Sell Your Mineral Rights in Midland County County, TX
If you own mineral rights in Midland County, you're sitting on some of the most actively drilled acreage in North America — the heart of the Permian Basin, where operators are still spending billions and wells are still getting permitted every week. Values here are genuinely strong right now, and depending on where your acreage sits and what's already been drilled, you could be looking at a very significant number.
Est. per Acre
$3,000–$25,000
per net royalty acre
Active Wells
4,200+
Drilling Activity
Core Basin
Permian Basin
Primary Formation
Primary Resource
Oil
Commodity Type
What You Actually Have in Midland County
Midland County sits in the core of the Midland Basin, which is one half of the broader Permian Basin — and it's arguably the most valuable mineral rights real estate in the country right now. The Spraberry and Wolfcamp formations here are stacked, meaning operators can drill multiple horizontal wells from a single surface location and recover oil at depths between 7,000 and 11,000 feet. Activity has not slowed down materially — major operators like Pioneer, Diamondback, and Endeavor are running multiple rigs simultaneously in this county. If you've received an offer, gotten a division order in the mail, or just discovered you inherited something, the key question isn't whether this is worth something. It is. The question is how much, and whether now is the right time for you to act on it.
Midland County by the Numbers
4,200+
wells
Estimated Active Wells
$3,000 – $25,000
per NMA (estimate)
Estimated Value Range Per Net Mineral Acre (core acreage)
7,000 – 11,000
feet
Primary Target Depth
Oil
with associated gas
Primary Commodity
Spraberry / Wolfcamp
stacked pay zones
Dominant Formations
Who's Operating in Midland County
Pioneer Natural Resources
PXDDiamondback Energy
FANGEndeavor Energy Resources
PrivateCoterra Energy
CTRAOccidental Petroleum
OXYProPetro Holding
PUMPWhat's in the Ground Under Your Acreage
Spraberry
The Spraberry is the shallower of the two main targets in Midland County, sitting roughly in the 7,000–8,500 foot range. It's a tight sandstone formation that has been producing since the 1950s but was transformed by horizontal drilling over the last decade. It's one of the largest oil fields by area in the world, and modern completions with longer laterals have made it consistently economic even at moderate oil prices. If you're producing or being drilled on, the Spraberry is likely your shallowest pay.
Wolfcamp
The Wolfcamp is the crown jewel of the Midland Basin and arguably the most prolific shale oil formation in the United States. It runs from roughly 8,000 to 11,000 feet in Midland County and has multiple distinct benches — the Wolfcamp A, B, and D being the primary targets. Operators routinely drill 2-mile horizontal laterals with 50+ frac stages here. Per-well production rates can be extraordinary, and this is the formation driving the highest per-acre valuations in the county.
Dean / Bone Spring
The Dean Sand and Lower Bone Spring are secondary targets that some operators are beginning to exploit more aggressively as they optimize full-section development. They're not the primary reason valuations are high in Midland County, but they add optionality — meaning your acreage may have upside beyond just the Spraberry and Wolfcamp. When operators quote 'stacked pay,' these are part of that conversation.
How a Mineral Rights Sale Actually Works
Getting an Offer
You'll typically receive a written offer — either by mail or through a landman calling you — that quotes a dollar amount per net mineral acre. The key word is 'net.' If you own a 1/4 interest in 80 acres, you own 20 net mineral acres, not 80. Always make sure you know your actual net acreage before evaluating any offer.
Title Review
Before a buyer closes, they'll run a title search through the Midland County Clerk's records. This involves tracing your chain of title — deeds, probate records, heirship affidavits — back to the original patent. In Texas, this can get complicated fast if the minerals have passed through multiple generations without proper paperwork. Clear title means faster closing and often a better price. Cloudy title doesn't mean you can't sell — it just means more work upfront.
Purchase Agreement
Once price and terms are agreed on, you'll sign a mineral deed. In Texas, mineral deeds must be notarized and filed with the Midland County Clerk to be legally effective against third parties. The deed conveys your interest in the minerals, including all depths unless otherwise specified. Read it carefully — depth severances, formation carveouts, and royalty reservations are all negotiable and commonly included.
Closing and Payment
Most buyers pay via wire transfer or cashier's check at closing. Some transactions close in as little as 2–3 weeks if title is clean; more complex estates can take 60–90 days. There is no standard escrow requirement in Texas mineral transactions, though some buyers use title companies for larger deals. Make sure you understand exactly what you're conveying before you sign.
Tax Considerations
The sale of mineral rights is generally treated as a capital gain for federal tax purposes. If you inherited the minerals, your cost basis is typically the fair market value at the date of inheritance — which means your taxable gain may be smaller than you think. Talk to a CPA before you close, especially if this is a large transaction. Texas has no state income tax, which is one less thing to worry about.
What to Know About Owning Minerals in Midland County, Texas
Recording in Midland County
All mineral deeds, assignments, and conveyances must be recorded with the Midland County Clerk's office to be effective against bona fide purchasers. Texas is a 'race-notice' state, meaning the first person to record a deed in good faith generally wins a priority dispute. If you receive a deed transferring minerals to you — through inheritance or purchase — record it promptly.
Heirship and Probate
A significant percentage of Midland County mineral interests have been passed down through families without formal probate. Texas allows the use of Affidavits of Heirship to establish title outside of court in many cases, but these need to be drafted carefully and signed by disinterested parties. If your interest came through an estate and was never formally probated, you'll want to address this before selling — buyers will require clear title.
Texas Pooling Rules
Texas is not a mandatory pooling state for oil and gas. Operators cannot force you into a pooling unit without your consent the way they can in some other states. However, if you don't sign a pooling agreement, you may be 'trespassed' — meaning the operator produces your share and you participate after payout on a non-consent basis, which can significantly reduce your economics. Division orders and pooling agreements should always be reviewed before signing.
Severance Tax
Texas imposes a 4.6% severance tax on oil production and 7.5% on gas production at the wellhead. These are deducted by the operator before royalties are paid. You don't pay this separately — it comes out of your check automatically. Just be aware of it when you're evaluating what your royalties actually represent.
Non-Participating Royalty Interests (NPRIs)
Texas has a long history of carved-out NPRIs — interests where someone owns a royalty but no executive rights (meaning they can't sign leases or participate in decisions). If your interest is an NPRI, you're entitled to royalties but can't negotiate the lease terms yourself. This affects both your income stream and how you'd go about selling the interest. Know which type of interest you actually own.
Why Some Midland County Owners Are Selling Right Now
There's no single reason people sell mineral rights, and honestly, no one reason is better than another — it depends entirely on your situation. Some owners are selling because oil prices have been strong enough to push per-acre valuations to levels that would have seemed unrealistic five years ago, and they'd rather take a certain large check today than bet on prices staying high for another decade of royalty payments. Others are dealing with estate situations — minerals that have passed through a family and are now split among a dozen heirs, none of whom want to manage the tax reporting, division orders, and operator communications every year. Some people simply need liquidity now — for a home purchase, medical expenses, retirement, a business. And some are selling because they've done the math: they're receiving a few hundred dollars a month in royalties, and someone is offering them a check that represents 15 or 20 years of that income, paid today, with no production risk attached. None of these are wrong reasons. The only thing worth being careful about is selling without knowing what you actually have — which is why getting a real valuation before you respond to any offer is always worth doing.
Questions We Hear From Midland County Mineral Owners
I got an offer in the mail for my minerals. Is it a fair price?
How do I even know how many net mineral acres I own?
I'm not currently receiving royalties. Does that mean my minerals aren't producing?
My grandmother passed away and left us minerals in Midland County. How do we sell them?
What's the difference between selling my minerals and just signing a lease?
Find Out What Your Midland County Minerals Are Actually Worth
Fill out the form and someone who knows Midland County — the formations, the operators, the current market — will reach out to you directly, usually within one business day. No pressure, no obligation. Just a real conversation about what you have and what it's worth in today's market. If you've already got an offer, bring it. We'll tell you honestly whether it's fair.
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