Michigan § 554.281 - Oil, gas or mineral lease; forfeiture; procedure for surrender, effect on record.

When any oil, gas or other mineral lease heretofore or hereafter given on land situated in any county of Michigan and recorded therein shall become forfeited, it shall be the duty of the lessee, his successors or assigns, within 60 days from the date of the taking effect of this act, if the forfeiture occurred prior thereto, and within 30 days after the date of the forfeiture of any other lease, to have such lease surrendered in writing, such surrender to be signed by the party making the same, his successors or assigns, witnessed and acknowledged and placed on record in the county where the leased land is situated, without cost to the owner thereof: Provided, That if the said lessee, his successors or assigns shall fail or neglect to execute and record such surrender within the time provided for, then the owner of said land may at any time after forfeiture serve upon said lessee, his successors or assigns, in person, or by registered letter, at his last known address, or by publication for 3 consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the county where the land is situated, a notice in writing in substantially the following form:

"To ................: I, the undersigned, owner of the following described land situated in ............... county, Michigan, to-wit: (description of land) upon which a lease dated the .......... day of ..............., 19...., was given to ..............., lessee, do hereby notify you that the terms of said lease have been broken by the owner thereof, that I hereby elect to declare and do declare the said lease forfeited and void, and that unless you do within 30 days from this date notify the register of deeds of said county as provided by law, that said lease has been forfeited, I will file with the said register of deeds an affidavit of forfeiture as provided by law; and I hereby demand that you execute or have executed a proper surrender of said lease and that you put the same on record in the office of the register of deeds in said county within 30 days from this date.

Dated this ............... day of ..............., 19....

..................."

And the owner of said land may after 30 days from the date of service, registration or first publication of said notice, file with the register of deeds of the county where said land is situated, an affidavit setting forth that the affiant is the owner of said land; that the lessee, or his successors or assigns, has failed and neglected to comply with the terms of said lease, reciting the facts constituting such failure; that the same has been forfeited and is void; and setting out in said affidavit a copy of the notice served as above provided and the manner and time of the service thereof.

If the lessee, his successors or assigns, shall within 30 days after the filing of such affidavit, give notice in writing to the register of deeds of the county where said lands are located that said lease has not been forfeited and that said lessee, his successors or assigns, still claim that said lease is still in full force and effect, then the said affidavit shall not be recorded, but the register of deeds shall notify the owner of the lands of the action of the lessee, his successors or assigns, and the owner of the land shall be entitled to the remedies now provided by law, for the cancellation of such disputed lease. If the lessee, his successors or assigns, shall not notify the register of deeds as above provided, then the register of deeds shall record said affidavit and thereupon the said lease shall be null and void and of no legal effect, and thereafter the record of the said lease shall not be notice to the public of the existence of said lease or of any interest therein or rights thereunder, and said record shall not be received in evidence in any court of the state on behalf of the lessee, his successors or assigns against the lessor, his successors or assigns.