Finding · rolls of 2024 to 2026 · read November 2026
Royalty accounts still in an estate's name
At least 40,602 royalty-interest records on Texas county mineral rolls are still titled to an estate: 0.82% of the 4,977,048 records in the 106 counties listed here, with Loving County holding the most (2,505) and Brown County the highest share (4.06%). These counts are stored county-roll records, not people or estates, and the figure is a floor.
- Records in an estate's name
- At least 40,602in 106 counties
- Share of those counties' records
- 0.82%of 4,977,048 records
- Most records
- Loving County2,505 records
- Highest share
- Brown County4.06% of its records
- Counties counted
- 139rolls of 2024 to 2026
By county
County by county
Download the counts in this table (CSV) The leases column is links only and is not in the file.
Method
How we counted
- The rolls. The newest county mineral appraisal roll we hold for each of 139 Texas counties: roll years 2024 to 2026, read from our database on November 2026, with no fall back to an older roll. Royalty-interest accounts only: the interest type is exactly royalty interest.
- What counts as an estate. The owner line holds ESTATE OF, EST OF or HEIRS OF, ends in ESTATE, or holds DECEASED. A life estate is not counted as an estate-titled record, and stays in the records on the roll.
- Why it is a floor. A bare EST, DECD or HEIRS without OF is not counted, so the real number is likely higher.
- Left out of the counts. Placeholder owner lines (UNKNOWN, OWNER, EXEMPT and similar), lines that are only ESTATE, ESTATE OF, EST OF, HEIRS OF or DECEASED with no name, and any owner line that contains REAL ESTATE, which names a business, not a death. They are removed from the records on the roll as well as from the estate count.
- A record is not an estate. One row of a roll is one record. One estate can hold many records, and the share is records in an estate’s name over the royalty-interest records on that county’s roll after the exclusions above.
- The 25-record floor. A county is listed only when at least 25 of its records are titled to an estate and at least 25 are not. 33 of the 139 counties are not listed.
- Totals only. No owner name and no street address is used or shown here.
The leases themselves, named for an estate, heirs or a trust in the Railroad Commission’s records, are a different count: see the estate leases list. For where the same records are mailed, see where royalty accounts are mailed.
Cite
Quote it, link it
Cite this page
Source: Royalty Clerk analysis of Texas county mineral appraisal rolls, https://royaltyclerk.com/texas/findings/accounts-still-in-an-estates-name, rolls of 2024 to 2026, read November 2026.
If you use these figures, please credit Royalty Clerk and link this page.
FAQ
Questions about these counts
Why does the page say "at least"?
Because the name patterns are strict on purpose. A record is counted only when the owner line holds ESTATE OF, EST OF or HEIRS OF, ends in ESTATE, or holds DECEASED. Short forms such as a bare EST, DECD or HEIRS without OF are not counted, and a life estate is not counted either, so some records still in an estate's name are missed. The real number is likely higher.
Does an estate's name mean nobody is paid?
No. The roll shows whose name the county has on the interest. Royalties may still be paid, to the estate's account or to heirs who have kept the operator informed. A name that has not changed in years is a reason to look, not proof of a problem.
Is a record the same as an estate?
No. One record is one royalty interest on a county roll. One estate with interests in several leases has several records, and several heirs may be listed for one interest. Every number here counts records.
Why is a county missing from the table?
A county is listed only when at least 25 of its records are titled to an estate and at least 25 are not, so no small count can point to a family or be worked out by subtraction. 33 of the 139 counties with royalty-interest records are not listed.
If someone has died
Start from the name
If a family member’s name may be on one of these records, the estate mineral report starts from the name and the county.
Related
Keep going
- Texas dataAll findings from the county rollsEvery count we published from the Texas county mineral rolls, with its tables and CSVs.
- Texas dataWhere royalty accounts are mailedRecords on the county rolls by mailing state, city and county.
- Texas dataEstate, heirs and trust leasesTexas leases named for an estate, heirs or a trust, county by county, in state records since 1993.
- Texas dataTexas oil and gas atlas254 counties, every lease, operator and field.