2023 Illinois Compiled Statutes › Chapter 765 - PROPERTY › 765 ILCS 520/ - Oil and Gas Rights Act.

(765 ILCS 520/0.01) (from Ch. 96 1/2, par. 4900)
Sec. 0.01. 
		Short title. 
		This Act may be cited as the
Oil and Gas Rights Act.
(Source: P.A. 86-1324.)
(765 ILCS 520/1) (from Ch. 96 1/2, par. 4901)
Sec. 1. 
		
		When the right to drill for and remove oil and gas from any
lands in this State is owned by joint tenants, or tenants in common,
whether such right or title is derived by purchase, legacy or
descent, or whether any or all of the claimants are minors or adults,
any one or more of the persons owning a 1/2 interest or more in the
right to drill for and remove the oil and gas from such lands may be
authorized to drill for and remove oil and gas from such lands in the
manner hereinafter provided.
(Source: P.A. 83-388.)
(765 ILCS 520/2) (from Ch. 96 1/2, par. 4902)
Sec. 2. 
		
		
		The owners of such interest desiring to drill for and remove oil and gas
may file a complaint in the circuit court of the county in which such
lands, or some part thereof, are located, asking the court for permission
to drill for and remove oil and gas therefrom for the use and benefit of
all the owners of the right to drill for and remove oil and gas from such
lands, and setting forth the relevant facts and the interests of all
persons owning the right to drill for and remove oil and gas under such
lands, so far as the same are known to the plaintiffs.
(Source: P.A. 77-984.)
(765 ILCS 520/3) (from Ch. 96 1/2, par. 4903)
Sec. 3. 
		
		Minors and persons under legal disability may institute
or defend
actions by guardian or next friend. Every
person, including
spouses of owners, having any interest in the right to drill for and remove
oil and gas from such lands, whether in possession or otherwise, and who is
not a plaintiff, shall be made a defendant to such complaint. Any person
claiming or appearing to claim an interest in the right to drill for and
remove oil and gas from such land may be made a defendant. When there are
or may be any persons interested in the right to drill for and remove oil
and gas from such lands whose names are unknown, the complaint shall so
state, and such persons may be made parties to such action by the name and
description of Unknown Owners.
(Source: P.A. 83-706.)
(765 ILCS 520/4) (from Ch. 96 1/2, par. 4904)
Sec. 4. 
		
		Defendants, whether known or unknown, shall be summoned or notified
in the same manner as known or unknown defendants may be summoned or
notified in other civil cases.
(Source: Laws 1939, p. 805.)
(765 ILCS 520/5) (from Ch. 96 1/2, par. 4905)
Sec. 5. 
		
		During the pendency of any such suit, any person claiming to be
interested in the right to drill for and remove oil and gas from such lands
may appear and answer the complaint, and assert his or her rights, by way
of interpleas; and the court shall determine the rights of all persons so
appearing as though they had been made parties in the first instance.
(Source: Laws 1955, p. 1163.)
(765 ILCS 520/6) (from Ch. 96 1/2, par. 4906)
Sec. 6. 
		
		In all suits under this Act, the court may investigate and
determine all questions of conflicting or controverted titles, remove
clouds from, and establish and confirm the title to the right to drill for
and remove oil and gas from any of such lands.
(Source: Laws 1955, p. 1163.)
(765 ILCS 520/7) (from Ch. 96 1/2, par. 4907)
Sec. 7. 
		
		If the court shall find that the material averments of the
complaint are true, and that the plaintiffs do in fact own a one-half
interest or more in the right to drill for and remove the oil and gas from
such lands as joint tenants, tenants in common or coparceners, the court
shall enter an order authorizing the plaintiffs to drill for and remove oil
and gas from such lands so as to realize the full value thereof for the
benefit of the parties entitled thereto.  The court shall also provide by
order for the disposition by the plaintiffs of the proportionate part of
oil and gas of the defendants to the suit, and provide for the payment and
distribution of the net proceeds thereof to the defendants, as their
respective interests may appear, after deduction of the proportionate costs
of such proceedings and of drilling for and producing, and disposing of,
such oil and gas; and the court may, from time to time, require the
plaintiffs to give bond or other security, to be approved by the court, to
secure such payment to the defendants, or to prevent the attachment of any
oil and gas or mechanics' liens to the interest of the defendants.
(Source: P.A. 79-1365; 79-1366.)
(765 ILCS 520/8) (from Ch. 96 1/2, par. 4908)
Sec. 8. 
		
		In case a person or persons owning a one-half interest or more in
the right to drill for and remove oil and gas from such lands has or have
executed an oil and gas lease or leases to any person, firm or corporation,
such lessee or lessees may institute and maintain or defend any suit
provided for by this Act, either in the name of such lessee or lessees or
in the name of his or its lessor or lessors.
(Source: Laws 1955, p. 1163.)
(765 ILCS 520/9) (from Ch. 96 1/2, par. 4909)
Sec. 9. 
		
		The provisions of the Civil Practice Law, and all existing
and future amendments to that Law, and the Supreme Court Rules
now or hereafter
adopted in relation to that Law, shall apply to all proceedings hereunder,
except as otherwise provided in this Act.
(Source: P.A. 82-783.)
(765 ILCS 520/10) (from Ch. 96 1/2, par. 4910)
Sec. 10. (1) In this Section:
(a) "Payee" means any person or persons legally entitled to payment from
the proceeds derived from the sale of oil or gas from an oil or gas well
located in this State.
(b) "Payor" means the first purchaser of production of oil or gas from
an oil or gas well, but the owner of the right to produce under an oil or
gas lease or pooling order is deemed to be the payor if the owner of the
right to produce and the first purchaser have entered into arrangements
providing that the proceeds derived from the sale of oil or gas have been
paid by the first purchaser to the owner who assumes the responsibility of
paying those proceeds to the payee.
(2) (a) The proceeds derived from the sale of oil or gas production from an
oil or gas well must be paid to each payee on or before 150 days after the
end of the month of first purchase by a payor.  After that time, payments
must be made to each payee on a timely basis according to the frequency of
payment specified in a lease or other written agreement between payee and
payor. If the lease or other agreement does not specify the time for
payment, subsequent proceeds must be paid no later than:
(1) 60 days after the end of the calendar month in     which subsequent oil production is sold; or
(2) 90 days after the end of the calendar month in     which subsequent gas production is sold.
(b) Payments may be remitted to payees annually for the aggregate of up to
12 months' accumulation of proceeds, if the total amount owed is $100 or less.
(3) (a) If payment has not been made for any reason in the time limits
specified in subsection (2)(a) of this Act, the payor must pay interest to
a payee beginning at the expiration of those time limits at the rate
charged on loans to depository institutions by the New York Federal Reserve
Bank, unless a different rate of interest is specified in a written
agreement between payor and payee.
(b) Subsection (a) of this Section does not apply where payments are
withheld or suspended by a payor beyond the time limits specified in
subsection (2)(a) of this Act because there is:
(1) a dispute concerning title that would affect     distribution of payments;
(2) a reasonable doubt that the payee does not have     clear title to the interest in the proceeds of production; or
(3) a requirement in a title opinion that places in     issue the title, identity, or whereabouts of the payee and that has not been satisfied by the payee after a reasonable request for curative information has been made by the payor.
(4) (a) If a payee seeks relief for the failure of a payor to make
timely payment of proceeds from the sale of oil or gas or an interest in
oil or gas as required under Section (2) or (3) of this Act, the payee
must give the payor written notice by mail of that failure as a
prerequisite to beginning judicial action against the payor for nonpayment.
(b) The payor has 30 days after receipt of the required notice from the
payee in which to pay the proceeds due, or to respond by stating in writing
a reasonable cause for nonpayment.
(c) A payee has a cause of action for nonpayment of oil or gas proceeds
or interest on those proceeds as required in Section (2) or (3) of this
Act in any court of competent jurisdiction in the county in which the oil
or gas well is located.
(Source: P.A. 99-129, eff. 1-1-16.)