Unless the context otherwise requires, the definitions in this article govern the construction of this chapter.

“Person” means any natural person, corporation, association, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, receiver, trustee, executor, administrator, guardian, fiduciary, or other representative of any kind and includes the state and any city, county, city and county, district or any department, agency, or instrumentality of the state or of any governmental subdivision whatsoever.

“Land” means both surface and mineral rights.

“Pool” means an underground reservoir containing, or appearing at the time of determination to contain, a common accumulation of crude petroleum oil or natural gas or both. Each zone of a general structure which is separated from any other zone in the structure is a separate pool.

“Field” means the same general surface area which is underlaid or reasonably appears to be underlaid by one or more pools.

“Tracts of land” means land areas under separate ownership which are all of the following:

“Unit agreement” means and includes, in addition to the unit agreement entered into pursuant to the provisions of Article 3 (commencing with Section 3640) of this chapter, any consent agreement or other agreement entered into in connection with, and supplemental to, such unit agreement, but does not include a unit operating agreement or any preliminary agreement confined to effectuating any exchange of interests in land which the parties to such preliminary agreement may desire. “Unit operating agreement” means an agreement, entered into by the working interest owners only, governing all operations performed by the unit operator pursuant to the unit agreement and the unit operating agreement for the production of unitized substances.

“Unit area” means all lands included within an area subject to a unit agreement entered into pursuant to the provisions of Article 3 (commencing with Section 3640) of this chapter.

“Unit production” means all oil, gas, and other hydrocarbon substances produced from a unit area from the effective date of a unit agreement approved by the supervisor pursuant to Section 3643.

“Unit operator” means the person or persons designated by the working interest owners as operator or operators of the unit area.

“Working interest” means an interest held in lands by virtue of fee title, including lands held in trust, a lease, operating agreement, or otherwise, under which the owner of such interest has the right to drill for, develop, and produce oil and gas. A working interest shall be deemed vested in the owner thereof even though his right to drill or produce may be delegated to an operator under a drilling and operating agreement, unit agreement, or other type of operating agreement.

“Working interest owner” means a person owning a working interest.

“Royalty interest” means a right to or interest in oil and gas produced from any lands or in the proceeds of the first sale thereof other than a working interest.

“Royalty interest owner” means a person owning a royalty interest.