Jefferson County, Texas

Oil wells and drilling locations near China

Name: Oil and gas wells and drilling permits within 10 miles of China, Texas
Creator: Railroad Commission of Texas
License: https://royaltyclerk.com/terms#data-license

885wells
20drilling locations in two years
99producing leases

Within 10 miles

Wells and drilling locations around China

Drilling permits near China are rising: 15 permits in the last 12 months, 5 in the 12 months before. Most of them are north-west of town: 19 of 20 lie on that side. The nearest is under a mile north of the town's point. 885 wells and 20 drilling locations permitted in the last two years lie within 10 miles of China, each where the state puts it. 99 producing leases have a well in the circle.

Watch Jefferson County See the map

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You may show this map on any site, unchanged. Keep the credit line and its link to Royalty Clerk under the map. The picture updates by itself as the state records new wells and permits.

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<a href="https://royaltyclerk.com/texas/towns/china-tx"><img src="https://royaltyclerk.com/maps/town-wells/china-tx.svg" alt="Map of China, Texas: 885 wells and 20 recent drilling locations within 10 miles, inside a dashed circle." width="1000" height="1284" loading="lazy" style="max-width:100%;height:auto;border:0"></a>
<p style="margin:4px 0 0;font-size:14px">Map: <a href="https://royaltyclerk.com/texas/towns/china-tx">China, Texas oil and gas wells</a> by Royalty Clerk, from Railroad Commission of Texas records</p>

Which way it is heading

Where the new drilling is around China

The 20 drilling permits of the last two years within 10 miles, by direction from the town's point, and what became of each one.

Each wedge is the permits on that side of town. The centre is the town's point.

What became of the 20 permits

2finished, on a lease that reports productionThe well was completed and its lease is reporting oil or gas to the state.
5drilling startedThe operator reported a start date. No completion is on file yet.
13still only a permitNothing after the permit is on file. Many permits wait a year or more, and some are never drilled.

Wells finished in the last two years: 1 north, 1 north-west of town.

A horizontal well runs sideways underground. 1 well starts outside the 10-mile circle and ends inside it. 1 starts inside and ends outside. So a well can drain land a mile or two from the spot where it shows on a map.

A permit is permission to drill, not a well, and a well nearby says nothing about who owns the minerals under it. Direction is taken from the well's surface location. Source: Railroad Commission of Texas drilling permits and wellbore records.

When a new well starts paying

First checks coming due near China

1 first check falls due on leases with a well near China from today on. Texas law gives the payor 120 days after the end of the month of first sale.

Deep SKYdue by November 28, 2026

The date is the earliest the law allows a first payment to be late (Texas Natural Resources Code 91.402), worked out from the first month of production on file. It is not a promise of a check: title questions and unsigned division orders can hold one back. Work out a first-check date · What to do before the first check

In numbers

Oil and gas within 10 miles of China

wells with a location on the state's map: 885
drilling permits in the last 24 months: 20
producing leases with a well in the circle: 99
operators running them: 15
oil and condensate those leases reported in their latest 12 months: 237,652 bbl
gas those leases reported in their latest 12 months: 1,517,637 mcf

A lease counts when at least one of its wells is inside the circle; its whole production is counted, so a lease reaching beyond the circle counts in full.

In dollars

What the oil and gas near China sold for

The 99 producing leases with a well near China sold about $22 million of oil and gas from September 2025 to August 2026, at the public monthly prices.

sale value of 12 months, before taxes and costs: $22 million
oil and condensate sold: 227,040 bbl
gas sold: 1,434,875 mcf
the middle lease: half sold more, half less: $75,412

Your share of a lease, as the decimal on a division order

A 0.01 share (1%) of the middle producing lease near China comes to about $754 for the 12 months.

Sold volumes at the public monthly prices, before severance tax and any costs. A guide to the size, not what any owner was paid.

Sold volumes from each lease's monthly report to the Railroad Commission, times the month's West Texas Intermediate oil price and Henry Hub gas price (EIA). Real prices at the lease differ. A lease counts in full when one of its wells is near the town. Check a statement against what the lease sold

Drilling locations

The newest drilling permits near China

The 25 newest permits with a well location within 10 miles, with the coordinates of the surface location.

A permit is permission to drill, not a well. Distances are from the town's point to the well's surface location. Source: Railroad Commission of Texas drilling permits.

Find your land

The surveys under the new drilling near China

Your deed or county tax notice names a survey and an abstract number. These are the ones with the most drilling permits in the last two years. Each has its own page with its wells and permits.

A-231 T&NO RR CO, section 915 permits, newest June 10, 2026
A-279 HT&B RR CO, section 52 permits, newest June 10, 2026
A-380 T&NO RR CO2 permits, newest February 13, 2026
A-848 PATRICK, J L, section 922 permits, newest February 13, 2026
A-34 JACKSON, S2 permits, newest April 9, 2025
A-765 NASH, C L, section 901 permit, newest February 13, 2026
A-78 BERGESS, J1 permit, newest February 5, 2026
A-149 BARRIER, A B1 permit, newest February 5, 2026

Not in the list? Search every survey in the county by name or abstract number.

Who is on the county roll

44 mineral accounts near China are still in the name of an estate

The 2026 county mineral roll lists 2,276 accounts under 1,189 owner names on 73 leases with a well near China.

mineral accounts on the roll: 2,276
owner names: 1,189
appraised value of those accounts: $18 million
the middle account's appraised value: $280
accounts titled to an estate: 44

An account in the name of an estate usually means the owner died and the title was never moved to the heirs. The account stays on the roll, and these are appraised at $105,570 together. If a parent or grandparent owned minerals near China, their name may be one of them.

Totals from the county appraisal district's mineral roll, matched to leases by the state lease number. No owner is named here, and a count under 10 accounts or 5 owner names is left out. How Jefferson County values minerals, and how to protest · Inherited minerals: where to start

Producing leases

Top producing leases near China

The 20 producing leases with a well inside the circle, most oil and gas first. Each lease page carries that lease's history back to January 1993, free.

1Stone 'B'3,620 bbl · 389,150 mcf a yearBallard Exploration Company,inc. · Liberty County · 1 well in the circle
2Sun Fee11,390 bbl · 217,660 mcf a yearHilcorp Energy Company · Jefferson County · 1 well in the circle
3Keeland Gas Unit26,658 bbl · 116,162 mcf a yearHilcorp Energy Company · Jefferson County · 1 well in the circle
4Deep SKY11,333 bbl · 127,671 mcf a yearBallard Exploration Company,inc. · Jefferson County · 1 well in the circle
5Sun-Harder A6,364 bbl · 149,061 mcf a yearHilcorp Energy Company · Jefferson County · 1 well in the circle
6Panzer 433,663 bbl · 153,548 mcf a yearCimarron Engineering, LLC · Hardin County · 1 well in the circle
7Jack Knife13,470 bbl · 63,069 mcf a yearWagner Oil Company · Hardin County · 1 well in the circle
8Tarver - Hardin21,801 bbl · 0 mcf a yearRadco Operations, L.P. · Hardin County · 28 wells in the circle
9Turner-Bogan6,389 bbl · 66,908 mcf a yearBallard Exploration Company,inc. · Jefferson County · 1 well in the circle
10Humble - West12,477 bbl · 0 mcf a yearRadco Operations, L.P. · Hardin County · 18 wells in the circle
11T. T. Co. Fee12,276 bbl · 0 mcf a yearRadco Operations, L.P. · Hardin County · 423 wells in the circle
12Walter Co.4,686 bbl · 35,086 mcf a yearHilcorp Energy Company · Jefferson County · 1 well in the circle
13China Townsite Unit249 bbl · 54,134 mcf a yearZachry Exploration, LLC · Jefferson County · 1 well in the circle
14McDermond, F.8,160 bbl · 5,444 mcf a yearHilcorp Energy Company · Jefferson County · 2 wells in the circle
15Jack Knife5,646 bbl · 19,373 mcf a yearWagner Oil Company · Hardin County · 1 well in the circle
16Carpenter Unit6,930 bbl · 0 mcf a yearFoundation Energy Management LLC · Hardin County · 2 wells in the circle
17Black Stone648 bbl · 35,747 mcf a yearS & S Operating Company, Inc. · Hardin County · 1 well in the circle
18Chevron Fee6,022 bbl · 0 mcf a yearFoundation Energy Management LLC · Hardin County · 3 wells in the circle
19Jack Knife4,020 bbl · 7,284 mcf a yearWagner Oil Company · Hardin County · 1 well in the circle
20Sunset Unit2,372 bbl · 14,635 mcf a yearHilcorp Energy Company · Jefferson County · 2 wells in the circle

Whose name is on the check

Who buys the oil and gas near China

The companies named most often on the current state filings of the 99 producing leases near China. A royalty check can come from the buyer or from the operator.

Oil and condensate

AMJ INC48 leases
ENERGY TRANSFER MARKETING & TERM21 leases
GULFMARK ENERGY, INC.16 leases
HARVEST MARKETING & TRADING, LLC12 leases
ENERGY TRANS CRUDE MARKETING LLC10 leases

Gas

CENTANA INTRASTATE PIPELINE, LLC12 leases
BALLARD NATURAL GAS II, LLC6 leases
DCP OPERATING COMPANY, LP4 leases
HOUSTON PIPE LINE COMPANY LP3 leases
COKINOS ENERGY, L.L.C.1 lease

From each lease's newest Form P-4 filing with the Railroad Commission, which names its gatherers and purchasers. One lease can name several.

If your checks stopped

Leases near China that went quiet or changed hands

The two most common reasons a royalty check stops: the lease stopped reporting production, or a new company took it over and the paperwork is catching up.

26 leases reported nothing for a year or more

Leases that reported within the last four years and then stopped. The newest to stop first; 10 shown.

Big Prairie · Ballard Exploration Company,inc.last report August 2025
Long · Energy Twenty Operating LLClast report April 2025
Black Stone Minerals Gu 1 · Grayrock Energy II, LLClast report March 2025
Du Jay, Joyce "A" · Grayrock Energy II, LLClast report March 2025
Du Jay, Joyce · Grayrock Energy II, LLClast report December 2024
Kolander · Hilcorp Energy Companylast report December 2024
Clippinger, Sallie · Radco Operations, L.P.last report December 2024
Pine Island · Ballard Exploration Company,inc.last report September 2024
Kolander · Hilcorp Energy Companylast report August 2024
Carpenter, Alma · Siana Oil & Gaslast report June 2024

Is my lease still active?

8 leases got a new operator in two years

Checks often pause after a change while the new company sets up its owner records. The newest first.

ImperialRoy Jackson Energy Operating, LL to Lakeshore Operating, LLCJuly 2026
Texaco Fee 4596Texas Petroleum Investment Co. to Radco Operations, L.P.April 2026
Texaco Fee 4598Texas Petroleum Investment Co. to Radco Operations, L.P.April 2026
T. T. Co. FeeTexas Petroleum Investment Co. to Radco Operations, L.P.April 2026
PipkinHicks Exploration, LLC to Zone Ridge Operating, LLCJanuary 2026
McDermondHilcorp Energy Company to Elite Petroleum Operating LLCNovember 2025
PipkinMag Exploration LLC to Hicks Exploration, LLCAugust 2025
PipkinMagnum Producing, LP to Mag Exploration LLCJuly 2025

My royalty checks stopped: what to do

From the monthly production reports operators file with the Railroad Commission. The newest months fill in late, so a lease is listed only after 12 months with no report.

Year by year

Production of the leases near China, by year

Of the last 6 full years, these leases produced the most in 2020: 3,133,197 mcf of gas. 2025 was 1,540,809, 51% lower.

Oil and gas reported by the leases with a well within 10 miles of China, by year
Year	Oil, bbl	Gas, mcf
2026 so far	160,598	1,048,176
2025	223,028	1,540,809
2024	229,018	1,731,804
2023	260,259	1,690,964
2022	307,552	2,280,780
2021	357,860	2,680,924
2020	405,522	3,133,197

Every lease with a well in the circle, producing now or not, as reported to the Railroad Commission. The newest months fill in as operators report.

The long view: in the state's records from January 1993 on, 204 of these leases reported 25,431,525 bbl of oil and condensate and 196,754,267 mcf of gas. Each lease page carries that lease's history back to January 1993.

Good to know

The wells near China, and what a lease has gone for

For a lease offer: the State of Texas leased 4 of its own tracts in Jefferson County in the last ten years. The middle bonus was $353 an acre, the usual royalty 25%, the usual term 5 years; the newest is dated May 7, 2024. Private leases are not public, so these are the nearest figures on record. Is my lease offer fair in Jefferson County?

Depth and well type from the Railroad Commission's well records, where the record has them. State lease figures from the Texas General Land Office.

Around it

Towns near China

China has more wells than 8 of the 10 nearest towns. Each count is for that town's own 10-mile circle.

China is in ZIP code 77613: its wells and permits

All of Jefferson County: leases, operators and production · Jefferson County well map

Press and community kit

Writing about China? Take what you need

For a local paper, a county office, a school or a community group: the figures, the map and the words, free to use with the credit line. Data as of November 15, 2026.

Fact sheet · one page · PDFChina, Texas885wells within 10 miles362on producing leases523not producing or plugged15permits, 12 monthsDownload the fact sheet

Three facts to quote

885 oil and gas wells on the state's map lie within 10 miles of China: 362 on producing leases, 77 not producing and 446 plugged.
The Railroad Commission of Texas issued 15 drilling permits within 10 miles of China in the last 12 months, the newest dated June 10, 2026.
The 99 producing leases with a well in that circle, run by 15 operators, reported 237,652 barrels of oil and 1,517,637 thousand cubic feet of gas over their latest 12 months.

The map picture

The page's map with its legend and credit, as a JPEG.

The live map on your page

A frame that loads its picture first and the live map on a tap. No cookies.

See it and the night look

How to cite

Railroad Commission of Texas records of the wells and drilling permits within 10 miles of China, mapped by Royalty Clerk (https://royaltyclerk.com/texas/towns/china-tx), data as of November 15, 2026.

Under a map or a chart: Source: Railroad Commission of Texas · Map: Royalty Clerk, with a link to this page.

The figures say where the state's records put wells and permits, not who owns the land or the minerals. Kits for other Texas towns

Follow it

Watch the 10 miles around China

One email a week at most, and only when something is filed: a new drilling permit, a finished well, or first production with a well location inside this circle.

Watching a place says nothing about who owns the land or the minerals there. For the whole county, or one survey, use the Jefferson County well watch.

FAQ

Questions people ask

How many oil and gas wells are near China?

885 wells with a location on the Railroad Commission's map lie within 10 miles of China: 362 on leases that are producing, 77 not producing and 446 plugged. The state also issued 20 drilling permits with a well location in that circle in the last 24 months.

What are the coordinates on this page?

Latitude and longitude of the well's surface location in NAD83, the coordinates map apps use. They come from the Railroad Commission's well layers as published, and from its drilling permit files, which are published in the older NAD27 and converted here. Paste them into any map app. A horizontal well's bottom hole can be a mile or two away from its surface location.

Do I own minerals under a well near China?

A well nearby says nothing about who owns the minerals under it. The county's mineral roll lists who is paid on each producing lease. Search a name to see whether the Jefferson County roll lists it.

Search a name

Is drilling near China picking up or slowing down?

When does a new well near China start paying royalties?

Texas law gives the payor 120 days after the end of the month of first sale to send the first payment (Natural Resources Code 91.402). The next date on file for a lease near China is November 28, 2026. The date is the earliest a first payment becomes late, not a promise: a title question or an unsigned division order can hold a check back.

Work out a first-check date

How much are the oil and gas near China worth?

The 99 producing leases with a well within 10 miles sold about $22 million of oil and gas in their newest 12 months on file, at the public monthly prices and before taxes and costs. That is what the leases sold, not what a tract of land or a mineral interest is worth: an owner is paid a share of one lease.

A relative owned minerals near China and has died. What now?

The county mineral roll still lists 44 accounts in the name of an estate on leases near China. Search the family name first. If an account turns up, the title usually has to be moved to the heirs before the operator will pay them.

Inherited minerals: where to start

My checks from a lease here stopped. Why?

The usual reasons: the lease stopped producing, a new operator took it over, or the operator put the payments in suspense over a title or address question. Near China, 26 leases went quiet and 8 changed operator; both lists are on this page.

What to do when royalty checks stop

Own land or minerals near China?

The next first check near China falls due by November 28, 2026. See whether a county roll lists your name, and get an email when a permit or a new well is filed near you.

Search a family name Watch Jefferson County

Sources

Primary sources, opened on 29 September 2026. Statute text is the current version on statutes.capitol.texas.gov.

Issued	Lease and well	Where	Operator
2026-06-10	SUNFLOWER 1 AZM 1vertical · API 42-291-32978 · permit 0916285Exxonmobil Low C Sol on Stor LLC	8.0 mi W30.02029, -94.46566 on OpenStreetMap (opens in a new tab)	Exxonmobil Low C Sol on Stor LLC
2026-06-10	SUNFLOWER 2 AZM 2vertical · API 42-245-32938 · permit 0916286Exxonmobil Low C Sol on Stor LLC	5.2 mi W30.04851, -94.42193 on OpenStreetMap (opens in a new tab)	Exxonmobil Low C Sol on Stor LLC
2026-02-13	F.H. CARPENTER 001vertical · API 42-245-00004 · permit 0913427Exxonmobil Low C Sol on Stor LLC	5.3 mi W30.06035, -94.42241 on OpenStreetMap (opens in a new tab)	Exxonmobil Low C Sol on Stor LLC
2026-02-13	WILLIS BH 001vertical · API 42-245-00008 · permit 0913426Exxonmobil Low C Sol on Stor LLC	4.4 mi W30.04109, -94.40953 on OpenStreetMap (opens in a new tab)	Exxonmobil Low C Sol on Stor LLC
2026-02-13	FRANK CARPENTER ET AL 001vertical · API 42-245-00005 · permit 0913425Exxonmobil Low C Sol on Stor LLC	5.0 mi W30.05934, -94.41869 on OpenStreetMap (opens in a new tab)	Exxonmobil Low C Sol on Stor LLC
2026-02-13	CARPENTER 001vertical · API 42-245-30290 · permit 0913424Exxonmobil Low C Sol on Stor LLC	5.3 mi W30.05579, -94.42298 on OpenStreetMap (opens in a new tab)	Exxonmobil Low C Sol on Stor LLC
2026-02-13	WILSON ET AL 001vertical · API 42-245-03214 · permit 0913423Exxonmobil Low C Sol on Stor LLC	4.3 mi W30.05656, -94.40679 on OpenStreetMap (opens in a new tab)	Exxonmobil Low C Sol on Stor LLC
2026-02-13	A M CARPENTER EST 001vertical · API 42-245-03240 · permit 0913422Exxonmobil Low C Sol on Stor LLC	5.1 mi W30.04964, -94.42157 on OpenStreetMap (opens in a new tab)	Exxonmobil Low C Sol on Stor LLC
2026-02-11	SUNFLOWER INJ 1 1vertical · API 42-291-32968 · permit 0912899Exxonmobil Low C Sol on Stor LLC	8.0 mi W30.02043, -94.46565 on OpenStreetMap (opens in a new tab)	Exxonmobil Low C Sol on Stor LLC
2026-02-05	SUNFLOWER INJ 5 5vertical · API 42-291-32972 · permit 0912906Exxonmobil Low C Sol on Stor LLC	7.3 mi W30.05340, -94.45754 on OpenStreetMap (opens in a new tab)	Exxonmobil Low C Sol on Stor LLC
2026-02-05	SUNFLOWER INJ 4 4vertical · API 42-291-32976 · permit 0912904Exxonmobil Low C Sol on Stor LLC	7.6 mi W30.03578, -94.46167 on OpenStreetMap (opens in a new tab)	Exxonmobil Low C Sol on Stor LLC
2026-02-05	SUNFLOWER INJ 3 3vertical · API 42-245-32931 · permit 0912902Exxonmobil Low C Sol on Stor LLC	4.2 mi W30.04874, -94.40546 on OpenStreetMap (opens in a new tab)	Exxonmobil Low C Sol on Stor LLC
2026-02-05	SUNFLOWER INJ 2 2vertical · API 42-245-32932 · permit 0912901Exxonmobil Low C Sol on Stor LLC	5.2 mi W30.04854, -94.42200 on OpenStreetMap (opens in a new tab)	Exxonmobil Low C Sol on Stor LLC
2026-02-03	SUNFLOWER AZM/IZM 1vertical · API 42-245-32934 · permit 0912908Exxonmobil Low C Sol on Stor LLC	6.0 mi W30.04581, -94.43631 on OpenStreetMap (opens in a new tab)	Exxonmobil Low C Sol on Stor LLC
2026-02-03	SUNFLOWER INJ 6 6vertical · API 42-245-32929 · permit 0912907Exxonmobil Low C Sol on Stor LLC	6.5 mi W30.03677, -94.44275 on OpenStreetMap (opens in a new tab)	Exxonmobil Low C Sol on Stor LLC
2025-11-13	ICAP 1vertical · API 42-245-32927 · permit 0911701Magnetar Operating LLC	4.2 mi NW30.09389, -94.38158 on OpenStreetMap (opens in a new tab)	Magnetar Operating LLC
2025-05-05	G. W. BROWN UNIT 2vertical · API 42-245-32746 · permit 0907412Orx Resources, L.L.C.	9.1 mi S29.91950, -94.30006 on OpenStreetMap (opens in a new tab)	Orx Resources, L.L.C.
2025-04-29	DEEP SKY 1vertical · API 42-245-32919 · permit 0905403Ballard Exploration Company,inc.	0.7 mi N30.05816, -94.33349 on OpenStreetMap (opens in a new tab)	Ballard Exploration Company,inc.
2025-04-09	TARVER HARDIN 98vertical · API 42-199-33662 · permit 0907246Radco Operations, L.P.	9.4 mi NW30.15973, -94.42704 on OpenStreetMap (opens in a new tab)	Radco Operations, L.P.
2025-04-09	TARVER HARDIN 97vertical · API 42-199-33661 · permit 0907245Radco Operations, L.P.	9.4 mi NW30.15894, -94.42845 on OpenStreetMap (opens in a new tab)	Radco Operations, L.P.
2024-09-20	BROUSSARD JE JR-1 1vertical · API 42-245-02193 · permit 0902793Exxonmobil Low C Sol on Stor LLC	4.6 mi SE29.99610, -94.28811 on OpenStreetMap (opens in a new tab)	Exxonmobil Low C Sol on Stor LLC
2024-07-11	BEAD FARM COMPANY 4vertical · API 42-245-32914 · permit 0901180Exxonmobil Low C Sol on Stor LLC	3.1 mi SE30.02156, -94.29398 on OpenStreetMap (opens in a new tab)	Exxonmobil Low C Sol on Stor LLC
2024-04-17	BEAD FARM 3vertical · API 42-245-32912 · permit 0898450Exxonmobil Low C Sol on Stor LLC	3.4 mi SE30.01178, -94.29787 on OpenStreetMap (opens in a new tab)	Exxonmobil Low C Sol on Stor LLC
2024-04-11	HARDIN COUNTY OIL CO 24vertical · API 42-199-33641 · permit 0898695Rheaco Oil Company, Ltd.	9.1 mi NW30.15695, -94.42196 on OpenStreetMap (opens in a new tab)	Rheaco Oil Company, Ltd.
2024-04-05	LABELLE PROPERTIES LTD 1vertical · API 42-245-32913 · permit 0898448Exxonmobil Low C Sol on Stor LLC	4.5 mi SE29.99968, -94.28511 on OpenStreetMap (opens in a new tab)	Exxonmobil Low C Sol on Stor LLC