Quick answer
| Topic | What the statute says | Citation |
|---|---|---|
| First payment deadline | No statute found | — |
| Later payments | No statute found | — |
| Minimum payment and aggregation | No statute found | — |
| Interest on late payments | No statute found | — |
| Suspense and withheld payments | No statute found | — |
| Division orders | No statute found | — |
| Owner remedies, notice and attorney fees | Recorded leases: four-year limitations period from breach; the original agreement may shorten it | Ohio Rev. Code § 2305.041(A); Ohio Rev. Code § 1302.98(A)-(B) |
| Check-stub disclosures | Gas wells: volume report on the holder's request | Ohio Rev. Code § 1509.30; Ohio Rev. Code § 1509.30(A); Ohio Rev. Code § 1509.30(B); Ohio Rev. Code § 1509.30(C); Ohio Rev. Code § 1509.33(A); Ohio Rev. Code § 1509.99(A) |
| Unclaimed royalties (escheat) | Unclaimed funds after one year | Ohio Rev. Code § 169.02(N); Ohio Rev. Code § 169.01(B)(1) |
We found no Ohio statute setting a deadline for the first royalty payment after first sale or first production.
What we read: Fetched Ohio Revised Code chapter 1509 in full (codes.ohio.gov chapter page, §§ 1509.01-1509.99) and searched its full text for royalty, proceeds, payment, division order, escrow and unlocatable; the royalty provisions found are § 1509.30 (reports on request), § 1509.31 (notice of lease assignment), § 1509.27/1509.28 (pooling/unitization terms) and § 1509.01(L) (definition). Also read ORC 2305.041. No payment-timing provision. Sources read: Ohio Revised Code Chapter 1509 (Division of Oil and Gas Resources Management - Oil and Gas), full chapter page; sections show 'Last updated' July 2026, several sections effective Sept. 23, 2026.
We found no Ohio statute setting a deadline for ongoing royalty payments.
What we read: Same as the first payment: ORC ch. 1509 in full and ORC 2305.041; no payment-timing provision. Sources read: Ohio Revised Code Chapter 1509 (Division of Oil and Gas Resources Management - Oil and Gas), full chapter page; sections show 'Last updated' July 2026, several sections effective Sept. 23, 2026; Ohio Revised Code § 2305.041 (Action for breach of oil or gas lease or license).
We found no Ohio statute on minimum payments or accumulation of small royalty amounts.
What we read: Fetched ORC ch. 1509 in full and searched its full text; no minimum-payment / aggregation provision. Sources read: Ohio Revised Code Chapter 1509 (Division of Oil and Gas Resources Management - Oil and Gas), full chapter page; sections show 'Last updated' July 2026, several sections effective Sept. 23, 2026.
We found no Ohio statute providing interest specifically on late royalty payments. General interest statutes that may apply to money due under a contract are not covered by this page.
What we read: Fetched ORC ch. 1509 in full (searched its full text) and read ORC 2305.041; no late-payment interest provision for royalties. Sources read: Ohio Revised Code Chapter 1509 (Division of Oil and Gas Resources Management - Oil and Gas), full chapter page; sections show 'Last updated' July 2026, several sections effective Sept. 23, 2026; Ohio Revised Code § 2305.041 (Action for breach of oil or gas lease or license).
We found no Ohio statute listing grounds on which a payor may suspend royalty payments or addressing interest on suspended funds.
What we read: Fetched ORC ch. 1509 in full and searched its full text, including the pooling (§ 1509.27) and unit-operation (§ 1509.28) sections; no suspense / withholding provision for royalty owners. Sources read: Ohio Revised Code Chapter 1509 (Division of Oil and Gas Resources Management - Oil and Gas), full chapter page; sections show 'Last updated' July 2026, several sections effective Sept. 23, 2026.
We found no Ohio division-order statute.
What we read: Searched the full text of ORC ch. 1509 for 'division order'; no match. Sources read: Ohio Revised Code Chapter 1509 (Division of Oil and Gas Resources Management - Oil and Gas), full chapter page; sections show 'Last updated' July 2026, several sections effective Sept. 23, 2026.
Ohio sets a limitations period for royalty claims: an action alleging breach of a recorded oil or gas lease concerning the calculation or payment of royalties must be brought within the period in ORC 1302.98. That section sets four years after the cause of action accrues (which is when the breach occurs, regardless of the owner's lack of knowledge) and provides that, by the original agreement, the parties may reduce the period to not less than one year but may not extend it. We found no Ohio statute providing a notice-and-cure procedure, statutory interest, penalty, attorney fees or lease cancellation for unpaid royalties.
A claim that a recorded oil or gas lease was breached as to calculation or payment of royalties must be brought within the period specified in ORC 1302.98. (Ohio Rev. Code § 2305.041(A))
Statute text “an action alleging breach of any express or implied provision of the lease or license concerning the calculation or payment of royalties shall be brought within the time period that is specified in section 1302.98 of the Revised Code.”
That period is four years after the cause of action accrues; by the original agreement the parties may reduce it to not less than one year but may not extend it. (Ohio Rev. Code § 1302.98(A)-(B))
Statute text “An action for breach of any contract for sale must be commenced within four years after the cause of action has accrued. By the original agreement the parties may reduce the period of limitation to not less than one year but may not extend it. … (B) A cause of action accrues when the breach occurs, regardless of the aggrieved party's lack of knowledge of the breach.”
Ohio has no statute requiring specific information on each royalty check. For natural gas wells only, a royalty holder may request a report, no more often than the contract's payment period, of the volume paid for (current period and unreported periods within two years), the price per Mcf paid to the holder, the volume through the owner's meter for the field and, if the holder's well is metered, the volume through that meter; the well owner must supply it within fifteen days or by the end of the current payment period, whichever is later. Violations of §§ 1509.01-1509.31 are subject to state civil penalties and criminal fines.
A royalty holder in a natural gas well may request a report from the well owner, no more often than the contract payment period. (Ohio Rev. Code § 1509.30)
Statute text “The holder of a royalty interest in any natural gas well may request the owner to report to him, no more frequently than the payment period in his contract with the owner:”
The report covers the volume paid for in the most recent period and earlier unreported periods within two years of production. (Ohio Rev. Code § 1509.30(A))
Statute text “(A) The volume of natural gas for which he was or is being paid for the most recent period in his contract with the owner, and for any other previous periods within two years of the date of production for which the owner has not already given him such a report;”
The report covers the price per thousand cubic feet paid to the holder. (Ohio Rev. Code § 1509.30(B))
Statute text “(B) The price per thousand cubic feet paid to the holder for such gas;”
The report covers the volume shown to have passed through the owner's meter for the field containing the holder's well, and, if the holder's well is metered, the volume shown to have passed through that meter during the period. (Ohio Rev. Code § 1509.30(C))
Statute text “(C) The volume of natural gas which was shown to have passed through the owner's meter for the field containing the holder's well. … If the holder's well is metered, the owner shall in such report also inform the holder of the volume of natural gas which was shown to have passed through such meter during the period.”
The owner must supply the report within fifteen days of the request or by the end of the current payment period, whichever is later. (Ohio Rev. Code § 1509.30)
Statute text “Upon receipt by the owner or his agent of a request by the holder pursuant to this section, the owner shall supply the information to the holder within fifteen days, or the end of the current payment period in the contract, whichever is later.”
Violations of §§ 1509.01 to 1509.31 (a range that includes § 1509.30) carry a civil penalty of up to $10,000 per offense where no specific penalty is provided. (Ohio Rev. Code § 1509.33(A))
Statute text “(A) Whoever violates sections 1509.01 to 1509.31 or sections 1509.71 to 1509.79 of the Revised Code, or any rules adopted or orders or terms or conditions of a permit or registration certificate issued pursuant to these sections for which no specific penalty is provided in this section, shall pay a civil penalty of not more than ten thousand dollars for each offense.”
The same range of violations carries a criminal fine of $100 to $1,000 for a first offense. (Ohio Rev. Code § 1509.99(A))
Statute text “(A) Whoever violates sections 1509.01 to 1509.31 or sections 1509.71 to 1509.79 of the Revised Code or any rules adopted or orders or terms or conditions of a permit issued pursuant to these sections for which no specific penalty is provided in this section shall be fined not less than one hundred nor more than one thousand dollars for a first offense;”
Under Ohio's unclaimed funds law, funds owed or held as royalties and oil and mineral proceeds become unclaimed funds when unclaimed for one year from the date payable or distributable.
Funds owed or held as royalties and oil and mineral proceeds are unclaimed funds after one year unclaimed from the date payable or distributable. (Ohio Rev. Code § 169.02(N))
Statute text “(N) Any sum greater than fifty dollars payable as wages, any sum payable as salaries or commissions, any sum payable for services rendered, funds owed or held as royalties, oil and mineral proceeds, funds held for or owed to suppliers, and moneys owed under pension and profit-sharing plans, held or owed by any holder unclaimed for one year from date payable or distributable”
Unclaimed funds are the property described in § 169.02 where the owner has not acted within the times provided in § 169.02. (Ohio Rev. Code § 169.01(B)(1))
Statute text “"Unclaimed funds" means any moneys, rights to moneys, or intangible property, described in section 169.02 of the Revised Code, when, as shown by the records of the holder, the owner has not, within the times provided in section 169.02 of the Revised Code, done any of the following:”
Official unclaimed property search: Ohio Department of Commerce, Division of Unclaimed Funds.
We found no Ohio statute setting a deadline for the first royalty payment after first sale or first production.
We found no Ohio statute setting a deadline for ongoing royalty payments.
We found no Ohio statute on minimum payments or accumulation of small royalty amounts.
We found no Ohio statute providing interest specifically on late royalty payments. General interest statutes that may apply to money due under a contract are not covered by this page.
We found no Ohio statute listing grounds on which a payor may suspend royalty payments or addressing interest on suspended funds.
We found no Ohio division-order statute.
Ohio sets a limitations period for royalty claims: an action alleging breach of a recorded oil or gas lease concerning the calculation or payment of royalties must be brought within the period in ORC 1302.98. That section sets four years after the cause of action accrues (which is when the breach occurs, regardless of the owner's lack of knowledge) and provides that, by the original agreement, the parties may reduce the period to not less than one year but may not extend it. We found no Ohio statute providing a notice-and-cure procedure, statutory interest, penalty, attorney fees or lease cancellation for unpaid royalties. (Ohio Rev. Code § 2305.041(A); Ohio Rev. Code § 1302.98(A)-(B))
Ohio has no statute requiring specific information on each royalty check. For natural gas wells only, a royalty holder may request a report, no more often than the contract's payment period, of the volume paid for (current period and unreported periods within two years), the price per Mcf paid to the holder, the volume through the owner's meter for the field and, if the holder's well is metered, the volume through that meter; the well owner must supply it within fifteen days or by the end of the current payment period, whichever is later. Violations of §§ 1509.01-1509.31 are subject to state civil penalties and criminal fines. (Ohio Rev. Code § 1509.30; Ohio Rev. Code § 1509.30(A); Ohio Rev. Code § 1509.30(B); Ohio Rev. Code § 1509.30(C); Ohio Rev. Code § 1509.33(A); Ohio Rev. Code § 1509.99(A))
Under Ohio's unclaimed funds law, funds owed or held as royalties and oil and mineral proceeds become unclaimed funds when unclaimed for one year from the date payable or distributable. (Ohio Rev. Code § 169.02(N); Ohio Rev. Code § 169.01(B)(1))
Last reviewed .
Alabama · Alaska · Arkansas · California · Colorado · Florida · Illinois · Indiana · Kansas · Kentucky · Louisiana · Michigan · Mississippi · Montana · Nebraska · New Mexico · New York · North Dakota · Oklahoma · Pennsylvania · South Dakota · Texas · Utah · Virginia · West Virginia · Wyoming
Educational only — not legal advice; statutes change, so confirm the current version and consult a qualified attorney for your situation. For a question about a specific payment, consult an attorney licensed in Ohio.
Buckhead provides a free written offer. Our offer comes at no cost and no obligation.
Start Your Free Written Offer