How to check your volumes against state records

By Bill Givens · Published October 8, 2026

Every producing state keeps public records of how much oil and gas each well made. Your statement says what the operator reports to you. The state's records say what it reported to the government. They should be close, and when they are not, that is worth a question.

What to compare

You are checking the volumes, not the dollars. Take the whole-well oil and gas 3 for a month, and compare them with what the state shows for the same well and the same month.

• The well 1. Names are tricky: a stub may say "EXAMPLE 14-2H" where the state lists "14-2H Example." The state's records also carry a well number, called an API number. If your statement shows one, use it to search.
• The month 2. A stub shows the month the product was sold. States report by production month. They are usually the same month, but they can be off by one.
• Oil and gas separately. A well can match on one and not the other.

Where to look

Each state has its own regulator and its own website. In the states mineralrights.ai covers:

• Texas: Railroad Commission of Texas
• New Mexico: Oil Conservation Division
• Colorado: Energy and Carbon Management Commission
• Utah: Division of Oil, Gas and Mining
• North Dakota: Department of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas Division
• Wyoming: Oil and Gas Conservation Commission
• Oklahoma: Corporation Commission (it publishes well records, but we do not yet have its production)

Search for the operator, county or well name. Most sites let you look up production by month once you find the well.

Why they may not match exactly

• Timing. States publish with a delay. Recent months may be missing or later revised.
• Units. Some states report oil at the well and gas in thousand cubic feet; check you are comparing barrels to barrels and mcf to mcf.
• Several wells, one report. Some states, Texas among them, collect volumes by lease rather than by individual well. The state number may cover a lease with several wells, and a statement for one well will be smaller.
• Gas shrink and processing. The gas sold after processing can be less than the gas that came out of the ground.
• Adjustments. A correction can show up on the stub months after the state's number was filed.

A match to within a few percent is normal. A well that the state says produced a lot, while your statement shows little or nothing, is a reason to write to your operator. Here is what to ask.

This is general information to help you read your statement. It is not legal, tax or investment advice. Your lease and your state's law decide what applies to you.