17,510 wells across 1,248 recorded operators, with 97 drilling permits filed in the 24-month window at summary refresh.
Buckhead Energy analysis of public oil and gas data. Formation summary date: 2026-11-01.
Quick answer: The Cotton Valley formation in Texas has 17,510 wells on record across 1,248 recorded operators, with 97 drilling permits filed in the 24-month window at source refresh. Its operators with the most wells on record are Hilcorp Energy Company, Diversified Production LLC, Mmgl East Texas Ii, LLC, BASA Resources and XTO Energy. Source: Buckhead Energy analysis of public oil and gas data. Formation summary date: 2026-11-01.
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 | 1,953 |
| 3 | Mmgl East Texas Ii, LLC | 1,002 |
| 4 | Basa Resources | 950 |
| 5 | Xto Energy | 768 |
| 6 | Faulconer Energy LLC | 616 |
| 7 | Valence Operating Company | 528 |
| 8 | Linder John Operating | 314 |
| 9 | Urban Oil & Gas Group | 288 |
| 10 | Exxon Mobil | 283 |
The Texas counties with the most Cotton Valley activity:
Freestone, Smith, Limestone, Wood, Rusk
The Cotton Valley is not among the Texas formations tracked separately in the yearly permit mix, so only statewide permit counts are shown.
| Year | State permits | This formation | Share | Median lateral |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 8,004 | — | — | — |
| 2025 | 8,037 | — | — | — |
| 2024 | 8,916 | — | — | — |
| 2023 | 9,280 | — | — | — |
| 2022 | 12,110 | — | — | — |
| 2021 | 9,907 | — | — | — |
| 2020 | 9,447 | — | — | — |
| 2019 | 15,566 | — | — | — |
Share of each year’s Texas drilling permits by target formation, for the formations with the most permits.
| Year | Permian Basin | Gulf Coast Basin (La - Tx) | Avalon-Bone Spring | Thirty-One Carbonate-Chert | Austin Chalk | East Texas Basin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 58.1% | 17.8% | 0.5% | 1.4% | 0.7% | 5.9% |
| 2025 | 62.9% | 19% | 1.4% | 1.9% | 1.2% | 4.5% |
| 2024 | 65.7% | 20.9% | 0.5% | 2% | 0.7% | 3.8% |
| 2023 | 59.7% | 21.5% | 1.8% | 3.1% | 0.9% | 3.7% |
| 2022 | 44.7% | 16.7% | 2.9% | 4.6% | 2% | 3% |
| 2021 | 34.3% | 6.2% | 8.4% | 10.3% | 7.9% | 0.8% |
| 2020 | 24.4% | 3.3% | 11.6% | 9% | 11.2% | 0.3% |
| 2019 | 24.8% | 3.2% | 14% | 9.2% | 12.1% | 0.2% |
Buckhead Energy computes every figure on this page from grouped records in public oil and gas data. The page shows counts, sums, percentiles and indexes only; it does not list individual wells, leases or permits.
Counts under 3 wells and percentiles under 5 wells are withheld; totals are floors.
Share is the formation’s permits as a percent of the state’s permits that year. Median lateral length is published only when at least 5 permits stand behind it.
Last computed: 2026-11-01. These figures are informational only and are not a valuation of any mineral or royalty interest.
The Cotton Valley is a formation/play group recorded in Texas, with 17,510 wells on file across 1,248 distinct operators of record. Operators have filed 97 drilling permits targeting the Cotton Valley in the 24-month window at summary refresh. These are stored records, not a live measure of drilling.
Recorded formation activity provides regional context. It does not establish ownership, future production, royalty payments or a value for an individual tract. Consult qualified professionals about your specific interest.
17,510 wells target the Cotton Valley in Texas, worked by 1,248 recorded operators, per Buckhead Energy analysis of public oil and gas data. Formation summary date: 2026-11-01.
The Cotton Valley operators with the most wells on record in Texas are Hilcorp Energy Company, Diversified Production LLC, Mmgl East Texas Ii, LLC, BASA Resources and XTO Energy. The full ranking is in the table on this page. Formation summary date: 2026-11-01.
Operators filed 97 drilling permits targeting the Cotton Valley in the 24-month window at source refresh, per Buckhead Energy analysis of public oil and gas data. Formation summary date: 2026-11-01.
Operators filed 97 new drilling permits targeting the Cotton Valley in Texas in the 24-month window at source refresh. New permits and spuds record reported activity stages; they do not establish ongoing drilling, per Buckhead Energy analysis of public oil and gas data. Formation summary date: 2026-11-01.
Cotton Valley activity in Texas includes 17,510 wells on record and 1,248 recorded operators, with 97 drilling permits filed in the 24-month window at source refresh — from Buckhead Energy analysis of public oil and gas data. Formation summary date: 2026-11-01.
The primary counties recorded for Cotton Valley in Texas are Freestone, Smith, Limestone, Wood, Rusk. Formation summary date: 2026-11-01.
Value depends on your net mineral acres or royalty decimal, the operator, the remaining drilling locations, and current oil and gas prices. This page is informational only, not a valuation. Formation summary date: 2026-11-01.
Get a free written offer based on your specific tract, operator, and the current Cotton Valley activity in your area.
Get Your Free Written OfferFormation: Cotton Valley
State: Texas
Total wells: 17,510
Recorded operators: 1,248
Permits 24mo: 97
Summary date: 2026-11-01
