How to Research Mineral Rights Ownership in Texas

January 10, 2026 • 8 min read

In Texas, mineral rights can be — and often are — severed from surface ownership. This means the person who owns the land may not own the minerals underneath it. Figuring out who actually owns the mineral rights requires research across multiple sources. Here is the practical process.

Why Mineral Ownership is Complicated in Texas

Texas has been producing oil since 1866, and the mineral estate has been bought, sold, reserved, divided, inherited, and pooled millions of times over. A single 640-acre section might have dozens of mineral owners, each holding fractional interests created through generations of conveyances. Common complications include:

• Mineral reservations — When a surface owner sells land but reserves the mineral rights. These reservations can date back 100+ years.
• Fractional interests — Minerals divided through inheritance, partial conveyances, or sales of undivided interests.
• Term mineral interests — Mineral interests that expire after a set period if not being produced. Some old term interests have terminated, reverting minerals to the surface owner.
• Executive rights vs. mineral ownership — In Texas, the executive right (the right to lease) can be severed from the mineral interest itself.

Step 1: County Clerk — Deed Records

The county clerk's office is the authoritative source for mineral ownership. All deeds, mineral conveyances, royalty assignments, and probate records are (or should be) recorded here. Start by searching the grantor/grantee indices for the section or tract you are researching.

Many Texas counties now have online deed search portals. Larger counties like Midland, Ector, Harris, and Tarrant have invested in digital access. Some counties use third-party systems like Deed Reader or TexFile.

Step 2: Texas General Land Office (GLO)

The GLO maintains the original land patent records — the first conveyance from the sovereign. Their online archive includes:

• Land patents and original grants
• Survey maps and field notes
• Abstract information for every survey in Texas

The GLO is your starting point for the chain of title. From the patent forward, you trace through county clerk records.

Step 3: County Appraisal District (CAD)

The county appraisal district maintains property tax records and often lists mineral interest owners separately from surface owners. CAD records are free and searchable online. While not authoritative for title purposes (CAD records contain errors), they provide a useful starting point to identify potential mineral owners.

Step 4: Railroad Commission Records

The RRC does not track mineral ownership directly, but its records provide crucial clues:

• Division orders — Some operators file division orders showing interest owners and their decimal interests. Not all are public.
• Operator assignments — Show who currently operates wells on the tract.
• Pooling orders — Show what tracts are included in a pooled unit.

MineralSearch's well data can help you quickly identify what operator is active on a tract, what leases exist, and what production looks like — useful context when researching mineral ownership.

Step 5: Courthouse vs. Online

The reality is that thorough mineral ownership research still requires county clerk records. There is no single database that has all mineral ownership information for Texas. However, combining online tools (CAD, GLO, RRC/MineralSearch) with targeted courthouse research can make the process significantly more efficient.