reeves County, TXCounty Clerk keeps the Official Public Records, with land records online.
- Richland County, MTMontana document standards for recording, set by state law and repeated by the county.
Resources
All resources- What a runsheet isThe basic title research document, and what each column is for.
- Runsheet vs MOR vs title opinionThree documents that get mixed up, and who is responsible for each.
- Drillsite vs division order title opinionBefore the well and after the well: what each opinion is for.
- Common curative requirementsThe usual problems found in title and the usual fixes.
Common questions
All questionsDo you write title opinions?
No. We prepare the title packet: runsheets, copies of the instruments, ownership summaries and a requirements tracker. The client's attorney reviews it and writes the opinion. That is why we call the service title opinion support.
What do you need to start a project?
The county and state, the legal description, how far back you want the search, what you want back, and your due date. The contact page has a checklist you can paste into an email. Send anything already done, such as old runsheets or lease lists.
Do you use AI?
Yes, in the parts of the work where it helps: reading and sorting documents, making scanned records searchable, keeping runsheet rows consistent, and catching mismatches in names, dates and descriptions. It does not replace the person doing the work. A landman reviews everything before it goes to you, and your attorney still writes the opinion.
Who does the work, and can you handle a large project?
Contract landmen do the work. Section Line works with hundreds of landmen around the country, a network of independent contractors and not employees. That lets us put the right people in the right counties and finish large projects on a deadline. Tell us the due date when you send the scope.
Do you take difficult title?
Yes, it is one of our specialties. Gaps in the chain, missing probates, old mortgages with no release and name differences are the kind of files we work. We note each problem on the runsheet, list it on a requirements tracker, and do the curative work to clear it. Your attorney decides what counts as cured.
Send a scope or ask for a quote
Tell us the county, the legal description, how far back you need and your due date. Large project, short deadline or a messy chain of title, we take them all. We reply with a scope, a date and a quote if you want one. Email is the only way to reach us for now. Write to jc@sectionlineland.com.