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Sterling County oil and gas

Sterling County leases reported 344K barrels of oil and 4.5M MCF of gas to the Texas Railroad Commission in the 12 months to Jul 2026, ranking #110 of 219 producing Texas counties by oil-equivalent volume.

Sterling County oil + condensate (BBL per month, last 36 months)

Sterling County gas (MCF per month, last 36 months)

Jun 2026 and Jul 2026 are provisional (lighter bars) and usually rise as late reports arrive.

Sterling County production in brief

Sterling County produced 343,985 barrels of oil and condensate and 4,471,536 MCF of gas in the 12 months from Aug 2025 to Jul 2026, about 0.0% of Texas oil and 0.0% of Texas gas on our county figures. Compared with the previous 12 months, oil was down 7% and gas was down 7%. The highest oil month in the last three years was Oct 2023 at 37,165 barrels. The largest operators by oil-equivalent volume were BURK ROYALTY CO., LTD., OWL OPS LLC and P1 ENERGY, LLC. The top lease by oil was CLARK, L. C., operated by GILSTRAP, JOEL, with 14,997 barrels. RRC issued no new drilling permits in Sterling County between October 1 and Oct 14, 2026.

Top leases, last 12 months

Lease	Operator	Field	Oil (BBL)	Gas (MCF)
CLARK, L. C.	GILSTRAP, JOEL	CLARK (SAN ANDRES)	14,997	0
H & H RANCH	MORIAH OPERATING,LLC	GARDEN CITY, S. (WOLFCAMP)	10,867	117,400
MERCER-B-	CRESCENT ENERGY OPERATING, LLC	SPRABERRY (TREND AREA)	10,672	22,616
STROMAN RANCH	OWL OPS LLC	GARDEN CITY, S. (WOLFCAMP)	10,568	86,418
COPE UNIT	SURGE SOLUTIONS, INC.	COPE	8,532	1,219
HILDEBRAND	BURK ROYALTY CO., LTD.	CONGER (PENN)	7,920	218,153
HERRELL, E. QUEEN SAND UNIT	BLACK RIVER OPERATING LLC	HERRELL, EAST (QUEEN SAND)	6,590	0
STERLING 'X' FEE	BURK ROYALTY CO., LTD.	SPRABERRY (TREND AREA)	6,417	6,877
FLYING 'B' RANCH	MAVERICK OPERATING, LLC	GARDEN CITY, S. (WOLFCAMP)	6,308	1,412
FOSTER 60	KEK EXPLORATION LLC	RENDERBROOK CREEK (MISS)	6,199	0
JOHNSON, LOU E., ESTATE, A/C 1	QUAIL RIDGE PETROLEUM LLC	JAMESON (STRAWN)	5,903	9,258
BLUE 15	KEK EXPLORATION LLC	LONESOME DOVE (MISS)	5,554	0
BETTY GLASS 42	BLUE STAR NATURAL RESOURCES, LLC	SPRABERRY (TREND AREA)	5,441	47,708
STERLING "E" FEE	BURK ROYALTY CO., LTD.	BIG SALUTE (LEONARD)	5,364	13,088
STERLING 'T' FEE	BURK ROYALTY CO., LTD.	SPRABERRY (TREND AREA)	5,194	16,052

Top operators, last 12 months

Operator	Leases	Oil (BBL)	Gas (MCF)
BURK ROYALTY CO., LTD.	663	105,812	2,752,575
OWL OPS LLC	18	38,491	373,312
P1 ENERGY, LLC	118	22,796	296,284
MORIAH OPERATING,LLC	4	16,665	208,759
ATROPOS PRODUCTION CORPORATION	87	2,945	255,257
KEK EXPLORATION LLC	35	37,280	2,814
TREK RESOURCES, INC.	51	4,337	136,921
GILSTRAP, JOEL	3	16,006	0
BLACK RIVER OPERATING LLC	12	13,776	0
QUAIL RIDGE PETROLEUM LLC	14	9,591	24,875

New drilling permits this month

No new permits in this county in the current RRC daily file.

Nearby permits in neighboring counties

Miles from county center	County	Operator	Lease
34	Howard	SURGE OPERATING, LLC	MIYAGI E 38-35
34	Howard	SURGE OPERATING, LLC	MIYAGI D 38-35
34	Glasscock	R H WELL SERVICE, INC.	MCDOWELL, L.S. 'B'
40	Glasscock	DIAMONDBACK E&P LLC	COBRA 39-34 P
40	Glasscock	DIAMONDBACK E&P LLC	COBRA 39-34 O
40	Glasscock	DIAMONDBACK E&P LLC	COBRA 39-34 L
40	Glasscock	DIAMONDBACK E&P LLC	COBRA 39-34 I

Monthly figures

Month	Oil (BBL)	Gas (MCF)	Leases reporting
Jul 2026 (provisional)	22,333	339,539	1,254
Jun 2026 (provisional)	27,904	381,563	1,256
May 2026	27,890	318,221	1,256
Apr 2026	28,545	359,139	1,256
Mar 2026	30,215	386,170	1,256
Feb 2026	28,931	350,965	1,258
Jan 2026	30,370	380,684	1,258
Dec 2025	32,084	402,468	1,259
Nov 2025	30,277	389,483	1,259
Oct 2025	30,290	394,276	1,260
Sep 2025	27,285	374,745	1,261
Aug 2025	27,861	394,283	1,261

Questions about Sterling County minerals

How do I look up my lease in Sterling County?

Find the RRC lease number on your check stub, then search it on our lease search or in the RRC Production Data Query using district and lease number. Without a number, open the RRC GIS viewer, go to Sterling County and click the well. Step by step: how to look up your lease on RRC.

Who are the top operators in Sterling County?

By oil-equivalent volume over the 12 months to Jul 2026: BURK ROYALTY CO., LTD. (105,812 BBL oil, 2,752,575 MCF gas), OWL OPS LLC (38,491 BBL oil, 373,312 MCF gas) and P1 ENERGY, LLC (22,796 BBL oil, 296,284 MCF gas). The full list is in the table above.

How are royalties calculated on Sterling County production?

A gross royalty is roughly (oil volume × oil price + gas volume × gas price) × your decimal interest. Your decimal is on your check stub or division order. County production in May 2026 was 27,890 BBL of oil; try your own lease in the royalty estimator. Severance tax and any deductions your lease allows reduce the check.

How do I sell mineral rights in Sterling County?

Start with the production history of your lease on its page here, then compare several offers on the same basis (price per net mineral acre or a multiple of monthly royalty). Recent permits in the county (0 so far this month) can matter to buyers. See how to sell mineral rights. We are not a buyer or broker.

Own minerals in Sterling County? Find your lease, estimate a royalty check or get the monthly county update.

Source: Texas Railroad Commission (data sets, Production Data Query). Data date: RRC Production Data Query dump, extract dated Sep 18, 2026; production through Jul 2026. Jun 2026 and Jul 2026 are provisional: operators file late and amend, so these months usually rise in later releases. Oil = crude oil + condensate (BBL); gas = gas-well gas + casinghead gas (MCF), as reported to RRC. RRC notes county-level figures are allocated estimates based on allowables and potentials. Methodology.