Section LineLand Services

Contract role

Title examiner, abstractor and runsheet preparer

Someone who can run a chain of title from the county record and write it up so another person can follow it.

Summary

Title examiners and abstractors do the record search at the center of our work. Most of it can be done from online county records. Some counties still need a trip to the courthouse.

Duties

  • Search county indexes and pull each instrument that touches a tract.
  • Read deeds, leases, assignments, probate records, easements, mortgages and judgments.
  • Build runsheets, abstracts, ownership reports and flowcharts in the format the client wants.
  • Plot metes and bounds descriptions when the description needs it.
  • Write notes on gaps, conflicts and anything that needs an attorney's attention.
  • Keep each project file organized so every row ties to an image.

Requirements

These are the things postings for this work usually ask for.

  • Two to four or more years of oil and gas title experience. Postings usually say that residential or mortgage title alone is not enough.
  • Experience with the online record system or courthouse in the counties you will search.
  • Excel, Adobe Acrobat and, for some projects, deed plotting or GIS tools.
  • A way to explain how you run names and make sure nothing is missed. Some postings ask this outright.
  • Your own computer and a quiet place to work. A vehicle if courthouse trips are needed.

Day-rate range

$250 to $425 per day

Typical market range. Final rate is set by experience and project.

Postings for remote abstractors listed $250 to $350 a day and from $325 a day. An Oklahoma title posting listed $325 to $400. A self-reported rate table showed title work at $250 to $425.

Where these ranges come from: public contract job postings on job boards and company career pages, pay reporting published by the American Association of Professional Landmen (AAPL), an industry cost report and pay discussions among working landmen, read in October 2026. Rates differ by region, such as the Permian Basin, the Williston Basin, the DJ Basin and Appalachia, and by experience. They are market ranges, not an offer.

How we pay

1099 independent contractor, invoiced each week or every two weeks. Rate and terms are confirmed in writing before work starts.

How to apply

Email [email protected] with the checklist on the how to apply page and your resume attached. We keep a roster and write to people as projects come up. There is no set opening for this role.

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Other roles

Interested in this role?

Email [email protected] with your experience and your rate expectation. Attach your resume. Clients with a project, large or small, easy or hard, can send a scope or ask for a quote at [email protected].

Email a note How to apply