Sell Mineral Rights in Texas
Sell mineral rights in Texas by asking buyers for written offers before you sign anything. Texas produced about 2.1 billion barrels of crude oil and about 12.7 trillion cubic feet of marketed natural gas in 2025, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Most activity centers on the Permian Basin in West Texas, and we take your interest to buyers at no cost to you.
Request offers Free to ask, with no upfront fee and no obligation to sell.
What shapes an offer for Texas minerals
Buyers price each tract on its own wells and the wells around it, so the Permian Basin in West Texas, the Eagle Ford in South Texas and the Haynesville in East Texas are priced differently.
Well and production records are kept by the Railroad Commission of Texas, and your deed is recorded with the county where the land sits.
Texas rules to know before you sell
No Texas statute was found that ends or transfers a severed mineral interest because it went unused. Do Mineral Rights Expire in Texas (opens in a new tab) gives the statute and its conditions.
On forced pooling, under the Mineral Interest Pooling Act (Natural Resources Code chapter 102, 1977) the Railroad Commission, on application by an eligible owner, must form a unit and pool all interests when separately owned tracts lie in a common reservoir with commission set proration units, the owners have not agreed to pool, and a well has been drilled or proposed; the applicant must first have made a fair and reasonable voluntary pooling offer or the application is dismissed.
Texas taxes oil at 4.6 percent of market value and gas at 7.5 percent, with condensate taxed at the oil rate and small cleanup fees on top. Royalty owners bear the tax ratably, and producers or purchasers withhold it from their payments.
Texas levies no broad personal income tax. Oil and Gas Severance Tax by State (opens in a new tab) compares every state.
Three ways to sell, side by side
How answering a buyer’s letter compares with asking us, and with listing the interest yourself.
| Answer a letter in the mail | Ask through American Mineral Registry | List it yourself | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How the price is set | By the one buyer who wrote | By the written offers you receive | By whoever answers your listing |
| Who sees your interest | One buyer | Buyers we approach who may be interested | Whoever finds the listing |
| What it costs you | Nothing up front | Nothing; we are paid only if a sale we arrange closes | Your time, and often a listing or broker fee |
| Who handles the closing | The buyer, on its own terms | A title company, escrow agent or closing attorney | You, with your own counsel |
Answer a letter in the mail
- How the price is set
- By the one buyer who wrote
- Who sees your interest
- One buyer
- What it costs you
- Nothing up front
- Who handles the closing
- The buyer, on its own terms
Ask through American Mineral Registry
- How the price is set
- By the written offers you receive
- Who sees your interest
- Buyers we approach who may be interested
- What it costs you
- Nothing; we are paid only if a sale we arrange closes
- Who handles the closing
- A title company, escrow agent or closing attorney
List it yourself
- How the price is set
- By whoever answers your listing
- Who sees your interest
- Whoever finds the listing
- What it costs you
- Your time, and often a listing or broker fee
- Who handles the closing
- You, with your own counsel
One request. Buyers compete in writing. You call the shots.
Keep a recent check stub or the lease handy if you have one; it helps buyers price an offer, but you can ask without either. Nothing goes to a buyer until we have talked with you. If a buyer has already written to you, tell us; that letter becomes the number every other offer has to beat.
Free for families. You never pay us a dime.
Asking for an offer costs you nothing, and there is no fee when you sell. Usually we buy the interest ourselves, and the offer says so. We may resell it, and that is how we are paid; it never changes the price you agreed.
Your money moves through a licensed title company, escrow agent or closing attorney, never through our hands. Every written offer names its buyer.
Common questions
How do I sell mineral rights in Texas?
Tell us the county and your interest, add a check stub or lease if you have one, and we ask buyers for written offers. You choose the offer you prefer, or none, and close through a licensed Texas title company.
Does Texas have a dormant mineral act that can take my minerals?
No Texas statute was found that ends or transfers a severed mineral interest because it went unused. Read the rule and its sources (opens in a new tab).
Where is oil and gas activity in Texas?
The Permian in West Texas and the Eagle Ford in South Texas are oil weighted; the Barnett and the Haynesville are gas weighted. The production lookup on the research side lists output by county.
Is getting Texas mineral offers free?
Yes. Asking for offers is free, with no upfront fee and no obligation to sell.
Do I owe property tax on minerals in Texas?
Once a well is producing, yes. Texas classifies minerals as real property, so the county appraisal district values the producing interest and bills property tax on it each year, on top of the state severance tax the operator pays. Minerals that are not producing are generally not taxed this way.
What taxes apply when I sell Texas minerals?
A sale is generally treated as the sale of a capital asset, so federal capital gains rules usually apply, while royalty checks are ordinary income. Texas has no personal income tax, though your home state may tax the gain. State production taxes, where they apply, usually come off the royalty check, and some producing minerals are also taxed locally.
Inherited minerals usually receive a stepped up basis as of the date of death, which can reduce the gain on a later sale. AMR’s state tax reference (opens in a new tab) has the rules and sources; confirm your own situation with a tax professional.
What is a non-participating royalty interest (NPRI) in Texas?
An NPRI is a share of production revenue with no right to lease the minerals or take a lease bonus. It is common in Texas and fully sellable. Buyers value it on the income it pays, much like a producing royalty, and a clean NPRI conveyance keeps the sale simple.
Do I sign a division order before selling Texas minerals?
A division order confirms your decimal share of production so the operator pays you correctly. You can sign one to start receiving payments, you do not have to sell before signing it, and signing it does not give up ownership. Keep the most recent one, because it helps a buyer confirm your interest quickly.
Does Texas tax oil and gas royalty income?
No. Texas has no personal income tax, so Texas does not tax royalty income. If you live in a state with an income tax, your home state generally taxes it, and federal tax applies on top.
What is the severance tax on oil and gas in Texas?
Texas levies oil at 4.6 percent of market value and gas at 7.5 percent, with condensate taxed at the oil rate and small cleanup fees on top. Royalty owners bear the tax ratably, and producers or purchasers withhold it from their payments. Rates, exemptions and sources (opens in a new tab).
How do I find out what minerals I own in Texas?
Check the county recorder where the land sits for the deed, the Railroad Commission of Texas for well and production records, and the state unclaimed property program for any unclaimed royalty money. Our unclaimed royalties finder builds the checklist.
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Find out what your Texas soil would bring, before the next letter lands in your mailbox.
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