Mineral rights in Lavaca County, Texas
Lavaca County is an active Texas drilling market: 89 permits in the last 24 months, with the pace accelerating.
- 89
- Permits · 24 mo
- 2
- Rigs running
- 5,429
- Wells on record
- 21,240
- Mineral owners
up 19% vs prior 24 months
as of 2026-05-23
appraisal-linked records
Who's drilling Lavaca County
Operators ranked by drilling permits approved in the 24 months ending 2026-05-23.
| Operator | Permits · 24 mo |
|---|---|
| Baytex Energy | 37 |
| EOG | 21 |
| Petrovybe Opco LLC | 4 |
| Fw Eagle Ford I, LLC | 4 |
| Redhawk Operating, LLC | 4 |
What the record says
Lavaca County recorded 89 drilling permits in the 24 months ending 2026-05-23, against 75 in the prior 24 months. Development here is overwhelmingly horizontal (81% of recent permits, averaging 10,361-foot laterals) — modern pad development that drains whole sections at a time. Most activity targets the Eagle Ford play of the Western Gulf basin.
On the production side, Texas Railroad Commission county cycle data shows Lavaca County produced roughly 6.9M barrels of oil and 30.4M Mcf of gas in 2025 — the royalty base that mineral values here are priced against.
Ownership is spread across 21,240 mineral owners holding 21,277 appraisal-linked interest records . Fragmented ownership like this is where buyers find deals — and where heirs discover interests they didn't know they had. See our guide to researching mineral ownership.
Leasing has kept pace: 2,198 leases were recorded in the county over the last 24 months, with recent recorded leases averaging about 20.9% royalty. For how royalty terms work, see our royalty guide.
Thinking about value? Start with what drives mineral prices or run the numbers in the value calculator.
Lavaca County mineral rights FAQ
Who is drilling in Lavaca County, Texas?
The most active operators by permits approved in the last 24 months are Baytex Energy, EOG, Petrovybe Opco LLC. The full table above lists the top five with permit counts.
What royalty are leases paying in Lavaca County?
Recorded leases over the past five years in Lavaca County average about 20.9% royalty. Individual terms vary with acreage position, competition, and the operator — treat this as a market reference point, not a quote.
How many mineral owners are there in Lavaca County?
County appraisal and ownership records show 21,240 distinct mineral owners holding 21,277 interest records in Lavaca County as of the 2026-05-23 snapshot.
How do I research mineral rights ownership in Lavaca County?
Start with the Lavaca County clerk's deed records and the county appraisal roll, then verify against state regulator filings. Our title search guide walks through the process, and the Mineral Eagle platform links these records for the whole county.
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Buying in Lavaca County?
Mineral Eagle links every permit above to the owners it affects — 21,240 of them, with the records to back it up.