Texas Railroad Commission Data — Complete Guide to Free Downloads

February 15, 2026 • 7 min read

The Texas Railroad Commission (RRC) is the state agency that regulates oil and gas operations in Texas. It also happens to be one of the best sources of free well data in the country. The challenge is knowing where to find it and how to work with it. This guide covers every major RRC data source and how to actually use them.

RRC Online Research Queries

The RRC's main data portal is the Online Research Queries system at rrc.texas.gov. This is where most landmen and analysts start. Key query types include:

• Well bore query — Search by API number, operator, lease name, or county. Returns well header information including operator, field, lease, and completion data.
• Production query — Monthly oil and gas production by lease or well. Goes back decades for many leases.
• Drilling permit query — Active and historical drilling permits with operator, location, and target formation.
• Completion query — W-2 completion reports showing perforation intervals, frac data, and initial production tests.

The limitation is that the RRC system is designed for one-at-a-time lookups. If you need data on hundreds of wells, you will be clicking for hours.

RRC Bulk Data Downloads

For larger datasets, the RRC offers bulk data downloads in delimited text format. These are available at the RRC's Data Sets and Research page. Key downloads include:

• Wellbore database (dbf800) — Master well file with all Texas well headers
• Production data — Monthly lease-level and well-level production
• Drilling permits — All permit applications (W-1 forms)
• Completions — W-2 and G-1 completion reports
• Operator data — Operator numbers and organization reports (P-5)

GIS and Mapping Data

The RRC provides GIS shapefiles for well locations, field boundaries, and pipeline routes. These can be loaded into QGIS, ArcGIS, or similar mapping software. The well location data includes surface and bottom-hole coordinates for most wells drilled since the 1990s.

TRRC Public GIS Viewer

If you do not have GIS software, the RRC's Public GIS Viewer is a web-based map that shows well locations, pipelines, and other infrastructure. It is useful for quick visual checks but lacks the search and filter capabilities of a dedicated platform.

What the RRC Data Does Not Include

It is important to understand the RRC's limitations:

• No mineral ownership data — The RRC tracks operators and production, not mineral or royalty owners. For ownership, you need county deed records.
• No lease terms — The RRC records the existence of a lease through operator filings but does not store lease terms, royalty rates, or expiration dates.
• Limited location accuracy for old wells — Pre-GPS well locations may be approximate.
• No Gulf of Mexico data — Federal offshore wells are regulated by BOEM/BSEE, not the RRC. See our Gulf of Mexico data guide for offshore data sources.

Using MineralSearch as Your RRC Interface

MineralSearch ingests, parses, and indexes the RRC's raw data files into a searchable web interface. Instead of downloading gigabytes of fixed-width text files, you can search 1.31 million Texas wells by county, operator, lease name, or API number. Production data, completion details, and permit history are all linked to each well record.

If you need quick answers — "What wells does Pioneer operate in Martin County?" or "Show me all permits filed in Reeves County this month" — MineralSearch gets you there in seconds instead of hours.