Ranked by new drilling permits in the trailing 90 days (May 27 – August 25, 2026) — sourced from Texas RRC + New Mexico OCD filings, as of August 25, 2026.
As of August 25, 2026, Eddy County, NM leads the Permian Basin with 496 new drilling permits in the trailing 90 days (May 27 – August 25, 2026), followed by Lea (415) and Andrews (111). These are activity statistics, not valuations — if you own minerals in an active county, ARB provides a free, no-obligation valuation of your specific interest.
| # | County | State | Permits (90 days) | Active rigs | Most active operators |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eddy County | NM | 496 | 42 | ExxonMobil, Permian Resources, Occidental Petroleum |
| 2 | Lea County | NM | 415 | 42 | EOG Resources, Matador Resources, ConocoPhillips |
| 3 | Andrews County | TX | 111 | — | ConocoPhillips, Fasken Oil and Ranch, Ovintiv |
| 4 | Midland County | TX | 97 | 33 | ExxonMobil, Diamondback Energy, Continental Resources |
| 5 | Reeves County | TX | 93 | 25 | Occidental Petroleum, BPX Energy, EOG Resources |
| 6 | Martin County | TX | 91 | 14 | Diamondback Energy, ExxonMobil, Ovintiv |
| 7 | Loving County | TX | 54 | 26 | EOG Resources, Occidental Petroleum, Devon Energy |
| 8 | Reagan County | TX | 52 | — | ExxonMobil |
| 9 | Upton County | TX | 48 | 17 | Firebird Energy, APA (Apache), Chevron |
| 10 | Ector County | TX | 43 | — | Firebird Energy, Diamondback Energy, Continental Resources |
Source: Energy Domain DataStream (Texas Railroad Commission + New Mexico OCD filings), trailing-90-day drilling permits as of August 25, 2026; active-rig counts as of the same date. Activity statistics only — not valuations. Permit data (JSON) → · Most Active Permian Operators → · Permian Basin by the Numbers →
A new drilling permit is the earliest public signal that an operator intends to drill. Counties at the top of this list are where the Permian's most active operators are committing capital right now — and concentrated permitting can mean new wells, new division orders, and new or larger royalty checks for the mineral owners beneath that acreage. It also signals strong buyer demand: active development by well-capitalized operators is one of the most important factors buyers weigh when pricing mineral and royalty interests.
Permit counts are activity indicators, not a measure of what any specific interest is worth — that depends on your net mineral acres, the formations and wells under your tract, your decimal, and current prices. If your minerals sit in one of these counties, ARB can give you a free, no-obligation read on your interest.
You're welcome to cite this page. Suggested format: "Most Active Permian Basin Counties, American Royalty Buyers, data as of August 25, 2026 (americanroyaltybuyers.com/most-active-permian-counties)." Underlying data: Texas Railroad Commission and New Mexico OCD filings via Energy Domain. Updated quarterly.
As of August 25, 2026, Eddy County, NM leads the Permian Basin with 496 new drilling permits filed in the trailing 90 days (May 27 – August 25, 2026), based on Texas Railroad Commission and New Mexico OCD filings.
By new drilling permits in the trailing 90 days (May 27 – August 25, 2026) (as of August 25, 2026), the most active Permian Basin counties are Eddy County, NM (496); Lea County, NM (415); Andrews County, TX (111); Midland County, TX (97); Reeves County, TX (93). These are the counties where the basin's most active operators are committing capital and where new royalty income is most likely to follow.
Andrews County leads Texas Permian counties with 111 new drilling permits in the trailing 90 days (May 27 – August 25, 2026) (as of August 25, 2026). Only New Mexico's Delaware Basin counties — Eddy and Lea — file more.
Operators filed 1,749 new drilling permits across 26 core Permian counties in the trailing 90 days (May 27 – August 25, 2026), as of August 25, 2026 (Texas RRC + New Mexico OCD filings). These are activity counts, not valuations.