Property Ownership

In Oklahoma, surface rights and mineral rights may be owned separately. The mineral estate owner has the right to:

AUse the surface in any way they choose
BReasonable use of the surface to access and extract minerals, but must compensate the surface owner for damages✓ Correct
CPrevent the surface owner from building on the property
DSell the surface estate independently of the mineral estate

Explanation

In Oklahoma, the mineral estate owner (or their lessee) has the right to reasonably use the surface to access minerals but must compensate the surface owner for damages caused. Oklahoma's Surface Damage Act provides statutory protections for surface owners.

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