Why does a well on the map not match my royalty statement?

Wells near a tract are not necessarily producing from it, and the survey database records the original surface location and operator, which may have changed. If you believe a connection is missing or wrong, say so in your case and a researcher checks the records.

How current is the well data?

The geological survey updates its database periodically from state permit and completion records and states that it does not guarantee completeness. The date the map loaded the data is shown beneath it.

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Use the county pages for permits and operators, or the state survey’s own map viewer for well locations.

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Map · public record

See what is happening around your county.

Every West Virginia county shaded by drilling activity, and every public oil and gas well once you zoom in. The panel beside the map lists what is in view: wells, counties, or tax parcels. Search a family name, lease, or operator to find the wells and parcels that name it, and click a card or a dot to match the two.

County pages

One well in particular?: Every well has a page. Look it up by API number, lease, family name, or operator.
What it does not: Who owns the minerals. A well near a tract, or a family name on a permit, is a lead, not title.
Coming next: Your own candidate tract locations, private to you, once a research case places them.

Early access. Public layers are live: county boundaries shaded by permits outstanding or recent completions, the state well database, tax parcels, and a name search over the mineral owner, lease, and operator recorded on each permit. Private candidate-tract locations from a research case, dated permit records, and unit information are later releases.

How to use the map. Counties, wells, parcels, search, layers, and what the map cannot tell you. About 70 seconds, with AI narration and English captions.

How to read it honestly

Approximate means approximate. A well point is the recorded surface location, not a surveyed boundary and not the subsurface path of a horizontal lateral.
Surface is not subsurface. A well on or near a parcel says nothing about who owns the minerals beneath it. Only recorded documents do.
Nearby is not yours. A well near a tract is not necessarily producing from it. Only a lease, unit, or division order ties a well to an interest.
Old records are old. Many points are wells completed decades ago and long plugged. The status and year fields tell you which.
Activity is not value. Nearby drilling can matter, but it does not by itself establish what an interest is worth.
A name on a permit is a lead, not title. The survey records the mineral owner and lease named when the well was permitted, often decades ago. Finding your family name is a reason to pull the deed, not proof that you own anything.

What comes next on the map

Candidate tract locations from your research case, private to you, labeled approximate until reviewed.
Permit records by county and operator, with the permit date and source, from the state regulator.
Unit and development information where a public source exists for the county.

Each layer carries a source, a date, a legend, and a coverage note. The text list under the map is always available for mobile use, screen readers, and records without usable geometry.

Questions owners ask

Can I see my own tract on the map today?

Not yet. Candidate locations come from a research case, and the private map view is a later release. Start a research case and the view is attached once it is available for your county.