Mineral rights are legal rights that entitle the owner to explore, mine, and produce the oil or gas on or below the surface of a property. In the state of Texas, the common use of the term mineral rights is construed to be oil, gas, or other associated products including casing head gas, gasoline, etc. It is not intended to include water rights or the rights of those minerals that can be mined on the surface, such as strip mines for coal.

In most countries of the world, all mineral rights belong to the government. In the United States, all mineral rights originally belonged to the owner of the surface of a parcel of land. As mineral production became economically advantageous, ownership of mineral rights often began to be separated from surface ownership. Mineral rights can be sold or leased to a third party. They may also be gifted or passed down as an inheritance to family members.