Top Operators in the Cotton Valley (Texas)

The operators with the most well counts targeting the Cotton Valley formation in Texas:

#	Operator	Wells in Cotton Valley
1	Hilcorp Energy Company	2,717
2	Diversified Production LLC	1,958
3	Mmgl East Texas Ii, LLC	1,002
4	Basa Resources	978
5	Xto Energy	768
6	Faulconer Energy LLC	618
7	Valence Operating Company	528
8	Linder John Operating	301
9	Urban Oil & Gas Group	288
10	Exxon Mobil	283

Primary Texas Counties for the Cotton Valley

The Texas counties with the most Cotton Valley activity:

Freestone, Smith, Limestone, Wood, Rusk

About the Cotton Valley Formation in Texas

The Cotton Valley is one of Texas's active oil and gas plays, with 17,510 wells on file across 1,243 distinct operators of record. Operators have filed 67 drilling permits targeting the Cotton Valley in the last 24 months — a measure of how active the play is right now versus its historical baseline.

For mineral owners with interests in Freestone, Smith, Limestone, Wood, Rusk, knowing whether your tract sits within an active Cotton Valley footprint is a foundational valuation question. Active formations with consistent permit flow command premium pricing; legacy formations with steady but declining production are valued differently.