If you sell the mineral rights to your land, you can keep the surface rights.
In Ohio, most individuals own the rights to their land and the minerals found below it, such as coal deposits. Land owners have the option of selling off the mineral rights of their land while retaining ownership of the surface. This process splits the ownership of the land, and sale of the land in the future could be affected.
Instructions
1. Check with your county's recorder office to determine what rights you have on your property. Not all land owners own the mineral rights to their property, because they may have been sold off years before. You cannot sell what you do not own, so find out the ownership first.
2. Advertise that the mineral rights for your land are for sale. Contact coal mining companies directly to let them know you are interested in selling the rights.
3. Receive offers on the coal.
4. Set up the sale so that the owners of the mineral rights will leave the surface intact so that you can use it as you deem fit. Some mining techniques damage the surface and make it uninhabitable. You might even consider restricting the mineral rights to just coal. All other minerals found would be considered still under your ownership.
Tags: mineral rights, rights their, land sale, mineral rights their, mineral rights your, minerals found
