Active Acquisition State
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Mississippi has been producing oil and gas for nearly a century, with conventional production concentrated in the southwest and south-central parts of the state and the emerging Tuscaloosa Marine Shale (TMS) play stretching across several counties in the south. We buy mineral interests and royalties across Mississippi, including legacy production from conventional reservoirs and interests in the TMS trend. Mississippi also shares the Black Warrior Basin with Alabama, producing coalbed methane and conventional gas in the northeast part of the state. While Mississippi is not a high-volume producing state, its mineral interests generate steady royalty income, and the TMS play represents potential future upside.
Highlighted state with approximate basin locations shown in tan
The table below shows the top producing counties in Mississippi where we are most active, along with the primary operators and target formations in each area.
| County | Major Operators | Key Formations |
|---|---|---|
| Amite | Ovintiv, Goodrich Petroleum | Tuscaloosa Marine Shale |
| Wilkinson | Goodrich Petroleum, Ovintiv | Tuscaloosa Marine Shale |
| Adams | Denbury Resources, Goodrich Petroleum | Lower Tuscaloosa, TMS |
| Pike | Denbury Resources | Lower Tuscaloosa |
| Monroe | Warrior Met Coal | Pottsville Coal, Carter Sandstone |
| Lowndes | Warrior Met Coal | Pottsville Coal |
| Jones | Sanchez Oil & Gas, Denbury Resources | Eutaw, Lower Tuscaloosa |
Mississippi's operator base includes Denbury Resources, which operates CO2-enhanced oil recovery projects across the state and has one of the largest CO2 pipeline networks in the region. In the TMS play, Goodrich Petroleum and Ovintiv have been the most active operators, though drilling activity has been sporadic as operators work to improve well economics. The Black Warrior Basin coalbed methane operations are maintained by several smaller operators. Denbury's CO2 infrastructure creates unique opportunities for extending the life of conventional fields through enhanced recovery.
Operators ranked by the number of Mississippi counties where they hold the top active-well count. Counties where the operator runs the most active wells link through to the county detail page.
Mississippi lease terms typically include royalty rates of 1/8 (12.5%) to 3/16 (18.75%), with 1/8 being the standard for legacy leases. Mississippi has a compulsory pooling statute administered by the Mississippi State Oil and Gas Board that allows operators to pool unleased mineral interests. The state imposes a severance tax of 6% on oil production and 3% on natural gas production. Bonus payments for leases in the TMS trend have varied significantly based on operator activity levels and commodity prices.
We buy mineral interests, royalty interests, NPRI, and ORRI across Mississippi's producing counties.
Not sure which type you own? Start with our mineral rights glossary for plain-English definitions of MI, RI, NPRI, and ORRI.
Mississippi's mineral rights market is less active than the major shale states, which means there are fewer comparable sales data points for valuation. However, this also means that mineral owners often have less information about the value of their interests and may benefit from our evaluation process. The Mississippi State Oil and Gas Board regulates all drilling and production in the state and maintains production records that we use in our analysis.
Mississippi mineral owners occasionally run into questions about severance-tax treatment, dormant mineral statutes, and non-participating royalty interests. These topics rarely drive a transaction, but understanding them helps you read a division order or evaluate an offer. The summaries below are starting points — verify against current statute text before relying on them.
Severance tax: 6% of gross value of oil and natural gas. Reduced rates for marginal and incentive wells (down to 1.3%-3% in defined cases).
Mississippi counties also impose ad valorem property tax on producing minerals. The Mississippi Salt Basin (Jurassic Smackover and Norphlet) and the southern Mississippi Tuscaloosa play are the primary producing areas.
Statutory citation: Miss. Code 27-25-501 et seq.
Mississippi has no general dormant mineral act. Adverse possession against severed minerals is generally not available — the surface owner's possession of the surface does not run against the mineral owner. Title cleanup for unknown or missing mineral owners is typically handled through quiet-title actions.
Mississippi recognizes NPRIs as cost-free royalty interests. State case law generally follows the same framework as Louisiana and Texas in treating NPRIs as exempt from lease bonus and working-interest costs unless the conveying instrument specifies otherwise.
Need plain-English definitions? See our mineral rights glossary.
The Tuscaloosa Marine Shale (TMS) is an emerging unconventional oil play in southwest Mississippi and southeast Louisiana. The TMS sits at depths of 10,000 to 15,000 feet and contains significant oil resources, but the formation has proven technically challenging to develop due to high clay content and complex mineralogy. Operators like Goodrich Petroleum have made progress in improving completion designs, but the play has not yet reached the level of commercial success seen in plays like the Bakken or Eagle Ford. TMS mineral interests trade at lower multiples than established shale plays but may have meaningful upside if development economics continue to improve.
Yes. Mississippi has a compulsory pooling statute that allows the State Oil and Gas Board to pool unleased mineral interests into a drilling unit at the operator's request. The pooling process involves a hearing before the Board, and pooled mineral owners are typically assigned the terms offered by the operator. If you receive a pooling notice, you should review your options carefully.
Mississippi imposes a severance tax of 6% on oil production and 3% on natural gas production. These taxes are paid by the producer but reduce the gross revenue from which your royalty is calculated. Sale proceeds are subject to Mississippi state income tax at rates up to 5%, plus federal capital gains tax.
Yes. Denbury Resources has built an extensive CO2 pipeline network across Mississippi and operates several CO2-enhanced oil recovery (EOR) projects in the state. CO2-EOR extends the productive life of conventional fields by injecting CO2 to push additional oil from the reservoir. If your mineral interest is in a field with active or planned CO2-EOR, it may have additional long-term value beyond what primary production alone would suggest.
Yes. We purchase mineral interests of all sizes in Mississippi. Many Mississippi mineral interests are small, inherited interests from legacy conventional production. Even small royalty streams have value, and we handle all title work and closing costs at our expense.
Learn more about the basins active in Mississippi:
Many Mississippimineral and royalty interests are held by heirs who live elsewhere. If that's you, our metro pages address the inheritance, ancillary-probate, and tax mechanics specific to your home state:
See all mineral rights FAQ.
State-specific guides covering the legal mechanics that come up most often for owners considering a sale.