If you own minerals in Texas, the operator filing permits near your tract today is the operator writing your royalty check 12-18 months from now. Across the last 90 days ending May 4, 2026, 308 distinct operators filed a combined 2,273 drilling permits in Texas — but the top filer alone accounts for 9% of that total. This post ranks the ten operators driving the bulk of new Texas drilling activity, flags where they’re concentrating, and explains what mineral owners should do with that information.
Diamondback and EOG Are Setting the Pace
Diamondback Operating, LP filed 200 permits over the last 90 days — roughly one in every eleven Texas drilling permits in the window. Their activity spans 6 counties, with their most recent permit filed April 27, 2026. EOG Resources came in second at 99 permits but spread that activity across 9 counties, the widest geographic footprint in the top 10.
The takeaway for mineral owners: Diamondback is drilling deep in a concentrated set of counties, while EOG is keeping optionality across a broader Texas footprint. If your tract sits in Diamondback’s core counties, expect heavier near-term activity. If you’re in EOG country, expect activity but at a slower per-county cadence.
You can review each operator’s filing history on the Diamondback Operating, LP profile and EOG Resources profile.
The Rest of the Top 10
Behind the two leaders, the next eight operators filed between 45 and 55 permits each — a tight cluster that combined for the bulk of remaining top-10 activity. The top 5 operators alone accounted for 461 permits, or about 20% of all Texas drilling permits filed in the window.
- COG Operating LLC — 55 permits, 1 county, latest filing April 22, 2026
- Ovintiv USA Inc. — 54 permits, 4 counties, latest filing April 14, 2026
- Apache Corporation — 53 permits, 7 counties, latest filing April 8, 2026
- Apache Energy Resources Corp — 53 permits, 7 counties, latest filing April 8, 2026
- Burlington Oil Company — 50 permits, 3 counties, latest filing April 7, 2026
- Permian Corporation — 45 permits, 2 counties, latest filing March 24, 2026
- Permian Gas LLC — 45 permits, 2 counties, latest filing March 24, 2026
- Permian Resources Operating, LLC — 45 permits, 2 counties, latest filing March 24, 2026
COG stands out for concentration — 55 permits in a single county is the most focused activity in the top 10. Apache, by contrast, is spreading 53 permits across 7 counties, which suggests a broader development plan and likely more pad-by-pad timing variation for owners under their leases. Browse any of these in the operator directory.
A Note on Apache and Permian: Same Filer, Different Names
Two pairs in the top 10 deserve a footnote. Apache Corporation and Apache Energy Resources Corp both filed exactly 53 permits across 7 counties with a latest filing date of April 8, 2026. Permian Corporation and Permian Resources Operating, LLC each filed 45 permits across 2 counties with a latest filing date of March 24, 2026.
These near-identical filing patterns strongly suggest the same parent operator filing under multiple legal entities — a common practice driven by joint venture structures, leasehold ownership, or post-acquisition entity cleanup. For a mineral owner, this matters: your division order, your suspense status, and your check stub may all reference one entity name while the permit on file with the RRC sits under a different one. Reconciling those names is part of basic mineral management hygiene.
What the Geographic Spread Tells You
Counties-active is the most underrated number in this dataset. EOG’s 9 counties and Apache’s 7 counties signal operators making bets across multiple plays. COG’s 1 county and the Permian-named entities’ 2 counties signal operators executing a focused, repeatable program — which usually means tighter spacing, faster pad cadence, and more predictable lease development for mineral owners in those specific areas.
If you’re a mineral owner trying to read the tea leaves on when your tract gets drilled, the operator with 1-2 active counties and 45-55 permits in 90 days is the one to watch hardest. That’s an operator working through a defined inventory.
The full filing feed updates as new permits hit the public record — see recent Texas drilling permits for the live view.
How Mineral Owners Should Use This Data
A leaderboard is a starting point, not an answer. The right next step depends on whether the operator on this list is already on your check stub, holds a lease on your tract, or is simply drilling near you.
If one of these top 10 operators is your lessee, their permit pace is a leading indicator of when (and how often) royalty income will arrive. If they’re a neighbor — say, Diamondback drilling next door but you’re leased to someone else — their activity still affects your offset wells, your formation pressure, and potentially your own operator’s drilling decisions. The active permits directory lets you cross-reference all current permit holders against your tract.
Tracking permit pace by operator is one of the simplest leading indicators a mineral owner has — but only if it’s connected to your specific tract, lease, and check stub. If you’d rather have someone monitor this for you and flag what’s relevant to your interests, learn more about Valor’s mineral management services.
Key Takeaways
- Identify whether any of the top 10 operators are your lessee or an offset operator near your tract.
- Watch concentration: COG (1 county), Permian-named entities (2 counties), and Diamondback (6 counties) are running focused programs likely to drill on inventory.
- Reconcile entity names on your check stub against permit filings u2014 Apache and Permian-named filers in this list likely represent shared parents.
- Treat a 90-day permit count as a leading indicator of royalty timing 12-18 months out.
- Cross-check the live permit feed monthly rather than relying on a single snapshot.
