All leases issued under the provisions of this chapter are assignable in whole or in part. The assignment shall be executed and acknowledged in the manner prescribed for conveyance in this state and shall be filed in the office of the commissioner. Any assignment is subject to the consent of the commissioner who may not withhold his consent unreasonably. The approval of the commissioner shall be noted upon the assignment. The commissioner shall prescribe by rule promulgated pursuant to chapter 1-26 the form to be used for such assignments and shall fix a reasonable fee for the filing, recording and approval of the assignment. Upon approval by the commissioner of an assignment, the assignee is the successor to all of the rights and privileges of the assignor with respect to such tracts and shall be held to have assumed all of the duties and obligations of the assignor to the state as to such tracts. However, the record owner of any mineral lease may enter into any contract for the development of the leasehold premises or any portion thereof, or may create overriding royalties or obligations payable out of production, or enter into any other agreements with respect to the development of the leasehold premises or disposition of the production therefrom, and it is not necessary for any such contracts, agreements or other instruments to be approved by the commissioner of school and public lands. Nothing in this section relieves the record title owner of such lease from complying with any of the terms or provisions thereof. In any controversy respecting any such contracts, agreements or other instruments entered into by such lessee with other persons, neither the State of South Dakota nor the commissioner of school and public lands is a necessary party. All such contracts and other instruments shall be filed in the office of the commissioner of school and public lands and recorded in the office of the register of deeds of the county where the lands are situated, and the filing or recording thereof shall constitute public notice of the existence and contents of the instruments so filed or recorded. The commissioner may by rule promulgated pursuant to chapter 1-26 prescribe a reasonable fee for the filing of such instruments in the office of the commissioner of school and public lands. The production of minerals upon any lands embraced in any mineral lease shall continue such lease as to all of the land embraced therein for as long thereafter as any mineral or minerals in paying quantities are being produced in accordance with the provisions thereof, regardless of any assignment of all or a portion of the lease which may have been made prior or subsequent to the production.

Source: SL 1993, ch 53, § 17.