30,829 wells across 1,840 active operators, with 125 drilling permits filed in the last 24 months.
Refreshed monthly from TX RRC well-header records. Data current as of 2026-08-02.
Quick answer: The Palo Duro Basin formation in Texas has 30,829 wells on record across 1,840 active operators, with 125 drilling permits filed in the last 24 months (as of 2026-08-02). Its most active operators by well count are Waggoner Operating,LLC, R2q Operating, Burk Royalty, Johnson & Ernst Operating Company and Quatro Oil And Gas. Compiled from Texas Railroad Commission (RRC) well-header records, refreshed monthly.
The operators with the most well counts targeting the Palo Duro Basin formation in Texas:
| # | Operator | Wells in Palo Duro Basin |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Waggoner Operating,LLC | 3,802 |
| 2 | R2q Operating | 1,599 |
| 3 | Burk Royalty | 943 |
| 4 | Johnson & Ernst Operating Company | 718 |
| 5 | Quatro Oil And Gas | 592 |
| 6 | S&G Oil | 559 |
| 7 | Bastrop Oil & Gas | 558 |
| 8 | Newport Operating | 394 |
| 9 | Stephens & Johnson Operating Company | 386 |
| 10 | Olenox CORP | 333 |
The Texas counties with the most Palo Duro Basin activity:
Wichita, Wilbarger, Hardeman, Foard, Hartley
The most recent 8 drilling permits filed for Palo Duro Basin wells in Texas:
| Permit Date | Well | API | County | Operator | Lateral (ft) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-02 | Sb1-Mp 187.432 1 | 4248546431 |
Wichita | Enterprise Products Operatingllc | — |
| 2025-09-23 | Bond B 18b | 4248733392 |
Wilbarger | L7 Energy LLC | 1,515 |
| 2025-08-11 | Slc Ramming 95 | 4248546413 |
Wichita | Stone Gregory W | 105 |
| 2025-08-11 | Slc Ramming 74 | 4248544588 |
Wichita | Stone Gregory W | 103 |
| 2025-05-30 | Turner Unit 1 | 4219731807 |
Hardeman | Ampak Oil Company | 368 |
| 2025-04-22 | Sb-1 1 | 4208730262 |
Collingsworth | Enterprise Products Operatingllc | 118 |
| 2024-10-14 | Cardinal 1 | 4219731812 |
Hardeman | Trio Consulting Managementllc | 111 |
| 2024-08-19 | Cathodic Protection 5 | 4248546386 |
Wichita | Atmos Pipeline Texas | 104 |
Wells targeting the Palo Duro Basin that have been spudded but are waiting on completion — near-term production upside:
| Spud Date | Days Waiting | Well | Operator | County | Lateral (ft) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-19 | 74 | Belew Unit 1 | Riggins Energy | Wilbarger | — |
| 2026-05-19 | 74 | Gillis, Bruce 21b | Bonfire Operating | Wichita | — |
| 2026-05-13 | 80 | Gillis, Bruce 20b | Bonfire Operating | Wichita | — |
| 2026-04-17 | 106 | Sauder A 9 | R2q Operating | Wichita | 108 |
The Palo Duro Basin is one of Texas's active oil and gas plays, with 30,829 wells on file across 1,840 distinct operators of record. Operators have filed 125 drilling permits targeting the Palo Duro Basin 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 Wichita, Wilbarger, Hardeman, Foard, Hartley, knowing whether your tract sits within an active Palo Duro Basin 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.
See all Texas oil & gas formations & plays · Download the Texas formations dataset (CSV)
30,829 wells target the Palo Duro Basin in Texas, worked by 1,840 active operators, per TX RRC well-header records (as of 2026-08-02).
By well count, the most active Palo Duro Basin operators in Texas are Waggoner Operating,LLC, R2q Operating, Burk Royalty, Johnson & Ernst Operating Company and Quatro Oil And Gas. The full ranking is in the table on this page.
Operators filed 125 drilling permits targeting the Palo Duro Basin in the last 24 months, and there are 4 drilled-but-uncompleted (DUC) wells awaiting completion — a live measure of current activity, per TX RRC records.
Operators filed 125 new drilling permits targeting the Palo Duro Basin in Texas over the last 24 months, with 4 drilled-but-uncompleted (DUC) wells awaiting completion. New permits and spuds are the clearest signal of active Palo Duro Basin drilling, per TX RRC records (as of 2026-08-02).
Palo Duro Basin activity in Texas currently spans 30,829 wells on record and 1,840 active operators, led by Waggoner Operating,LLC, R2q Operating, Burk Royalty, Johnson & Ernst Operating Company and Quatro Oil And Gas, with 125 drilling permits filed in the last 24 months — refreshed monthly from Texas Railroad Commission (RRC) well-header records (as of 2026-08-02).
The most active Palo Duro Basin counties in Texas are Wichita, Wilbarger, Hardeman, Foard, Hartley.
Value depends on your net mineral acres or royalty decimal, the operator, the remaining drilling locations, and current oil and gas prices. Buckhead Energy checks your tract against current Palo Duro Basin well and permit data and puts a free, no-obligation written offer in writing — this page is informational only, not a valuation.
Cite this dataset
Permanently archived and citable via a DOI on Zenodo (CERN), under a CC BY 4.0 license. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.21442884 · View on Zenodo
License & attribution: This data is licensed CC BY 4.0. You are free to share and adapt it, including commercially, provided you credit “Buckhead Energy” and link back to this page or the DOI above.
Get a free written offer based on your specific tract, operator, and the current Palo Duro Basin activity in your area.
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Formation: Palo Duro Basin
State: Texas
Total wells: 30,829
Active operators: 1,840
Permits 24mo: 125
Last refresh: 2026-08-02