HOWARD County
District 11 · Permian (East) · Permits since 1977-06-06 · Data through 2026-09-04
Howard County permitting is running 8.3 permits a month over the trailing 90 days (25 total, down 66% on the prior quarter). 3 were issued in the past week. DIAMONDBACK E&P LLC leads with 42 permits in the past 12 months, one of 16 operators active in the county. 3 operators filed a first Howard County permit in the past year. Median permitted depth over the past year is 9,500 ft (prior year: 8,850 ft); 93% of the past year's permits are horizontal.
Permits (90d)
25
vs Prior
-65%
Operators (90d)
6
Avg Depth (90d)
8,230
Hz % (90d)
92%
All Time
15,184
Depth Range: 0 - 20,000 ft
SWD wells in HOWARD County → 1,180 active injection & disposal wells · full UIC inventory
Saltwater disposal in HOWARD County → 149 disposal permits · SWD operators, capacity & injected volumes
Earthquakes in HOWARD County → 55 M2+ events in 24mo · TexNet
Permit Activity
Permit Types (90d)
DRILL
25
-46 vs prior
Top Operators
by permits, trailing 12 mo View All
| OPERATOR | PERMITS 12MO | WELLS |
|---|---|---|
| DIAMONDBACK E&P LLC | 42 | 394 |
| SURGE OPERATING, LLC | 38 | 792 |
| HIGHPEAK ENERGY HOLDINGS, LLC | 25 | 575 |
| APACHE CORPORATION | 18 | 468 |
| OVINTIV USA INC. | 15 | 476 |
| SM ENERGY COMPANY | 15 | 462 |
| BAYSWATER OPERATING COMPANY LLC | 11 | 185 |
| OXYROCK OPERATING, LLC | 10 | 618 |
| LANGFORD & BRIGHAM OPERATING LLC | 10 | 44 |
| OXY USA INC. | 5 | 253 |
Recent Permits
View All| PERMIT | LEASE | TYPE | ISSUED |
|---|---|---|---|
| 918218 | PALPATINE B 46-03 | DRILL | 2026-09-04 |
| 918272 | JAZ | DRILL | 2026-09-03 |
| 918217 | PALPATINE A 46-03 | DRILL | 2026-09-02 |
| 917415 | WILLIE SCOTT AA | DRILL | 2026-08-18 |
| 917423 | WILLIE SCOTT AA | DRILL | 2026-08-18 |
| 917526 | JACUZZIE A | DRILL | 2026-08-13 |
| 917486 | WACO KID MARION RAVENWOOD B | DRILL | 2026-08-13 |
| 917488 | WACO KID MARION RAVENWOOD C | DRILL | 2026-08-13 |
| 917440 | WILLIE SCOTT B | DRILL | 2026-08-13 |
| 917527 | JACUZZIE B | DRILL | 2026-08-13 |
New to HOWARD County
first county permit, past 12 mo| OPERATOR | FIRST PERMIT | PERMITS | BACKGROUND |
|---|---|---|---|
| OUTLAW WATER SERVICES LLC | 2026-04-21 | 2 | first TX permits |
| TREK RESOURCES, INC. | 2026-03-03 | 2 | active elsewhere in TX |
| R.D.S. RANCH-WATER SVS, INC. | 2026-09-03 | 1 | active elsewhere in TX |
Formations Beneath HOWARD County
from RRC completion filings| FORMATION | WELLS | MEDIAN TOP (FT) |
|---|---|---|
| San Andres | 6,347 | 3,072 |
| Clear Fork | 5,293 | 4,550 |
| Spraberry | 5,273 | 6,315 |
| Yates | 5,181 | 1,771 |
| Glorieta | 4,164 | 3,877 |
| Seven Rivers | 3,678 | 1,800 |
| Dean | 3,156 | 7,420 |
| Wolfcamp | 2,624 | 7,564 |