As the exploration and development of oil and gas has increased significantly in recent years, newly identified oil and gas reserves are creating opportunities across the United States. In some cases, oil and gas development occurs on lands where surface rights and the right to extract oil and gas resources-called mineral rights-are owned by different parties. In these cases, known as split estates, each party has its own set of property rights. In a number of states, mineral rights are considered the dominant estate, meaning those rights take precedence over the rights of surface owners. However, the mineral owner is not free to completely disregard the rights of surface owners and generally must limit surface interference to what is reasonably necessary to extract oil and gas.