§ 17A.5. Petition to create oil drilling district - Information to be supplied by petitioner; size of district.

A petition to the city council for the creation by ordinance of an oil drilling district shall contain a statement that the petitioner has the proprietary or contractual authority to drill for and produce oil, gas, or other hydrocarbon substances under the surface of at least seventy-five per cent of the mineral interest to be included in such district and that adequate protection has been afforded the payment of royalties to parties not so granting the remaining mineral interest in such district.

The city engineer may request the petitioner in writing to submit for inspection copies of leases and contracts held by the petitioner in support of such asserted proprietary or contractual authority. Further, the city engineer may request the petitioner, at the petitioner's own expense, to supply to the city engineer a preliminary title report from a recognized title insurance company, indicating the name or names of the parties holding a proprietary or contractual interest sufficient to grant to the petitioner at least seventy-five per cent of the mineral interest to be included in such district. All such leases, contracts, and title reports shall be subject to the approval of the city attorney.

The district described in such petition shall normally be forty acres or more in area, including all streets, ways and alleys within the boundary thereof, and shall be substantially compact in area; and the boundaries thereof shall follow public streets, ways, or alleys so far as practicable. (Ord. No. 764, § 5.)