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, ExxonMobil leads the Permian Basin with 266 new drilling permits in the trailing 90 days (May 27 – August 25, 2026), followed by EOG Resources (216) and Occidental Petroleum (133). These are activity statistics, not valuations — if you receive royalty checks from one of these operators, ARB provides a free, no-obligation valuation of your specific interest.
| # | Operator | Permits (90 days) | Permian focus | Top counties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ExxonMobil | 266 | Midland Basin (Midland, Martin, Upton, Glasscock counties) and Delaware Basin (Eddy County, NM) | Eddy NM, Midland TX, Martin TX |
| 2 | EOG Resources | 216 | Delaware Basin (Lea and Eddy counties, NM; Loving and Reeves counties, TX) | Lea NM, Eddy NM, Loving TX |
| 3 | Occidental Petroleum | 133 | Delaware Basin, Midland Basin, and Central Basin Platform / NW Shelf CO2 EOR (Gaines, Yoakum counties) | Eddy NM, Gaines TX, Reeves TX |
| 4 | Permian Resources | 122 | Delaware Basin (Eddy and Lea counties, NM; Reeves and Ward counties, TX) | Eddy NM, Lea NM, Reeves TX |
| 5 | Devon Energy | 95 | Delaware Basin (Eddy and Lea counties, NM) | Eddy NM, Lea NM, Culberson TX |
| 6 | ConocoPhillips | 91 | Delaware Basin (Loving County, TX; Eddy and Lea counties, NM) and Midland Basin (Upton County, TX) | Andrews TX, Lea NM, Eddy NM |
| 7 | Diamondback Energy | 73 | Midland Basin core (Midland, Martin, Howard, Ector, Andrews counties) | Martin TX, Midland TX, Ector TX |
| 8 | Matador Resources | 54 | Delaware Basin (Lea and Eddy counties, NM) | Lea NM, Eddy NM |
| 9 | Chevron | 45 | Delaware Basin (Eddy and Lea counties, NM) and Midland Basin, TX | Eddy NM, Upton TX, Lea NM |
| 10 | Mewbourne Oil | 37 | Delaware Basin (Eddy and Lea counties, NM) | Eddy NM, Reeves TX, Lea NM |
| 11 | Avant Operating | 31 | Delaware Basin (Lea and Eddy counties, NM) | Lea NM, Eddy NM |
| 12 | Ovintiv | 30 | Midland Basin (Upton and Howard counties, TX) | Martin TX, Andrews TX, Midland TX |
| 13 | Continental Resources | 29 | Delaware Basin and Midland Basin (Winkler, Pecos, Glasscock, Ector counties, TX) | Pecos TX, Midland TX, Winkler TX |
| 14 | Firebird Energy | 26 | Midland Basin (Upton and Borden counties, TX) | Ector TX, Upton TX, Borden TX |
| 15 | Longfellow Energy | 26 | Delaware Basin (Eddy County, NM) and West Texas | Eddy NM |
| 16 | Kaiser-Francis Oil Company | 23 | Delaware Basin (Lea County, NM) | Lea NM |
| 17 | Riley Permian | 23 | Northwest Shelf / Yeso trend (Eddy County, NM; Yoakum County, TX) | Eddy NM, Yoakum TX |
| 18 | Fasken Oil and Ranch | 22 | Central Basin Platform (Andrews County, TX) | Andrews TX |
| 19 | Blackbeard Operating | 17 | Central Basin Platform (Crane County, TX) | Crane TX, Winkler TX |
| 20 | SM Energy | 14 | Midland Basin (Howard County, TX) | Howard TX, Crane TX |
| 21 | BPX Energy | 14 | Delaware Basin (Reeves County, TX) | Reeves TX |
| 22 | APA (Apache) | 13 | Midland Basin (Upton and Dawson counties, TX) | Upton TX, Midland TX |
| 23 | Spur Energy Partners | 13 | Delaware Basin / NW Shelf (Eddy County, NM) | Eddy NM, Lea NM |
| 24 | Ring Energy | 11 | Central Basin Platform / NW Shelf (Crane, Andrews, Yoakum counties, TX) | Crane TX, Andrews TX, Ector TX |
| 25 | Tap Rock Operating | 6 | Delaware Basin (Eddy and Lea counties, NM) | Eddy NM |
| 26 | Civitas Resources | 5 | Midland Basin (Glasscock County, TX) and Delaware Basin (Lea County, NM) | Lea NM, Glasscock TX |
| 27 | Coterra Energy | 0 | Delaware Basin (Culberson County, TX; Lea and Eddy counties, NM) | — |
Source: Energy Domain DataStream (Texas Railroad Commission + New Mexico OCD filings), trailing-90-day drilling permits as of August 25, 2026. Activity statistics only — not valuations. ARB is an independent buyer, not affiliated with any operator listed. Operator data (JSON) → · Most Active Permian Counties →
New drilling permits are the earliest public signal that an operator intends to drill. The operators at the top of this list are committing the most new capital to the Permian right now — and concentrated activity by a well-capitalized operator on or near your acreage can mean new wells, new division orders, and new or larger royalty checks. Active development by a strong operator is also 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 you receive checks from one of these operators, ARB can give you a free, no-obligation read on your interest. Each operator above links to a detailed profile, including the payor names royalties may arrive under.
You're welcome to cite this page. Suggested format: "Most Active Permian Basin Operators, American Royalty Buyers, data as of August 25, 2026 (americanroyaltybuyers.com/most-active-permian-operators)." Underlying data: Texas Railroad Commission and New Mexico OCD filings via Energy Domain. Updated quarterly.
As of August 25, 2026, ExxonMobil leads with 266 new Permian Basin 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 operators are ExxonMobil (266); EOG Resources (216); Occidental Petroleum (133); Permian Resources (122); Devon Energy (95). These are the companies committing the most new capital to the basin.
Your royalty check stub, division order, or lease identifies the operator and payor. Operators often pay royalties under subsidiary or legacy names after mergers and acquisitions, so the name on your check may differ from the parent company. ARB can help identify your operator as part of a free, no-obligation valuation.
No. You can sell your mineral or royalty interest regardless of who operates the wells — the operator's consent is not required and your sale does not affect its leases or operations. ARB is a direct buyer and handles all title and transfer work at no cost to you.