Texas Drilling Permits: How to Search RRC Permits by County
How to search Texas drilling permits by county in the Railroad Commission's W-1 Query, what each permit code means, and which counties get the most permits.
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TOPIC
Texas Oil and Gas Data
The Railroad Commission of Texas regulates oil and gas in the state, and its public data is spread across several separate tools: an online query for well records, a GIS viewer for maps, and lease-level production reports. These posts explain what each one holds and how to get from a well to its production.
The Texas posts also look at the fields themselves, including the Permian Basin and the changes in its output, and at how production reported by lease relates to the wells on it. For state-level counts and a map of Texas wells, see the Texas data page.
Several posts start from a specific question, such as finding a well by API number, operator or lease, and walk through the Commission's screens to answer it. Others step back to the fields and basins and compare what the public data shows over time.
11 posts in this topic
Texas Oil and Gas Map: 1.2 Million Well Records on One Map
A Texas oil and gas map of about 1.2 million RRC well records: production, inspections, pipelines and orphan wells on one map, plus gas analysis where sampled.
Permian Basin Oil Fields: Every Well, County and Operator
The Permian Basin holds 389,187 wells on record across West Texas and southeastern New Mexico. Counts, counties, operators, and 2024 production, on one map.
Texas Oil Fields: 65,000 Names and Two Drilling Eras
Texas files 65,038 field designations that roll up to 23,923 fields. Most contain no horizontal well at all, and a few hundred hold the shale inventory.
Saltwater Disposal Wells: Counts by State and Where to Find Them
Seven states permit 45,637 saltwater disposal wells, Texas 36,918 of them. State-by-state counts, why shares differ, and the agency files behind each number.
RRC GIS Viewer: Every Texas Railroad Commission Map Layer
The Texas Railroad Commission GIS viewer in plain terms: all 22 map layers, how to download RRC GIS data, and why production and permits are not on the map.
Oil Field Map: Find Every Well in a Named Field, State by State
Texas well records carry 55,791 field names, Colorado 1,556 and Wyoming 1,174. What a field name means, where outlines exist, and how to map its wells.
RRC Wellbore Query: Search Tips and Fixes for Empty Results
How to search the Texas RRC Wellbore Query by API, operator or lease, which field is fastest, why a search comes back empty, and where production lives.
Class II Injection Wells and the Other UIC Classes, Explained
About 180,000 Class II oil and gas injection wells operate in the US, most for enhanced recovery, not disposal. The six UIC classes and where records live.
Natural Gas Pipeline Map for Texas and the Permian Basin
Texas gas pipeline map from RRC records, densest in the Permian Basin near Midland and Odessa, with 1,292 PHMSA incidents logged from 2010 through mid-2026.
Southern Permian Oil Jumped 14% in 2024: Emissions Impact
Southern Permian oil (RRC District 7C) jumped 14% to 186M barrels in 2024. Compliance and ops implications for associated gas and methane intensity.