What does Ohio's Dormant Mineral Act allow a surface owner to do under certain conditions?

Ohio's Dormant Mineral Act is designed to address situations where mineral rights have been separated from surface rights and may potentially become inactive or abandoned over time. The act allows surface owners to reclaim mineral rights under specific conditions if it is determined that those rights have not been exercised for a designated period—usually 20 years.

In this scenario, the surface owner can assert their claim to the mineral rights that were previously severed from their property if they can demonstrate that the mineral rights holder has not engaged in any activity to exercise those rights. This provision aims to encourage productive use of land and prevent mineral rights from being held indefinitely without development or use.

The other options involve activities that do not align with the primary purpose of the Dormant Mineral Act. Selling mineral rights for profit, transferring them to a third party, or leasing them out are not related to the act's intent of allowing surface owners to regain control of rights that have become dormant. The focus of the act is on re-acquisition of these rights by the surface owner under specific circumstances rather than engaging in transactions involving those rights.