What Are Mineral Rights? The Complete Guide to Owning, Leasing and Selling Them

This comprehensive guide explains the concept of mineral rights in the United States, focusing on oil and gas. It details how land ownership is split into surface and mineral estates, with severance common in states like Texas and Oklahoma. The article outlines three common paths to ownership: inheritance, direct purchase, and retained ownership. It warns against scams such as lowball mail offers and fraudulent deeds, and provides guidance on valuation, tax advantages under 2026 estate tax rules, and key lease terms like bonus, royalty, and Pugh clause. The guide emphasizes that owning surface land does not guarantee mineral rights and advises consulting an attorney or title company to verify ownership.