Mineral rights in Shelby County, Texas
Shelby County is an active Texas drilling market: 60 permits in the last 24 months, with the pace accelerating.
- 60
- Permits · 24 mo
- 3
- Rigs running
- 2,397
- Wells on record
- 13,947
- Mineral owners
up 30% vs prior 24 months
as of 2026-05-23
appraisal-linked records
Who's drilling Shelby County
Operators ranked by drilling permits approved in the 24 months ending 2026-05-23.
| Operator | Permits · 24 mo |
|---|---|
| Silver Hill Energy Partners | 37 |
| Exxon | 5 |
| Adamas Energy LLC | 5 |
| Select Water Solutions, LLC | 4 |
| Hog Operating LLC | 2 |
What the record says
Shelby County recorded 60 drilling permits in the 24 months ending 2026-05-23, against 46 in the prior 24 months. Development here is overwhelmingly horizontal (90% of recent permits, averaging 10,956-foot laterals) — modern pad development that drains whole sections at a time. Most activity targets the Haynesville play of the Ark-La-Tx basin.
On the production side, Texas Railroad Commission county cycle data shows Shelby County produced roughly 6.2K barrels of oil and 91.4M Mcf of gas in 2025 — the royalty base that mineral values here are priced against.
Ownership is spread across 13,947 mineral owners holding 13,947 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: 113 leases were recorded in the county over the last 24 months. 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.
Shelby County mineral rights FAQ
Who is drilling in Shelby County, Texas?
The most active operators by permits approved in the last 24 months are Silver Hill Energy Partners, Exxon, Adamas Energy LLC. The full table above lists the top five with permit counts.
How many mineral owners are there in Shelby County?
County appraisal and ownership records show 13,947 distinct mineral owners holding 13,947 interest records in Shelby County as of the 2026-05-23 snapshot.
How do I research mineral rights ownership in Shelby County?
Start with the Shelby 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 Shelby County?
Mineral Eagle links every permit above to the owners it affects — 13,947 of them, with the records to back it up.