North Dakota Century Code Title 38. Mining and Gas and Oil Production § 38-09-18. Terms of lease--Unit operation

All leases for the purposes as hereinbefore provided shall be made by the state of North Dakota and all agencies and departments and political subdivisions thereof for not less than twenty-five cents per acre [.40 hectare] per year for deferred drilling and shall be made with a royalty reservation of not less than one-eighth of all oil and gas produced from said land as long as oil and gas may be produced from said land. The term one-eighth as used herein must be construed to mean one-eighth of such interest as may be owned by the lessor. All leases hereunder must be made for a period of not less than five years and must continue in effect under the terms thereof as long as oil or gas may be produced thereon in commercial quantities. The state of North Dakota and all agencies, departments, and political subdivisions thereof, are specifically authorized to enter into agreements for the consolidation of land covered by leases on lands under the jurisdiction of such bodies with other adjoining or neighboring lands for the purpose of joint development and operation of the entire consolidated premises as a unit. In such a case, such agreement must provide that the lessor shall share in the royalty on oil and gas produced from a consolidated tract in the proportion that the area of the land covered by such lease bears to the total area of such consolidated tract, or upon such other royalty sharing basis as may appear equitable to the governing body controlling or administering such lands; and operations or production on such consolidated tract shall have the same effect as operations or production under the terms of each such lease included therein.