Roads, Streets, Alleys, and Strips of Land:
Determining Mineral Ownership
The expansion of oil and gas operations across the state of Colorado has inevitably pushed drilling operations closer and closer to urban areas. One issue arising frequently in these urban areas is that of mineral ownership under roads, streets, alleys, and other strips of land. In order to determine mineral ownership underlying said lands, the first step is to ascertain how the strip of land was established and the type of estate that was created thereby. This article, though not exhaustive, discusses three primary ways that roads, streets, alleys, and strips of lands are created, specifically through conveyances, dedication, and condemnation, and outlines how to determine mineral ownership in each of these situations.