Webb County, Texas
Webb County lease offers: what the record shows
A middle lease, not a forecast.
Your offer
Is this Webb County offer in line?
Your land
Is anyone drilling near your Webb County tract?
- Drilling locations533Permits issued in the last two years
- Producing wells6,394On a lease reporting production now
- Not producing1,596Shut in, inactive or no lease on record
- Plugged349The state's wellbore record says plugged
Sources: Railroad Commission of Texas well layers and permit files, US Census Bureau county outline, base map from USGS The National Map. A dot is a surface location; a horizontal well runs a mile or more from it.
In dollars
What each royalty paid in Webb County
One acre, in a 8,936-acre unit
- 1/8$210
- 3/16$310
- 1/5$330
- 1/4$410
Going from 3/16 to 1/4 was worth about $100 an acre in the first 36 months. A higher bonus is paid once. A higher royalty is paid on every barrel for the life of the wells.
The acres you own, as the offer counts them.
Starts at the middle unit of new Webb County wells.
| Royalty | 12 months | 24 months | 36 months |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/8 | $130 | $180 | $210 |
| 3/16 | $190 | $260 | $310 |
| 1/5 | $210 | $280 | $330 |
| 1/4 | $260 | $350 | $410 |
| Median lease sold | $9.2 million (1165 leases) | $12.5 million (911 leases) | $14.7 million (708 leases) |
An estimate from Railroad Commission production at monthly benchmark prices, before severance tax and any costs a lease lets the company take off, and not discounted. A state lease record can hold more than one well. It is what a middle new lease did in the past, not a forecast for your land, and a bonus is certain while a well is not.
The other side of the table
Who is drilling in Webb County
549 drilling permits in 24 months, taken by 24 companies. EOG Resources, Inc. holds 23% of them.
- EOG Resources, Inc.128
- SM Energy Company74
- Lewis Petro Properties, Inc.72
- Silverbow Resources Oper, LLC54
- Caturus Energy, LLC43
- Kimmeridge Texas Gas, LLC30
- Rosetta Resources Operating LP24
- Crescent Energy Operating, LLC14
Permits the Railroad Commission issued in the last 24 months, cancelled ones left out. The name on a permit is the operator; the offer in your hand may come from a broker working for one of them.
Who sent yours?
Type the company on the offer. We check it against the state's list of registered operators and its permits in Webb County.
The record
What the State's leases in Webb County paid
State Relinquishment Act leases, the State's half of the bonus
Jan 2022 to Sep 2026, State land
- Leases
- 194
- Median
- $375
- Bonus per acre, middle half
- $300 to $500
- Royalty
- 25%
State sealed-bid sales
Nov 2022 to May 2024, State land
- Leases
- 2
- Median
- $1,028
- Bonus per acre, middle half
- Too few to give a range
- Royalty
- 25%
| Source | Leases | Bonus per acre, middle half | Median | Royalty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State Relinquishment Act leases, the State's half of the bonusJan 2022 to Sep 2026, State land | 194 | $300 to $500 | $375 | 25% |
| State sealed-bid salesNov 2022 to May 2024, State land | 2 | Too few to give a range | $1,028 | 25% |
Figures are for Webb County. State figures come from the General Land Office's past bid sales. Shared offers are moderated and shown only as a range of at least three offers from at least three people. The State leases State land, so its prices are a reference, not what a private owner will be offered.
Each State lease, newest first
$1,400 an acreSep 2026
Relinquishment Act · 856 acres · 1/4 royalty · 3 yr
Segundo Navarro Drilling, Ltd.
$500 an acreJul 2026
Relinquishment Act · 320 acres · 1/4 royalty · 1 yr
Segundo Navarro Drilling, Ltd.
$1,500 an acreMay 2026
Relinquishment Act · 640 acres · 1/4 royalty · 3 yr
Segundo Navarro Drilling, Ltd.
$1,750 an acreApr 2026
Relinquishment Act · 320 acres · 1/4 royalty · 3 yr
SM Energy Co.
$1,500 an acreMar 2026
Relinquishment Act · 80 acres · 1/4 royalty · 3 yr
Segundo Navarro Drilling, Ltd.
$100 an acreMar 2026
Relinquishment Act · 704 acres · 1/4 royalty · 1 yr
Caturus Energy, LLC
$600 an acreJan 2026
Relinquishment Act · 120 acres · 1/4 royalty · 1 yr
Escondido Resources II, LLC
$1,100 an acreDec 2025
Relinquishment Act · 76 acres · 1/4 royalty · 3 yr
Segundo Navarro Drilling, Ltd.
$1,100 an acreDec 2025
Relinquishment Act · 84 acres · 1/4 royalty · 3 yr
Segundo Navarro Drilling, Ltd.
$250 an acreAug 2025
Relinquishment Act · 166 acres · 1/4 royalty · 1 yr
Segundo Navarro Drilling, Ltd.
$1,250 an acreJun 2025
Relinquishment Act · 90 acres · 1/4 royalty · 3 yr
Segundo Navarro Drilling, Ltd.
$1,000 an acreApr 2025
Relinquishment Act · 20 acres · 1/4 royalty · 3 yr
EOG Resources, Inc.
$1,500 an acreApr 2025
Relinquishment Act · 15 acres · 1/4 royalty · 3 yr
EOG Resources, Inc.
$1,013 an acreApr 2025
Relinquishment Act · 320 acres · 1/4 royalty · 3 yr
Segundo Navarro Drilling, Ltd.
$1,000 an acreApr 2025
Relinquishment Act · 77 acres · 1/4 royalty · 3 yr
Segundo Navarro Drilling, Ltd.
$600 an acreNov 2024
Relinquishment Act · 9 acres · 1/4 royalty · 3 yr
EOG Resources, Inc.
$4,000 an acreNov 2024
Relinquishment Act · 1 acres · 1/4 royalty
EOG Resources, Inc.
$1,250 an acreNov 2024
Relinquishment Act · 10 acres · 1/4 royalty · 3 yr
EOG Resources, Inc.
$425 an acreOct 2024
Relinquishment Act · 20 acres · 1/4 royalty
EOG Resources, Inc.
$600 an acreOct 2024
Relinquishment Act · 10 acres · 1/4 royalty
EOG Resources, Inc.
$650 an acreOct 2024
Relinquishment Act · 1 acres · 1/4 royalty · 3 yr
EOG Resources, Inc.
$493 an acreOct 2024
Relinquishment Act · 12 acres · 1/4 royalty
EOG Resources, Inc.
$1,500 an acreSep 2024
Relinquishment Act · 640 acres · 1/4 royalty · 3 yr
Segundo Navarro Drilling, Ltd.
$1,500 an acreSep 2024
Relinquishment Act · 123 acres · 1/4 royalty · 3 yr
Segundo Navarro Drilling, Ltd.
$650 an acreJul 2024
Relinquishment Act · 11 acres · 1/4 royalty · 3 yr
EOG Resources, Inc.
| Date | Kind | Acres | Bonus an acre | Royalty | Term | Company |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2026 | Relinquishment Act | 856 | $1,400 | 1/4 | 3 yr | Segundo Navarro Drilling, Ltd. |
| Jul 2026 | Relinquishment Act | 320 | $500 | 1/4 | 1 yr | Segundo Navarro Drilling, Ltd. |
| May 2026 | Relinquishment Act | 640 | $1,500 | 1/4 | 3 yr | Segundo Navarro Drilling, Ltd. |
| Apr 2026 | Relinquishment Act | 320 | $1,750 | 1/4 | 3 yr | SM Energy Co. |
| Mar 2026 | Relinquishment Act | 80 | $1,500 | 1/4 | 3 yr | Segundo Navarro Drilling, Ltd. |
| Mar 2026 | Relinquishment Act | 704 | $100 | 1/4 | 1 yr | Caturus Energy, LLC |
| Jan 2026 | Relinquishment Act | 120 | $600 | 1/4 | 1 yr | Escondido Resources II, LLC |
| Dec 2025 | Relinquishment Act | 76 | $1,100 | 1/4 | 3 yr | Segundo Navarro Drilling, Ltd. |
| Dec 2025 | Relinquishment Act | 84 | $1,100 | 1/4 | 3 yr | Segundo Navarro Drilling, Ltd. |
| Aug 2025 | Relinquishment Act | 166 | $250 | 1/4 | 1 yr | Segundo Navarro Drilling, Ltd. |
| Jun 2025 | Relinquishment Act | 90 | $1,250 | 1/4 | 3 yr | Segundo Navarro Drilling, Ltd. |
| Apr 2025 | Relinquishment Act | 20 | $1,000 | 1/4 | 3 yr | EOG Resources, Inc. |
| Apr 2025 | Relinquishment Act | 15 | $1,500 | 1/4 | 3 yr | EOG Resources, Inc. |
| Apr 2025 | Relinquishment Act | 320 | $1,013 | 1/4 | 3 yr | Segundo Navarro Drilling, Ltd. |
| Apr 2025 | Relinquishment Act | 77 | $1,000 | 1/4 | 3 yr | Segundo Navarro Drilling, Ltd. |
| Nov 2024 | Relinquishment Act | 9 | $600 | 1/4 | 3 yr | EOG Resources, Inc. |
| Nov 2024 | Relinquishment Act | 1 | $4,000 | 1/4 | EOG Resources, Inc. | |
| Nov 2024 | Relinquishment Act | 10 | $1,250 | 1/4 | 3 yr | EOG Resources, Inc. |
| Oct 2024 | Relinquishment Act | 20 | $425 | 1/4 | EOG Resources, Inc. | |
| Oct 2024 | Relinquishment Act | 10 | $600 | 1/4 | EOG Resources, Inc. | |
| Oct 2024 | Relinquishment Act | 1 | $650 | 1/4 | 3 yr | EOG Resources, Inc. |
| Oct 2024 | Relinquishment Act | 12 | $493 | 1/4 | EOG Resources, Inc. | |
| Sep 2024 | Relinquishment Act | 640 | $1,500 | 1/4 | 3 yr | Segundo Navarro Drilling, Ltd. |
| Sep 2024 | Relinquishment Act | 123 | $1,500 | 1/4 | 3 yr | Segundo Navarro Drilling, Ltd. |
| Jul 2024 | Relinquishment Act | 11 | $650 | 1/4 | 3 yr | EOG Resources, Inc. |
The 25 newest of 196 State leases in five years. A Relinquishment Act lease is negotiated by a surface owner as the State's agent, and the two split the bonus and the royalty in half. The land office records the State's half of the bonus, shown here as recorded; the royalty shown is the whole royalty of the lease. A lessee who is a private person is not named.
| Year | Relinquishment Act leases, the State's half | State sealed-bid sales |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $1,400 (7 leases) | None |
| 2025 | $1,056 (8 leases) | None |
| 2024 | $650 (14 leases) | $500 (1 lease) |
| 2023 | $675 (6 leases) | None |
| 2022 | $375 (159 leases) | $1,556 (1 lease) |
| 2021 | $200 (5 leases) | None |
| 2020 | $500 (1 lease) | None |
| 2019 | $325 (11 leases) | None |
| 2018 | $2,675 (6 leases) | None |
The nearest counties with State leases
Nearest by distance to Webb County among counties with five or more State leases in five years. Nearby is not the same rock: a county line can sit on a very different part of the basin, so read these as a hint.
The clock
From a permit to a check in Webb County
- Middle unit size
- 8,936 ac
- acres the operator assigned to 962 new horizontal wells
- Middle well length
- 2.0 mi
- straight line from the surface to the end of the well, 953 wells
You sign
The first term starts. Nothing obliges the company to drill.
A permit is issued
267 in Webb County in the last 12 months.
The well is finished
Often a year or more after the permit.
The first check
Due within 120 days after the end of the month of first sale.
31% of those new horizontal wells are pooled, allocation or production-sharing wells, which is why the pooling clause of a lease matters here. The first-payment rule is Texas Natural Resources Code section 91.402(a). Counts come from Railroad Commission permit and wellbore records; a permit with no completion on file yet may still be drilled.
Your position
What if I do not sign?
Nothing happens on the deadline. An offer is an invitation. The date on it is the company's, not the law's, and a company that wants your acres usually still wants them a month later.
If you own all the minerals under the tract, a company needs a lease or another agreement from you to produce the oil and gas under it. A well on a neighbour's land can still drain oil and gas from under yours, which is the real cost of waiting a long time.
If you own a share with others, a co-owner, or a company that leased from one, may drill without your consent. It must then account to you for your share of what the well produces, less your share of the reasonable costs of producing and selling it. You owe nothing if the well fails. You are paid from production only after those costs are covered, and no bonus is paid to you.
Texas has no broad forced pooling. Unlike Oklahoma or North Dakota, Texas does not let a company add an unwilling owner to a unit as a matter of course. Its compulsory pooling statute, the Mineral Interest Pooling Act, applies only under set conditions and after a fair offer to pool by agreement.
The paper
How to read the offer letter
Sample letter, made up
Dear Mineral Owner,
Our client wishes to lease your mineral interest in the J. Doe Survey, A-000, Webb County, Texas. We are pleased to offer:
- Bonus: $3,000 per net mineral acre
- Term: three (3) years, with an option to extend two (2) years
- Royalty: one-fifth (1/5)
Payment will be made by 30-day bank draft, subject to approval of title. This offer is valid for ten (10) days.
Sincerely,
A Landman
Net acres, not gross. The bonus is paid on the acres you own, not on the size of the tract. Half the minerals under 80 acres is 40 net acres.
A term plus an option is a longer term. A "3+2" lets the company hold your acres five years. The option is its choice, usually at a price fixed today.
A royalty is only as good as its cost wording. 1/4 with gathering, treating and transport taken off can pay less than 1/5 without. The letter rarely says which.
A draft is not a check. A bank draft gives the company a set number of days to approve your title and pay. If it decides not to, the draft comes back unpaid. Ask for a short window and keep the signed lease until the money clears.
The deadline is theirs. "Valid for 10 days" is how offers are written. Asking questions does not withdraw an offer the company still wants.
Is it a lease, or an offer to buy?
A lease pays a bonus and a royalty, runs for a term, and you still own the minerals. An offer to buy pays one sum for a mineral deed or conveyance, names no royalty and no term, and you own nothing afterwards. If the paper says “purchase”, “convey” or “deed”, it is the second kind.
The lease
Eight clauses, and why they matter in Webb County
Royalty and costs
A royalty free of the costs of gathering, treating, compressing and moving the oil and gas.
Here: The State's own leases in Webb County most often carry 1/4.
Term and option
Three years and no option, or a full new bonus if the option is used.
Here: 549 drilling permits were issued here in 24 months. The State allows no option to extend on its Relinquishment Act leases.
Pooling
A limit on the size of the unit your acres can be put in.
Here: 31% of new horizontal wells here are pooled, allocation or production-sharing wells; the middle unit is 8,936 acres.
Release of undrilled land and depths
Land outside a producing unit, and depths below the deepest producing rock, come back to you when the first term ends.
Here: 99% of permits here are horizontal: one well can hold a wide tract and a single layer of rock.
Flared gas
Royalty on gas that is flared or used on the lease, not only on gas that is sold.
Here: Less than 0.1% of the gas reported in Webb County in the last 12 reported months was vented or flared.
Shut-in wells
A cap on how long a shut-in payment can hold the lease with no production.
Surface
No well pad, road or pipeline on your surface without a separate agreement, if you own the surface.
Audit and records
The right to see the sales records behind your checks.
What owners commonly ask for, as general information. Whether a clause suits your land is a question for a Texas oil and gas lawyer. The lease scan finds these clauses in your own paper and quotes the sentence.
Lease offer review · $49 once
Holding the lease itself? Every clause of this lease explained, with better wording to ask for. Scan it free first and see how many clauses are worth asking to change.
Your reply
Questions to send back to the company
- Which operator is this lease for, and can the lease be assigned without my consent?
- The State's own leases in Webb County most often carry a 1/4 royalty. Will you match it?
- Will the royalty be free of the costs of gathering, treating, compressing and transporting, in those words?
- State records show the median new lease here sold $14.7 million in its first 36 months, which is about $410 an acre at 1/4 against $310 at 3/16. How does your offer account for that difference?
- The Railroad Commission issued 549 drilling permits in Webb County in 24 months. Why does this lease need a term longer than three years or an option to extend?
- Will land outside a producing unit, and depths below the deepest producing formation, be released at the end of the first term?
- How is the bonus paid, and if by draft, how many days until it is honoured?
Questions to ask, not legal advice.
Two or three offers
Bigger bonus or bigger royalty?
Your land
The same land for every offer. Then fill in each offer below.
County
Webb County, Texas
Your share of the tract's mineral acres. Half the minerals under 20 acres is 10.
We start at 1,280. Use the size in the offer or a division order if you know it.
OFFERA
Paid once, when you sign.
As the offer writes it: 1/4, 3/16, 25% or 0.25.
How long the lease lasts if nothing is drilled.
- BONUS AT SIGNING
- $50,000(most up front)$5,000 × 10 net acres
- YOUR SHARE OF THE UNIT
- 0.0014648418.75% royalty × 10 ÷ 1,280 unit acres
- TERM
- 3 years.
OFFERB
Paid once, when you sign.
As the offer writes it: 1/4, 3/16, 25% or 0.25.
How long the lease lasts if nothing is drilled.
- BONUS AT SIGNING
- $40,000$4,000 × 10 net acres
- YOUR SHARE OF THE UNIT
- 0.00195313(highest royalty)25% royalty × 10 ÷ 1,280 unit acres
- TERM
- 3 years, plus 2 more if the company uses its option ($10,000, left out).
Have a third offer?
Option payments
Left out: we do not assume the company extends the lease. The company decides whether to use an option, so leaving it out is the cautious comparison.
A worked example. Put in the offers you have.
The break-even
Offer A pays $10,000 more up front, but offer B pays you more once the wells in the unit sell over $20.5 million of oil and gas in all.
That is about 250,000 barrels of oil at $82.08, the average WTI price of the last 12 months (through October 2026).
Offer B catches up at $20.5 million of sales.
Middle half of new leases in Webb CountyMedianBreak-evenEstimate, not a prediction for your land
THE WORKING
- Bonus, offer A$5,000 × 10 net acres
- $50,000
- Bonus, offer B$4,000 × 10 net acres
- $40,000
- Bonus difference, B minus AOffer A pays more up front
- −$10,000
- Your share, offer A
- 0.00146484
- Your share, offer B
- 0.00195313
- Share difference, B minus A
- +0.00048828
- Break-even gross sales$10,000 ÷ 0.00048828
- $20,480,000
- Average WTI oil price, last 12 monthsThrough October 2026
- $82.08
- The break-even in barrels of oilBreak-even ÷ average price
- 249,513 bbl
What this comparison assumes
- Both offers cover the same land in the same unit, so the same wells and the same sales.
- A dollar of royalty in ten years counts the same as a dollar of bonus today.
- Royalty is figured on gross sales, before severance tax and any costs the lease lets the company take out.
- Option payments are left out: we do not assume the company extends the lease.
- The first term is shown but not used. It does not tell us when, or whether, a well is drilled.
- Your net acres do not move the break-even. The unit’s size does: a unit twice as big doubles it.
Estimate · about the county, not your land
What new leases in Webb County sold
The gross value of the oil and gas that Railroad Commission leases in Webb County sold in their first 12, 24 and 36 months of production, for leases that started producing in the last six years. It tells you about leases in the county. It is not a prediction for your land or for when, or whether, a well is drilled on it.
- The median new lease in Webb County had sold $14.7 million by 36 months, less than the $20.5 million it takes here. That is the longest period in the record, and we do not guess past it.
| Months since first production | Median | Middle half |
|---|---|---|
| 12 months1,165 leases | $9.2M | $4.2M to $13.8M |
| 24 months911 leases | $12.5M | $4.8M to $18.8M |
| 36 months708 leases | $14.7M | $4.6M to $21.8M |
M means million dollars. The middle half runs from the lower quarter to the upper quarter: a quarter of the leases sold less, a quarter sold more. Half sold more than the median and half less.
How this estimate is made
- A Railroad Commission lease stands in for a unit. It is not your unit, and its wells are not your wells.
- Months count from the first month the lease shows production in the record we hold, which may not be its very first.
- A lease counts only when every month of the period was reported.
- Volumes the operator reported moving, priced at each month's WTI oil and Henry Hub gas prices. Some of those volumes are not sales, so this is a gross value, not money anyone received.
- One Mcf of gas is counted as one MMBtu.
- Before taxes and costs, with no discounting.
- Between 12, 24 and 36 months we draw a straight line from one median to the next.
- The leases counted at 12, 24 and 36 months are not all the same leases.
- We say nothing about when drilling starts or when a well first produces.
SourceRailroad Commission production reports, priced at the EIA’s monthly WTI and Henry Hub averages; worked out Nov 9, 2026.
Each offer against Webb County’s lease record
OFFER A
- The State's half of the bonus on those leases was $300 to $500 an acre, median $375, so the whole bonus on a middle lease was about $750 an acre. Set your $5,000 against the whole figure.From 194 Relinquishment Act leases in Webb County recorded by the General Land Office, 2022 to 2026 (a surface owner leasing for the State, who keeps half: the figures are the State's half of the bonus as its records show it).
- Your bonus of $5,000 an acre compares with $764 and $1,292 an acre in the two leases on record. That is too few to call a range.From 2 State-land leases the General Land Office sold by sealed bid in Webb County, 2022 to 2024 (competitive bids on State land). A thin record.
- The lease's royalty of 3/16 compares with 1/4, the most common one in General Land Office leases for Webb County.From the most common royalty in General Land Office leases for Webb County.
- The lease's first term of 3 years compares with a median of 3 years in Webb County.From the median first term in General Land Office leases for Webb County.
OFFER B
- The State's half of the bonus on those leases was $300 to $500 an acre, median $375, so the whole bonus on a middle lease was about $750 an acre. Set your $4,000 against the whole figure.From 194 Relinquishment Act leases in Webb County recorded by the General Land Office, 2022 to 2026 (a surface owner leasing for the State, who keeps half: the figures are the State's half of the bonus as its records show it).
- Your bonus of $4,000 an acre compares with $764 and $1,292 an acre in the two leases on record. That is too few to call a range.From 2 State-land leases the General Land Office sold by sealed bid in Webb County, 2022 to 2024 (competitive bids on State land). A thin record.
- The lease's royalty of 1/4 is the most common one in General Land Office leases for Webb County.From the most common royalty in General Land Office leases for Webb County.
- The lease's first term of 3 years compares with a median of 3 years in Webb County.From the median first term in General Land Office leases for Webb County.
Family land
Is the offer addressed to someone who has died?
Companies find owners in old county records, so an offer often arrives in the name of a parent or grandparent. It means the family's title was never brought up to date. The company will need every heir to sign, and it may be writing to only one of you.
Before anyone signs, find out what the family holds. A name that still draws lease offers in Webb County often sits on other leases too, some of them already producing with the money held back.
Owners helping owners
What were you offered in Webb County?
0 of 3
No Webb County offer has been shared yet. We publish the middle figure once three offers from three people are in.
A person reads each one first. No offer is ever shown alone, and we do not ask your name.
Related
Related
- ToolIs this lease offer good?Bonus and royalty against the county, and a scan of the lease's clauses.
- ToolIs this buyout offer fair?The offer as months of your income, what the acres mean, and the questions to ask.
- ToolTexas well watchPermit, completion, first production and when the first check is due.
- ToolRoyalty calculatorVolume, price and decimal to an estimated check.
- Texas dataTexas lease lookupFind your lease by name, RRC number or county.
- Texas dataTexas oil and gas atlas254 counties, every lease, operator and field.
FAQ
Questions people ask
What do oil and gas leases pay per acre in Webb County, Texas?
Relinquishment Act leases: 194 leases, median of the State's half of the bonus $375 per acre (middle half $300 to $500), so the whole bonus was about twice that. State sealed-bid sales: 2 leases, median bonus $1,028 per acre. These are State land leases and shared offers, a reference for a private offer and not a promise of one.
What royalty do Webb County leases have?
The State's leases in Webb County most often carry a royalty of 1/4. A private lease sets its own royalty, and the words that figure it matter as much as the fraction.
Is a bigger bonus or a bigger royalty worth more in Webb County?
It depends on the wells. The median new lease in Webb County sold $14.7 million in its first 36 months (708 leases). In a 8,936-acre unit that is about $410 an acre at 1/4 and $310 at 3/16, before taxes and costs. So the step from 3/16 to 1/4 was worth about $100 an acre in that time, and it keeps paying. A middle lease in the past is not a forecast for any one tract.
Who is drilling in Webb County?
The Railroad Commission issued 549 drilling permits in Webb County in the last 24 months, 542 of them for horizontal wells. The companies with the most: EOG Resources, Inc. (128), SM Energy Company (74), Lewis Petro Properties, Inc. (72). A permit is permission to drill, not a well.
What happens if I do not sign the lease?
Nothing happens on the deadline in the letter. If you own all the minerals under the tract, a company needs a lease or another agreement from you to produce them. If you own a share with others, a co-owner or its lessee may drill without you and must account to you for your share of production less your share of the reasonable costs of producing and marketing. Texas has no broad forced pooling. This is general information, not legal advice.
How do I know if my offer is good?
Set its bonus, royalty and term against the figures on this page, look at the drilling near your own tract, then scan the lease itself for the clauses that decide what you are paid: how costs are treated, what land is released after the first term, and any option to extend.
Got a lease in front of you?
The scan quotes the sentence of your lease behind every flag.
Sources
Primary sources, opened on 29 September 2026. Statute text is the current version on statutes.capitol.texas.gov.
- Railroad Commission of Texas, data sets available for download (drilling permits, production, GIS)
- Railroad Commission of Texas, Drilling Permit Query
- Texas General Land Office, past bid sales (Tabulation of Bids)
- Texas Natural Resources Code chapter 52, subchapter B (Relinquishment Act leases)
- Railroad Commission of Texas, Organization Report (P-5) data set