We analyzed every violation in the Railroad Commission of Texas's public inspection data, 401,471 violations from August 2015 through September 2026, to answer a simple question: what do Texas oil and gas operators actually get cited for? The answer is not what most people expect. The violations that dominate the record are not blowouts or major spills. They are signs, waste housekeeping, and inactive wells that were never plugged.
Key findings
- More than a quarter of all violations are for signs. Signage rules under Statewide Rule 3 account for 110,675 violations, 27.6 percent of the total. "Well Sign" alone is the third most-cited violation in Texas.
- Three rule families make up more than two-thirds of everything. Signage (Rule 3), oil and gas waste (Rule 8 and its 2025 replacement), and plugging (Rule 14) together account for 69.6 percent of all violations, out of 122 distinct rules cited.
- Almost nothing is classified as major. Only 244 violations, about 0.06 percent, were classified as major, and about 84 percent of those were waste and pollution violations.
- The Permian is different. In Districts 08, 8A, and 7C, unpermitted waste disposal is 29.4 percent of violations (versus 20.7 percent statewide), and spill soil remediation is roughly 2.5 times the statewide share.
- Inspections doubled while the violation rate halved. RRC inspection records rose from 237,623 in 2016 to 454,750 in 2025, while the share finding a violation fell from 15.2 percent to 8.0 percent. In the Permian, inspections tripled and the rate fell to 4.0 percent, about half the statewide rate.
What does the data cover?
The Railroad Commission publishes downloadable files of every violation found during completed Oil and Gas Division inspections since August 1, 2015, updated weekly. Each record identifies the statewide rule that was violated, a short description, the RRC district, whether the violation was classified as major, and the date it was discovered. We downloaded the statewide file in September 2026; the most recent violation in it was discovered on September 24, 2026. The full method and its limits are described at the end of this article, and the aggregated tables are available to download.
What are the most-cited RRC violations?
A small number of requirements account for most of the record. The ten most-cited below make up 83.3 percent of all 401,471 violations. (On July 1, 2025, the RRC replaced Statewide Rule 8 with new waste rules in 16 TAC Chapter 4, so unpermitted disposal cited under the old and new rule numbers is counted together.)
| Rank | Rule | Description | Violations | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SWR 3.8(d)(1) and 4.103(a) | Unpermitted disposal of oil and gas wastes | 83,170 | 20.7% |
| 2 | SWR 3.14(b)(2) | Inactive unplugged well | 67,537 | 16.8% |
| 3 | SWR 3.3(2) | Well sign | 65,444 | 16.3% |
| 4 | SWR 3.13(a)(6)(A) | Surface control of well | 27,968 | 7.0% |
| 5 | SWR 3.3(1) | Entrance sign | 25,384 | 6.3% |
| 6 | SWR 3.3(3) | Battery sign; commingling permit | 18,490 | 4.6% |
| 7 | SWR 3.21(l) | Construction and maintenance of power line to well | 15,477 | 3.9% |
| 8 | SWR 3.91(d)(1) | Remediation of soil | 13,821 | 3.4% |
| 9 | SWR 3.17(a) | Bradenhead requirements | 10,551 | 2.6% |
| 10 | SWR 3.46 | Compliance with permit conditions (injection) | 6,678 | 1.7% |
Finding 1: Signs are the single largest category
Statewide Rule 3 requires identification signs at lease entrances, at each well, and at tank batteries, showing information such as the operator, lease, and well number. It is one of the simplest rules in the book, and it is the largest source of violations in the state. Combined, the five signage provisions account for 110,675 violations:
| Rule | Description | Violations |
|---|---|---|
| SWR 3.3(2) | Well sign | 65,444 |
| SWR 3.3(1) | Entrance sign | 25,384 |
| SWR 3.3(3) | Battery sign; commingling permit | 18,490 |
| SWR 3.3(5) | Legible signs | 1,295 |
| SWR 3.3(4) | Multi-completed flow line identification | 62 |
| Total | 110,675 (27.6%) | |
A missing or faded sign is not an environmental emergency, but every one is a documented violation on an operator's record, and each has to be corrected and re-inspected. The practical point is that more than a quarter of the enforcement record is made of problems that a routine field check would catch.
Finding 2: Waste housekeeping and inactive wells come next
The two most-cited individual requirements are not about signs. Unpermitted disposal of oil and gas wastes leads with 83,170 violations. The prohibition was in Statewide Rule 8(d)(1) until July 1, 2025, when the RRC replaced Rule 8 with new waste rules in 16 TAC Chapter 4, Subchapter A; it now sits at 4.103(a), and citations moved to the new number that month. In the field it usually means fluids released or left on the ground rather than handled through an authorized method (see our guide to the 2025 waste rules). Inactive unplugged wells under Rule 14(b)(2) follow with 67,537; Rule 14 governs when inactive wells must be plugged. Together with signage, these three rule families account for 69.6 percent of all violations.
| Rule family | Subject | Violations | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| SWR 3.3 (Rule 3) | Identification signs | 110,675 | 27.6% |
| SWR 3.8 (Rule 8) and 16 TAC 4.1xx | Oil and gas waste and water protection (Rule 8, replaced by Chapter 4 in July 2025) | 96,507 | 24.0% |
| SWR 3.14 (Rule 14) | Plugging | 72,351 | 18.0% |
| SWR 3.13 (Rule 13) | Casing, cementing, and well control | 28,094 | 7.0% |
| SWR 3.21 (Rule 21) | Fire prevention and power lines | 23,626 | 5.9% |
| SWR 3.91 (Rule 91) | Spill cleanup (soil remediation) | 13,843 | 3.4% |
| SWR 3.46 (Rule 46) | Injection wells | 13,219 | 3.3% |
Finding 3: Major violations are rare, and they are mostly about waste and pollution
The RRC classifies a violation as major during its technical review when it has a significant impact on public safety or the environment, or reflects deliberate disregard of the rules. Of 401,471 violations, only 244 were classified as major, about 0.06 percent. About 84 percent of those (206) fell under the oil and gas waste rules, Rule 8 and its 2025 replacement, including 170 for unpermitted disposal of oil and gas wastes and 27 for surface or subsurface water pollution. The overall record is overwhelmingly administrative and housekeeping; the serious cases cluster around waste and water.
Finding 4: The Permian's violation profile is different
Districts 08, 8A, and 7C, which cover the Permian Basin, account for 100,376 violations, 25.0 percent of the statewide total. The mix of violations there differs noticeably from the rest of the state.
| Rule family | Permian share | Statewide share |
|---|---|---|
| Oil and gas waste (Rule 8 and its 2025 replacement) | 33.2% | 24.0% |
| Rule 3: identification signs | 16.8% | 27.6% |
| Rule 14: plugging | 12.4% | 18.0% |
| Rule 91: spill cleanup (soil remediation) | 8.5% | 3.4% |
| Rule 13: casing, cementing, and well control | 8.4% | 7.0% |
| Rule 46: injection wells | 6.9% | 3.3% |
Permian operators are cited far more for waste disposal, spill cleanup, and injection wells, and less for signs and inactive wells. That fits the basin's operating reality: high produced-water volumes, heavy saltwater disposal activity, and more releases to clean up. For a Permian operator, the compliance priorities these numbers point to are waste handling, spill remediation, and injection permit conditions.
Finding 5: How violation counts have changed
Statewide violations peaked in 2016 and have been lower since, with the Permian showing a steeper decline.
| Year | Statewide | Permian (08, 8A, 7C) |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 44,176 | 11,711 |
| 2017 | 37,907 | 9,670 |
| 2018 | 41,579 | 9,717 |
| 2019 | 33,160 | 10,057 |
| 2020 | 35,770 | 10,018 |
| 2021 | 33,243 | 8,539 |
| 2022 | 36,670 | 9,155 |
| 2023 | 33,796 | 7,681 |
| 2024 | 28,920 | 6,408 |
| 2025 | 33,443 | 6,668 |
Falling violation counts could simply mean fewer inspections. The RRC's inspection data shows the opposite. Inspection activity nearly doubled statewide and roughly tripled in the Permian over the same period, while the share of inspections finding at least one violation dropped sharply.
| Year | Inspection records (statewide) | Share with a violation (statewide) | Inspection records (Permian) | Share with a violation (Permian) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 237,623 | 15.2% | 61,311 | 14.7% |
| 2017 | 261,821 | 12.2% | 69,945 | 12.2% |
| 2018 | 334,179 | 10.1% | 103,132 | 7.0% |
| 2019 | 325,807 | 9.5% | 115,127 | 7.7% |
| 2020 | 359,808 | 10.0% | 102,347 | 10.6% |
| 2021 | 313,530 | 11.2% | 87,414 | 10.7% |
| 2022 | 416,372 | 9.3% | 155,656 | 6.1% |
| 2023 | 439,639 | 8.1% | 167,415 | 4.9% |
| 2024 | 475,419 | 6.7% | 180,493 | 3.9% |
| 2025 | 454,750 | 8.0% | 180,128 | 4.0% |
Across all 4,034,668 inspection records since August 2015, 90.4 percent found no violations. The steady decline in the violation rate while inspection volume grew is consistent with improving compliance, but it may also reflect changes in how, where, and how often the RRC inspects, so it should not be read as proof that operators simply became more compliant. What it does rule out is the simplest explanation: fewer violations are not the result of fewer inspections.
What this means for operators
The enforcement record says the most likely way to be cited is not a catastrophe; it is a gap in routine upkeep. Three practical takeaways follow directly from the data:
- Audit your signs. Well, entrance, and battery signs are the largest violation category in the state. A periodic sign check across every lease is cheap and removes the single biggest source of citations.
- Treat waste housekeeping as a compliance program. Unpermitted disposal is the most-cited individual rule statewide and more than a quarter of Permian violations. Fluids on the ground, unpermitted pits, and improper disposal are what inspectors write up most.
- Manage your inactive wells. Inactive unplugged wells are the second most-cited rule. Know which wells are inactive, and either plug them or keep the required plugging extensions current.
For how these rules work in detail, see our guides to the RRC Statewide Rules and the most common violations for Permian operators.
Methodology and limitations
- Source: Railroad Commission of Texas Oil and Gas Inspections and Violations data files (statewide VIOLATIONS and INSPECTIONS files), downloaded in September 2026. The violations file covers violations found in completed inspections from August 3, 2015, through September 24, 2026; the inspections file contains 4,034,668 inspection records over the same period.
- Violation rate: the share of inspection records the RRC marked non-compliant, meaning at least one statewide rule was found non-compliant and certified in its technical review. Years are based on the inspection date.
- Counting: each record is one violation of one rule. A single inspection can produce several violations, so violation counts are not inspection counts.
- Rules and families: "rule" means the specific provision recorded (for example, SWR 3.3(2)); "rule family" groups provisions under the same statewide rule (for example, all SWR 3.3 provisions).
- The 2025 waste rule change: on July 1, 2025, the RRC replaced Statewide Rule 8 (16 TAC 3.8) with new oil and gas waste rules in 16 TAC Chapter 4, Subchapter A, and violations after that date are cited under the new section numbers (recorded in the data as "SWR 4.1xx"). To compare like with like, unpermitted disposal combines SWR 3.8(d)(1) with its successor SWR 4.103(a), and the oil and gas waste family combines all SWR 3.8 provisions with all SWR 4.1xx provisions. The downloadable by-rule table keeps every rule number separate.
- Permian: defined as RRC Oil and Gas Districts 08, 8A, and 7C, using the district recorded on each violation.
- Years: based on the violation discovery date. 2015 and 2026 are partial years and are excluded from the yearly table; 539 records with missing or malformed dates are excluded from year counts only.
- Major violations: as classified by the RRC during its technical review of the inspection.
- What this is not: this data records violations found on inspection. It does not include penalty amounts or enforcement outcomes, and it does not cover federal EPA or OSHA violations. The RRC notes that its data sets are provided for informational purposes and are not an authoritative public record.
- Revision, October 1, 2026: the first version of this article counted unpermitted disposal cited under Statewide Rule 8 and under its 2025 replacement, 16 TAC 4.103(a), as two separate rules. They are now combined, which raises unpermitted disposal from 18.9 to 20.7 percent statewide (26.6 to 29.4 percent in the Permian) and the top three rule families from 67.7 to 69.6 percent. No underlying counts changed.
Download the data
The aggregated tables behind this article are free to use with attribution to Tektite Energy:
How Tektite helps
The record is clear that most citations come from routine gaps, not disasters, which means most of them are preventable with a disciplined inspection routine. Tektite provides RRC compliance for Texas operators, auditing leases against the Statewide Rules that generate the most violations, from signage and waste housekeeping to inactive-well plugging and injection permit conditions, before an inspector does. If you want to know where your leases stand against the rules that actually get cited, a focused review is the place to start.
Related reading
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most common RRC violation in Texas?
By individual requirement, the most-cited violation from August 2015 through September 2026 was unpermitted disposal of oil and gas wastes, with 83,170 violations (20.7 percent), counting citations under Statewide Rule 8 and its July 2025 replacement, 16 TAC 4.103(a). By rule family, signage under Statewide Rule 3 was the largest: 110,675 violations, or 27.6 percent of all 401,471 violations in the RRC's inspection data.
How many RRC violations are classified as major?
Very few. Of 401,471 violations in the RRC inspection and violation data from August 2015 through September 2026, 244 (about 0.06 percent) were classified as major during the RRC's technical review. About 84 percent of major violations (206 of 244) fell under the oil and gas waste rules: Statewide Rule 8 and, since July 2025, its replacement in 16 TAC Chapter 4.
Are Permian Basin violations different from the rest of Texas?
Yes. In RRC Districts 08, 8A, and 7C, unpermitted disposal of oil and gas wastes accounts for 29.4 percent of violations, compared with 20.7 percent statewide, and soil remediation after spills under Statewide Rule 91 accounts for 8.5 percent, roughly two and a half times the statewide share of 3.4 percent. Signage violations are less common in the Permian, at 16.8 percent versus 27.6 percent statewide.
Are RRC violations going down?
Violation counts peaked in 2016, and the share of inspections finding a violation has fallen by about half since, from 15.2 percent in 2016 to 8.0 percent in 2025, even though RRC inspection activity nearly doubled. In the Permian, inspections roughly tripled and the rate fell to about 4 percent. That is consistent with improving compliance, though it may also reflect changes in how and where the RRC inspects.
Where does this data come from?
From the Railroad Commission of Texas Oil and Gas Inspections and Violations data files, which the RRC publishes as public downloads covering completed inspections since August 1, 2015. We downloaded the statewide files in September 2026 and aggregated them ourselves; the summary tables are available to download from this page.
