Oklahoma Administrative Code Title 385 - Department of the Commissioners of the Land Office
Here’s an overview of Oklahoma Administrative Code Title 385, which governs the Department of the Commissioners of the Land Office (“Land Office”):
📘 Structure of Title 385
Title 385 is divided into several chapters, each covering specific aspects of Land Office operations:
Chapter 1 – Administrative Organization and Operations (§ 385:1‑1‑1 to 1‑1‑13)
Chapter 10 – [Revoked] (§ 385:10‑1‑1 to 10‑1‑18)
Chapter 15 – Sale & Operation of Oil and Gas Leases (§ 385:15‑1‑1 to 15‑1‑34)
Chapter 20 – Sale & Operation of Hard Rock Mining and Other Mineral Leases (§ 385:20‑1‑1 to 20‑1‑23)
Chapter 25 – Surface Leasing for Agricultural & Commercial Purposes (§ 385:25‑1‑1 to 25‑1‑44)
Chapter 30 – Sale of School Land (§ 385:30‑1‑1 to 30‑1‑9)
Chapter 35 – Loan of Abstracts [Revoked] (§ 385:35‑1‑1 to 35‑1‑4)
Chapter 40 – Guarantee Program for School District Bonds (§ 385:40‑1‑1 to 40‑1‑12)
🔍 Highlights from Key Chapters
Chapter 1 – Administrative Organization and Operations
§ 385:1‑1‑2 Commissioners: The Land Office board comprises the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, State Auditor & Inspector, Superintendent of Public Instruction, and President of the Board of Agriculture. The Governor serves as ex officio chairman; a Vice‑Chair is selected from the remaining board members
Other sections cover purpose, office structure, meetings, fee schedules, and public information requests. Several provisions have been revoked.
Chapter 15 – Oil & Gas Leases
Establishes procedures for leasing oil and gas mineral interests on school and public trust lands, including competitive bidding, lease terms, royalties, bonding, operations, and enforcement actions
Chapter 25 – Surface Leasing (Agricultural & Commercial)
§ 385:25‑1‑33 outlines standards for appraisal and rent:
A fair‑market appraisal is required before leasing.
Leases must maintain fair‑market value via escalators, percentage rents, or re‑appraisals.
Acceptable valuation methods must use independently verifiable sources.
📌 Usage & Authority
Title 385 contains the official administrative rules governing how the Land Office manages its public lands—covering governance, resource management, lease sales, and related financial guarantees
Updates are released quarterly, with the current publicly indexed version updated through Vol. 42, No. 13, March 17, 2025
🧭 Next Steps / Resources
Official PDFs: The Oklahoma Land Office publishes chapters (e.g. Chapter 1 marked‑up version from 2020) on its site
State admin code portals: Cornell’s LII and Justia provide seahable versions of Title 385. The Secretary of State’s rules portal is also a primary source
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