Mineral Rights
In Texas, Mineral Rights Can Be Owned Separately from the Surface
When you buy land in Grayson County, the mineral rights may already belong to someone else. That can affect what happens on your property.
Texas law treats the surface and what is underground as two separate things. The surface estate is the land you walk on. The mineral estate is what lies below — oil, gas, and other minerals. These two can be owned by different people.
In many parts of Texas, including Grayson County, mineral rights have been split off and sold separately over the years. If you buy land, you may not own what is underground.
If someone else owns the mineral rights and leases them to an oil company, that company may have the legal right to come onto your land to drill. Before you buy rural property, ask a title company or attorney to check whether the mineral rights are included in the sale.
The Railroad Commission of Texas regulates oil and gas wells and pipelines in the state. They have a free public GIS map where you can look up wells near any property. Check the official source listed here for current details.
Source to confirm: Railroad Commission of Texas — Oil & Gas Exploration and Surface Ownership