Zapata County leases reported 52.6K barrels of oil and 42.8M MCF of gas to the Texas Railroad Commission in the 12 months to Jul 2026, ranking #57 of 219 producing Texas counties by oil-equivalent volume.
52.6KBBL oil, last 12 months▲ 8% vs prior 12
42.8MMCF gas, last 12 months▼ 1% vs prior 12
0new permits, Oct 1–Oct 14
15+top leases listed below
Watch Zapata County. Get one email when RRC publishes new production or a new drilling permit for this county. Free; unsubscribe any time.
We store your email and this county only to send these alerts. Privacy.
Zapata County highlighted; dots are its new permits with coordinates.
Zapata County oil + condensate (BBL per month, last 36 months)
Zapata County gas (MCF per month, last 36 months)
Jun 2026 and Jul 2026 are provisional (lighter bars) and usually rise as late reports arrive.
Zapata County production in brief
Zapata County produced 52,575 barrels of oil and condensate and 42,806,931 MCF of gas in the 12 months from Aug 2025 to Jul 2026, about 0.0% of Texas oil and 0.3% of Texas gas on our county figures. Compared with the previous 12 months, oil was up 8% and gas was about flat. The highest oil month in the last three years was Mar 2026 at 5,680 barrels. The largest operators by oil-equivalent volume were HILCORP ENERGY COMPANY, MERIT ENERGY COMPANY and SMITH PRODUCTION INC.. The top lease by oil was JENNINGS, J. D., operated by SUE-ANN OPERATING, L.C., with 14,821 barrels. RRC issued no new drilling permits in Zapata County between October 1 and Oct 14, 2026.
No new permits in this county in the current RRC daily file.
Monthly figures
Month
Oil (BBL)
Gas (MCF)
Leases reporting
Jul 2026 (provisional)
3,032
3,365,825
4,111
Jun 2026 (provisional)
4,268
3,415,523
4,112
May 2026
4,155
3,624,608
4,112
Apr 2026
4,890
3,557,514
4,112
Mar 2026
5,680
3,662,085
4,112
Feb 2026
4,917
3,256,228
4,112
Jan 2026
5,654
3,728,189
4,112
Dec 2025
3,860
3,742,902
4,112
Nov 2025
3,910
3,599,580
4,114
Oct 2025
3,540
3,663,927
4,117
Sep 2025
4,524
3,488,466
4,117
Aug 2025
4,145
3,702,084
4,117
Questions about Zapata County minerals
How do I look up my lease in Zapata 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 Zapata County and click the well. Step by step: how to look up your lease on RRC.
Who are the top operators in Zapata County?
By oil-equivalent volume over the 12 months to Jul 2026: HILCORP ENERGY COMPANY (16,638 BBL oil, 30,339,497 MCF gas), MERIT ENERGY COMPANY (1,215 BBL oil, 3,580,087 MCF gas) and SMITH PRODUCTION INC. (5,995 BBL oil, 1,470,107 MCF gas). The full list is in the table above.
How are royalties calculated on Zapata 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 4,155 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 Zapata 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.
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.