Tyler County

A few days ago MDN told you about title researchers who camp out all night long in front and around the side of the Tyler County, WV Courthouse in order to secure a spot in the land records office the next day (see Title Researchers Camp Out at Tyler County (WV) Clerk’s Office). Nearby neighbors were fed up with the situation–noise, littering, etc. So local officials put their heads together and crafted a system they hope will be fair to all: a lottery.

Starting today, the county clerk will draw numbers to allow 96 people into her land records office–its maximum capacity–for any given day (16 people at a time for 2 hours each). She hopes the lottery will eliminate the need to camp out all night long…
Read More “Title Researchers in Tyler County, WV Access Records via Lottery”

There are at least two reliable ways to know where drilling is about to begin (or expand): One is to monitor where (and how many) permits for drilling have been issued. MDN covers that with our Marcellus and Utica Shale Databook series, each volume of which maps where permits were issued in the past four months. Drillers don’t pay for expensive permits unless they’re going to drill. But in order to get a permit, you already must have leased the land. So the other way to predict future drilling is by how busy the local county clerk’s office is–where the land records are kept. Case in point: Tyler County, WV.

According to MDN’s Databook 2013 – Vol. 1, Tyler County had 189 permits issued for 38 wells for January-April 2013. Going by the fevered activity at the county clerk’s office, however, predicts those numbers will soon go much higher. Title researchers are camping outside the county clerk’s office starting 6 pm the night before (!) in order to secure a spot in the clerk’s office the next day when the doors open. It’s becoming a problem for some residents…
Read More “Title Researchers Camp Out at Tyler County (WV) Clerk’s Office”

According to Vol. 3 of the Marcellus and Utica Shale Databook, Tyler County, WV had a fair bit of permitting (and drilling) activity for the second half of 2012: 208 permits issued for 39 wells. However, it’s a distinct possibility those numbers are about to go up–way up–very soon. How do we know? Just look at the line of abstractors waiting outside the county courthouse–many camping out overnight! Long lines to view property records are a good barometer that something (drilling!) is about to happen.

Here’s the story:
Read More “Tyler WV Courthouse Overrun with Abstractors – Drilling Signal?”