RRC Issues 816 Drilling Permits in October; San Angelo Area Sees Strong Activity

SAN ANGELO, TX — The Railroad Commission of Texas issued 816 original drilling permits in October 2026, the agency reported. 

The San Angelo area accounted for 125 of the 742 permits issued to drill new oil or gas wells and recorded 117 new oil completions, ranking second among RRC districts in both categories. The Midland area led statewide with 345 permits and 197 new oil completions. 

Overall, the 816 original permits included 742 to drill new oil or gas wells, 12 to re-enter plugged wellbores, 60 for recompletion and 2 for reclass. By well type, permits covered 143 oil, 71 gas, 532 oil and gas, 39 injection, 9 service and 22 other wells. 

Commission staff processed 869 oil, 359 gas and 68 injection completions during the month. 

Other districts with notable activity included the San Antonio area (67 permits, 52 new oil completions and 39 new gas completions) and the East Texas area (54 permits and 53 new gas completions). 

A district map is available on the RRC website at https://rrc.texas.gov/media/3bkhbut0/districts_color_8x11.pdf.