Assistance for Royalty and Interest Owners

To notify us of a change of address, select the option of your choice below:

To notify us of a change to your name, please send a request in writing to:

Division Order Department
Valence Operating Company
600 Rockmead Ste 200
Kingwood, TX 77339

To validate your name change, attach copies of:

1. Your Marriage Certificate/Divorce Decree or Your Driver's License showing your new name
2. Your Social Security Number

For reasons of security, we do not make name changes based upon a telephone call.

To transfer a deceased owner's interest to his/her heirs, you will need to notify Valence of the death. We will hold all revenues in suspense until we receive the necessary documentation to determine the proper heirs.

Download a Change of Ownership Information Packet and Forms

Please send the necessary forms and documentation to:

Owner Relations Department
Valence Operating Company
600 Rockmead Ste 200
Kingwood, TX 77339

Q. How long will it take to complete the transfer of ownership?

A. Our Division Order Department receives a huge volume of incoming correspondence and it is not uncommon to have 200 cases in various stages of processing. In general, we attempt to review cases on a “first come, first served” basis; however, failure to complete many cases in a timely manner result from a lack of documentation or other required information. Every attempt is made to complete the changes of ownership as quickly as possible.

To transfer your interest in a property to another person or company, you will need to provide us with a copy of the recorded deed, assignment, Bill of Sale or other legal instrument used to convey the interest to the new owner.

Conveyance documents must be filed of record in the county(ies) where the well(s) are located. Please insure that the conveyance instrument specifies the legal description and the decimal interest of the property to be conveyed. If you do not have the specific property description, the unit description for the property may be used in its place.

Download County Clerk Instructions and Office List
Download Texas County Appraisal Districts List

In addition, you should provide, if possible, the name, address, telephone number and Social Security or Tax Identification number of each new owner.

Please send the necessary documents and information to:

Division Order Department
Valence Operating Company
600 Rockmead Ste 200
Kingwood, TX 77339

Q. How long will it take to complete the transfer of ownership?

A. Our Division Order Department receives a huge volume of incoming correspondence and it is not uncommon to have 200 cases in various stages of processing. In general, we attempt to review cases on a “first come, first served” basis; however, failure to complete many cases in a timely manner result from a lack of documentation or other required information. Every attempt is made to complete the changes of ownership as quickly as possible.

If you have been awarded royalty interest in a divorce settlement, you will need to send us a copy of your Divorce Decree, particularly the pages that address the distribution of any mineral or royalty interests, along with any new address information and your Social Security Number. 

Please send the necessary documents and information to:

Owner Relations Department
Valence Operating Company
600 Rockmead Ste 200
Kingwood, TX 77339

Q. How long will it take to complete the transfer of ownership?

A. Our Division Order Department receives a huge volume of incoming correspondence and it is not uncommon to have 200 cases in various stages of processing. In general, we attempt to review cases on a “first come, first served” basis; however, failure to complete many cases in a timely manner result from a lack of documentation or other required information. Every attempt is made to complete the changes of ownership as quickly as possible.

When there has been no interaction between Valence and an owner for a period of three years, any suspended funds are considered unclaimed or abandoned. Unclaimed funds are “escheated” to the state where the owner’s last known place of residence is located. Each state will retain the funds until a claim has been filed by the rightful owner or their heirs.

To locate and collect unclaimed funds, visit the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators’ (NAUPA) Web site at http://www.unclaimed.org/.

Q. What are Royalties?

A. Royalties are the mineral owner’s proportionate share of production as reserved in an oil and gas lease.

Q. What is a Division Order?

A. A Division Order is a document Valence issues that describes the property, the operator, the legal description, the Owner’s remittance address and tax ID information, if known, as well as the Owner’s decimal interest in the property. The Owner is asked to sign and return the original Division Order to Valence and the copy should be retained by the Owner for their records. Valence uses this information to remit proceeds to the owners in the well.

Q. What is the difference between a royalty owner and a working interest owner?

A. A royalty owner shares in production revenues, while a working interest owner shares in both production revenues and development and operating expenses.

To ask a question about your royalty check not covered on this page, please contact the Owner Relations Department:

Owner Relations Department
Valence Operating Company
600 Rockmead Ste 200
Kingwood, TX 77339

Phone: 281-359-3659 x221 or x222
Fax: 832-644-7145
E-mail: OwnerRelations@valenceoperating.com

To obtain a copy of your check detail or joint interest billing statement, please send an email requesting this information to the Owner Relations Department at OwnerRelations@valenceoperating.com. You must include your Owner Number and current mailing address.

Our revenue system is not set up to allow owners access to their individual accounts online and we will not provide this information over the phone.

Your monthly payment may sometimes vary. Many factors contribute to your payment, including: market conditions, fluctuating commodity prices, regulatory or contractual changes, production volumes, seasonal conditions and well downtime.

Your payment differs from others in your family. This sometimes occurs because ownership between family members is not equal, because the individuals sign and return their division orders at different times or because some family members may own interest in other properties in addition to those commonly owned. Probably the most common reason for a difference in payment results from a lost or stale dated check being voided and the funds reissued, along with any current revenue.

Valence Operating Company does not offer Direct Deposit service at the present time.

Royalty checks can be mailed directly to a bank; however, the owner must provide us with the bank name, address, account number and the name of a bank representative who will be handling their account. 

Download Instructions for mailing royalty checks directly to a bank

Please do not report missing checks until the 10th day of the following month.

A replacement check will not be issued for a lost or missing check until we have been able to confirm that the check has not been cashed or presented for payment. Once the lost check has been voided, the funds will be placed back in the owner’s account and released for payment, along with any current revenue, during the next monthly checkwrite.

To notify us of a missing or lost check, select the option of your choice below:

A royalty check, which has not been deposited within 90 days, is considered stale. Your bank will not normally accept a stale check for deposit.

Stale dated checks should be returned to our office. Funds will be reissued by check during the next monthly checkwrite.

For your protection, payments are suspended upon a title dispute, the assignment of interest, notice of death, transfer of property, or in the event of a bad or unknown address. Keeping your information current can prevent this inconvenience. To update your ownership information please see the "Ownership Information" section above.

Royalty checks are PRINTED on the 25th day of each month, unless it falls on a weekend or a holiday, in which case, they are printed on the next working day of the month. Once the checks have been printed, it takes another 2-3 days to stuff all of the envelopes and meter them for postage before placing them in the mail. After mailing, it may take an additional 2-3 days for delivery depending upon the postal service in your area.

Valence's revenue system is set up with a $100 minimum payment limit. If you have been receiving very small checks and would like them to be issued more frequently, we can drop the minimum payment amount set on your account to $50 or less, so that a check will be issued whenever the balance of your account reaches or exceeds the payment limit. In order to initiate a change, we ask that you submit the request in writing to:

Owner Relations Department
Valence Operating Company
600 Rockmead Ste 200
Kingwood, TX 77339

Federal law requires that 1099 statements be mailed by January 31st of each year. Royalty interest owners receiving more than $10, and working interest owners receiving more than $600, annually, will be issued an IRS Form 1099, which summarizes your total payments and tax withholdings for the previous year. A copy of these statements may be obtained by contacting the Owner Relations Department, in writing or by email, ONLY.

Owner Relations Department
Valence Operating Company
600 Rockmead Ste 200
Kingwood, TX 77339

Phone: 281-359-3659 x221 or x222
Fax: 832-644-7145
E-mail: OwnerRelations@valenceoperating.com

If you would like to sell your royalty interest to Valence, please send a letter expressing your desire to sell the royalty interest and it will be forwarded to the management for review. Please include your Owner Number, mailing address and a telephone number.

Please send your letter to:

Division Order Department
Valence Operating Company
600 Rockmead Ste 200
Kingwood, TX 77339