Cadastral Information For GIS Specialists

Part Two - Cadastral Information

Example - Wyoming Coal Leasing and Private Land

- Surface Ownership and Subsurface Mineral Rights -

Though the illustration below looks relatively simple, it represents one of the most complex situations in land ownership and rights. The tan colored areas are lands which are privately owned on the surface, but the Federal government retains subsurface mineral rights. As you can see, nearly all the areas in the example township are private surface ownership with Federal subsurface rights. The Federal subsurface rights extend to coal, oil, gas, and water. There are only a few areas which are privately owned that have no Federal subsurface mineral rights (gray), along with a few State grant areas (green). The important cadastral information here includes surface ownership, subsurface rights, owners, administering agencies, and boundaries.

Continue to Wildlife, and Summary

Return to Part Two: Wyoming Coal Leasing And Private Land main page

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Table Of Contents - Cadastral Information For GIS Specialists

Links to the other Cadastral Courses:
Learning The Cadastral Data Content Standard
County Recorders And The Cadastral Data Content Standard
Surveyors And The Cadastral Data Content Standard

Presented by the United States Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management, and

the Federal Geographic Data Committee Cadastral Subcommittee