# Mineral Rights in Louisiana: Ownership, Dormancy, Leasing & Taxes
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> How Louisiana mineral rights law works: the C&E, louisiana royalties prescribe after ten years of nonuse, severance and property taxes, and how land is described. Source-linked, educational.

**URL:** https://www.buckheadenergy.com/mineral-rights-in-louisiana
**Source:** Buckhead Energy (https://www.buckheadenergy.com/)
**Generated:** 2026-08-16 (heuristic; server-side extraction)

## Answer
Mineral rights in Louisiana are governed by Louisiana property and oil and gas law and regulated by the Louisiana Department of Conservation and Energy (C&E). Whether a severed interest can lapse from non-use, how oil and gas production is taxed, and how land is legally described all follow Louisiana-specific rules — set out below with the Louisiana authorities that govern them. Frequently asked questions Can I lose my mineral rights in Louisiana for non-use? Yes. Louisiana does not recognize a perpetual severed mineral estate. A mineral servitude is extinguished by prescription of nonuse after ten years (La. R.S. 31:27), and a mineral royalty likewise prescribes after ten years of nonuse (La. R.S. 31:85). Prescription is interrupted by production or good-faith operations for discovery and production, and begins to run anew from the interruption. Who regulates oil and gas in Louisiana? Louisiana Department of Conservation and Energy. Louisiana's oil and gas regulator was reorganized in late 2025 — the former Office of Conservation is now within the Department of Conservation and Energy, and older references pointing to the DENR site are archives. How are Louisiana oil and gas royalties taxed? Louisiana taxes oil on value but gas on volume, and the oil rate now depends on when the well was completed: How is Louisiana mineral property described? Louisiana records by parish, not county, with conveyances kept by the Parish Clerk of Court. Most of the state is described under the rectangular survey — the Louisiana Meridian generally west of the Mississippi and the St. Helena Meridian east of it — but Louisiana was never fully converted.

## Page Outline
- Mineral Rights in Louisiana: The Law
  - The regulator: Louisiana Department of Conservation and Energy
  - Louisiana royalties prescribe after ten years of nonuse
  - Louisiana: value-based on oil, volume-based on gas
  - Louisiana does not tax your royalty interest at the parish level
  - Parishes, two meridians, and arpent long lots
  - Where oil and gas is produced in Louisiana
  - What this means for Louisiana mineral owners
  - Related reading
  - Frequently asked questions
  - Ready to Sell Your Mineral Rights?

## Related Pages
- [Louisiana Mineral Rights & Counties](https://www.buckheadenergy.com/mineral-rights/louisiana)
- [Louisiana Royalty Guide](https://www.buckheadenergy.com/sell-oil-gas-royalties/louisiana)
- [Mineral Rights by State](https://www.buckheadenergy.com/mineral-rights-by-state)
- [Oil and Gas Law: An Overview](https://www.buckheadenergy.com/oil-and-gas-law)
- [Oil & Gas Encyclopedia — all terms](https://www.buckheadenergy.com/learn)

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