{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-64-64-1083","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 64, § 64-1083","heading":"Abandoned municipality - Definition - Oil and gas leases","body":"thereon.\n\n(A) As used herein, \"abandoned municipality\" means any city,\n\ntown, or school district in and for which there is not, and has not\n\nbeen for a period of one (1) year, any acting or functioning\n\ngoverning board and no persons purporting or claiming to act as such\n\ngoverning board: Provided, however, that a school district which\n\nhas been disorganized and its territory legally made a part of\n\nanother school district, by annexation, uniting, consolidation, or\n\notherwise, shall not be considered an \"abandoned municipality\"\n\nwithin this act.\n\n(B) Oil and gas mining leases of lands belonging to or under the\n\ncontrol of an abandoned municipality may be entered into and\n\nexecuted in the following manner:\n\n(1) Any legal resident of said abandoned municipality, or any\n\nperson desiring to offer to purchase an oil or gas mining lease or\n\nleases of any lands owned by or belonging to any abandoned\n\nmunicipality, may file a petition in the district court of the\n\ncounty in which said abandoned municipality is located, alleging\n\nthat said municipality is an abandoned municipality as defined by\n\nthis act, stating the particular facts upon which said allegation is\n\nbased, and that there are lands belonging to said abandoned\n\nmunicipality upon which it is desirable to execute an oil or gas\n\nmining lease or leases, and requesting the appointment of a receiver\n\nauthorized to enter into such lease or leases as herein provided.\n\nIf said abandoned municipality is located in more than one county,\n\nthe petition shall be filed in the district court of the county in\n\nwhich the greater portion of the area thereof is located.\n\n(2) Notice of the filing of said petition and of the purpose\n\nthereof, and of the date of the hearing to be held as provided\n\nherein, shall be given by publication for three successive issues in\n\na weekly newspaper of general circulation in the county in which the\n\nabandoned municipality is located, the first publication to be not\n\nless than twenty-five (25) days prior to said hearing, and in\n\naddition, such notice shall be posted not less than twenty-five (25)\n\ndays prior to said hearing at five public places within such\n\nabandoned municipality.\n\n(3) The district court shall hold a hearing at which any\n\ninterested person may appear in support of, or in opposition to, the\n\nappointment of a receiver for the purpose of executing and entering\n\ninto an oil and gas mining lease or leases of lands belonging to or\n\nunder the control of the abandoned municipality. The district court\n\nmay continue said hearing from time to time without additional\n\nnotice.\n\n(4) If the district court shall find that the municipality is an\n\nabandoned municipality as defined by this act, and that there are\n\nlands belonging to said abandoned municipality, and that there is a\n\nperson or persons desiring to secure an oil or gas mining lease or\n\nleases upon such lands, or any part thereof, the court shall appoint\n\na receiver who shall have power and authority, upon approval by the\n\ncourt, to enter into valid oil and gas mining lease or leases of\n\nsuch lands to any person, firm, association, or corporation for oil\n\nand gas development, said leases to be for the term and conditioned\n\nas are leases executed by governing boards under the provisions of\n\nSection 1, Chapter 8, Title 64, Session Laws 1943; and said leases\n\nmust be offered for sale and sold in the manner prescribed by\n\nSection 2, Chapter 8, Title 64, Session Laws 1943.\n\n(5) After said lease or leases have been executed by the\n\nreceiver, they shall be submitted to the district court for\n\napproval, and the district court shall approve the same if they\n\ncomply with the provisions of this act.\n\n(6) After said lease or leases have been executed by the\n\nreceiver and approved by the district court, and the said lease or\n\nleases shall be recorded in each county in which any portion of said\n\nlands may be located, and the receiver shall be discharged.\ne submitted to the district court for\n\napproval, and the district court shall approve the same if they\n\ncomply with the provisions of this act.\n\n(6) After said lease or leases have been executed by the\n\nreceiver and approved by the district court, and the said lease or\n\nleases shall be recorded in each county in which any portion of said\n\nlands may be located, and the receiver shall be discharged.\n\n(7) All monies to which said abandoned municipality is entitled,\n\nincluding rents, royalties, bonus payments, or any monies\n\nwhatsoever, under any lease entered into under the provisions of\n\nthis section, shall be paid to the county treasurer of the county in\n\nwhich the petition was filed, and shall be by the county treasurer\n\ndeposited in a special account to the credit of said abandoned\n\nmunicipality, to be disposed of as may now or hereafter be provided\n\nby law.\n\n(8) Any lessee, or the assignee of any lessee, under any lease\n\nexecuted as provided in this section, who shall fail to pay any\n\nmonies to which said abandoned municipality is legally entitled\n\nunder the terms of said lease, to the county treasurer, shall be\n\nguilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall be fined\n\na sum of not more than Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00).\n\n(9) The district attorney shall have authority to enforce the\n\nobligations of any lessee or the assignee thereof under any lease\n\nentered into as prescribed by this section, by any legal proceeding\n\nhe may deem necessary, and he shall defend the interests of said\n\nabandoned municipality in any action or proceeding in which the\n\ninterests of said abandoned municipality under said lease may be\n\nadversely affected.\n\n(10) If any municipality, after having been an abandoned\n\nmunicipality, shall again have an acting, functioning, and duly\n\nconstituted governing board, said governing board shall assume\n\ncontrol of any lands belonging to said abandoned municipality, and\n\nof any leases thereof, including those executed as provided by this\n\nsection, in the same manner and to the same extent as though said\n\nleases had been executed and entered into by said governing board.","path":["OK Code","Title 64"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os64.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"f6c507437f0c8d2316ab44de4e4304e1b4f6461e7d5c0e2fbb57b9f9103cfe8a","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-64-64-1082","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-64-64-1084"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}