060-20 Wyo. Code R. § 20-10

Current through April 27, 2019

Section 20-10 - Partial Assignments

(a) Subject to the requirements of this chapter, a lessee may assign or transfer all or part of his interest in the released acreage as to either a divided or undivided interest therein, including cost-free interest such as overriding royalties and production payments.

(b) The Director shall approve assignments or reservations of an overriding royalty subject to the condition that the overriding royalty or a portion thereof may be cancelled or suspended by the Board if it finds that it creates a burden upon the lease which prevents or unreasonably interferes with development.

(c) Assignment of a divided interest, i.e., an assignment of the full leasehold or working interest in a lease as to all interest in all deposits, formations, or depths below a separate tract of the lands subject to the lease or as to one or more separate deposits, formations, or depths below all or a part of the land subject to the lease, segregates the assigned interest from the retained interest and creates new lease obligations as to the lands and the deposits, formations, or depths assigned.

• (i) The rights and obligations of the lessees under the retained portion and the assigned portion of the original lease are separate and distinct as though two (2) separate leases, one (1) covering only the retained interest and the other the assigned interest, had originally been issued on the effective date of the original lease.

• (ii) The Director may disapprove any assignment which has the effect of creating separate lease obligations covering the retained and the assigned interest even though it purports to assign less than all of the leasehold or working interest, unless both assignor and assignee agree to accept the separate obligations.

(d) Upon assignment as to only a part of the lease acreage, including assignment as to separate deposits, formations, or depths, the Office may issue a reissue lease with a new serial number covering the assigned lands for the unexpired primary term. In lieu of issuing a reissue lease, the Office may note the assignment upon its records with all lands covered by the original lease maintained under the original serial number, and with each separate tract or interest resulting from an assignment designated by a letter suffix to the original serial number. Each assignee holding a lease on a separate tract or interest may be required to furnish a bond under Section 12 of this chapter.

060-20 Wyo. Code R. § 20-10