Sell Your Mineral Rights in Loving County, TX
If you own mineral rights in Loving County, Texas, you're holding acreage in one of the most intensely drilled counties in the entire Permian Basin — with over 3,500 producing wells and more than 159 million barrels of cumulative oil production on the books. This is not speculative acreage. This is the real thing, and there are serious buyers paying serious money for it right now.
Est. per Acre
$3,000–$12,000
per net royalty acre
Active Wells
3,519+
Drilling Activity
Core Basin
Delaware Basin
Primary Formation
Primary Resource
Oil
Commodity Type
What You Actually Have Here
Loving County sits at the heart of the Delaware Basin's most productive zone, and the numbers bear that out — 3,519 producing wells and 159,273,720 barrels of cumulative oil production make this one of the most drilled, most productive counties in Texas. Major operators like Apache Corporation, EOG Resources, and COG Operating are actively drilling here, which means your mineral rights are sitting underneath real, ongoing development. Before you respond to any offer you've received — or decide to hold — you should know what the market looks like right now and what your specific acres are actually worth.
Loving County by the Numbers
3,519
wells
Producing Wells (State Regulator Data)
159,273,720
BBL
Cumulative Oil Production
547,175,329
MCF
Cumulative Gas Production
$3,000 – $12,000
per acre
Estimated Mineral Value Range (per acre, estimate only)
Oil
Primary Commodity
Who's Operating in Loving County
Apache Corporation
APAEOG Resources, Inc.
EOGCOG Operating LLC
BPX Operating Company
Civitas Permian Operating, LLC
CIVIAnadarko E&P Onshore LLC
What's in the Ground
Wolfcamp
The Wolfcamp is the workhorse of the Delaware Basin — a thick, oil-rich shale formation that has driven most of the modern horizontal drilling boom in this area. Multiple benches (A, B, C, and D) allow operators to stack laterals and extract hydrocarbons at different depths, which is part of why well counts in Loving County are so high.
Bone Spring
The Bone Spring formation (1st, 2nd, and 3rd sands) sits above the Wolfcamp and is another primary target for horizontal drilling in Loving County. It tends to be oil-weighted and has become increasingly important as operators look to develop multiple pay zones from a single surface location.
Delaware Sand
The Delaware Sand is a deeper, conventional-style target that has been produced in this basin for decades. While horizontal shale plays get most of the headlines, the Delaware Sand contributes meaningfully to the county's cumulative production history and is still an active target for some operators.
How a Mineral Rights Sale Works in Practice
You Get an Offer
An acquisition company or operator reaches out with a purchase offer — sometimes a letter, sometimes a phone call, sometimes both. The number they lead with is rarely their best number. Understanding the market before you respond is the most valuable thing you can do.
You Agree on Terms
If you decide to sell, you'll negotiate a price per net mineral acre (or a lump sum based on your ownership interest). The buyer handles most of the paperwork, but you should understand what you're signing — specifically whether you're selling a full fee mineral interest or a term interest.
Title Review
The buyer will run a title search to confirm you actually own what you think you own. In Texas, this means tracing the chain of title through Loving County deed records. If there are gaps or ambiguities — common with inherited minerals — this step can take time. Clean title gets paid faster.
Closing and Payment
Once title clears, you sign a deed conveying your mineral interest and receive payment — usually by wire or check. The whole process typically takes 30 to 60 days from signed purchase agreement to funded closing, though title complications can extend that.
Tax Implications
A mineral rights sale is generally treated as a capital gain. If you inherited the minerals, you likely received a stepped-up cost basis at the time of inheritance, which can significantly reduce your tax exposure. Talk to a tax advisor before you close — it's worth it.
What to Know About Loving County Specifically
Recording Your Deed in Loving County
Loving County is the least populous county in the United States — with a population of 96 — and its courthouse in Mentone handles all deed and title records. Because this is a very small county office, response times on title searches and recording requests can vary. If you're in the middle of a transaction, build in some extra lead time.
Texas Has No Forced Pooling
Unlike many other oil-producing states, Texas does not have a forced pooling statute that compels mineral owners to join a unit. However, the Texas Railroad Commission does have rules around fieldwide spacing and field rules that can affect how your acreage is developed. If you're unleased, you could be a non-participating royalty owner in a unit without your active consent in some situations — worth understanding before you sign anything.
Texas Severance Tax
Texas levies a 4.6% severance tax on oil production and 7.5% on gas production at the wellhead. This is deducted before your royalty check is calculated, so your net royalty income is reduced accordingly. Make sure any division order you receive reflects the correct deductions.
Non-Participating Royalty Interests (NPRIs)
Texas has a long history of severed royalty interests, and Loving County is no exception. If your family has owned these minerals for generations, there may be outstanding NPRIs or overriding royalty interests (ORRIs) attached to the property that reduce what you actually own. A proper title search will surface these — don't skip it.
Heirship and Intestate Succession
Many Loving County mineral interests have changed hands through inheritance without a formal probate. In Texas, an Affidavit of Heirship can establish ownership for title purposes, but buyers and title companies will scrutinize these carefully. If your ownership came through inheritance and was never formally probated, expect questions — and plan ahead.
Why Some Owners Are Selling Now
Not everyone who sells their Loving County mineral rights is doing it because they need the money. Some are simplifying an estate — minerals spread across multiple counties and states are a headache for heirs, and locking in value now can make the next generation's lives easier. Others are selling because royalty income, while real, is unpredictable: commodity prices move, operators change drilling plans, and a check that was $800 one month might be $200 the next. A lump-sum sale converts that uncertainty into something you can plan around. And some people are selling simply because buyer demand right now is unusually strong — with 3,519 producing wells and serious operators actively drilling, there are well-capitalized buyers competing for Permian mineral acreage, which puts upward pressure on what you can negotiate. That doesn't mean selling is always the right move. But if you've been sitting on these minerals without thinking much about them, this is a good time to at least understand what they're worth.
Questions We Hear From Loving County Owners
I just got an offer in the mail. Is it a fair price?
I inherited these minerals and I'm not sure I even own them free and clear. What do I do?
I'm getting a royalty check but it's not very much. Should I just sell?
What's a net mineral acre, and how do I figure out how many I have?
Does it matter that Loving County is so remote and sparsely populated?
Find Out What Your Loving County Minerals Are Worth
Fill out the form and a real person — not an automated system — will review your information and get back to you, usually within one business day. No obligation, no pressure. Just a straight answer about what your mineral rights are worth in today's market.
Get My Free ValuationData Sources
Production and operator figures for Loving County are drawn from U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 5-Year), and DrillingEdge (state regulator production data). Per-acre values are estimates and not an offer.
Other Permian Basin Counties
Loving County is part of the Permian Basin. See the full basin overview, operators, and counties we serve.
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