Field Gas Rules (Mainframe)
Queryable EBCDIC
13,951 gas field rules as the IMS database holds them: spacing, density, casing, diagonal, docket and the analyst's own text.
Get the data
Heads up on Original: the Commission does not publish this table on its own. It publishes Statewide Field Data, which this was parsed out of — so Original gets you that whole file, not just this table. Every other format is this table alone.
Free. You will be asked to confirm an email address before the files are built — that is the only gate, and it is there so we can tell you when a large export is ready.
What this is
The 08 GSFLDRUL segment of the statewide field tape. One row per rule per field, newest first: how far a well must be from the lease line and from the next well, how many acres the proration unit must hold, how much tolerance acreage is allowed, how the diagonal is measured, what sets the casing depth, when the rule took effect, when the allocation formula was suspended, when the rules were rescinded, which docket it came from and what the proration analyst wrote about it.
Statewide rule 37 — 467 feet from the lease line, 1,200 feet well to well, 40 acres per unit — is the default. Every row here is a field's exception to it, granted at a hearing.
Oil & Gas Field Rules, published separately, is the Oracle export of the same subject from RRC's modern system. This is the mainframe's own, and the two do not always agree: this carries the superseded rules, the analyst's remarks and the old allocation codes, and every one of these 13,951 rules resolves to a field in that export.
What you can do with it
Find every field on a given density: 40-acre units, 80-acre units, 660-foot lease lines, corner-to-corner diagonals.
Follow one field's rules back through their revisions, since the tape keeps the superseded ones with their suspension dates.
Look a rule up by docket number and read it against the order in the Oil & Gas Docket dataset.
Pull the free text: 4,628 rules carry an analyst's note that says things the fixed columns cannot — optional unit sizes, what has to be filed with a plat, which older field a rule was inherited from.
Gotchas
rule_effective_date is null on 7,496 of the 13,951 rules. The tape keys a rule on 99999999 minus its effective date, and those carry the bare 99999999: the standing rule with no order date behind it. That is why rules are numbered by position (rule_seq, 1 being the newest) rather than dated.
The 2,148 dates that are present run to 2066-01-13. The far end is what the mainframe was given, not a rule that starts in forty years.
rules_rescinded_date is filled on 1,180 rules and every one of them is 2000-05-01 — one bulk rescission, not 1,180 separate ones.
docket_suffix and rules_not_reliable_flag are empty in every row, and no_months_averaged is zero in every row.
Zero in a spacing or diagonal column means the rule sets no such distance, not a distance of zero. 99999 in the diagonal is the mainframe's 'no limit'.
The allocation formula the rule is worked with is in a separate segment, texas.fl_gas_alloc_formula, documented on the Statewide Field Data page.
Record layout
28 columns. Byte positions are 1-based and come from the RRC record layout, so you can check our decoding against the original file yourself.
fl_gas_field_rule
28 columns
| # | Column | Type | Bytes | RRC name | Meaning | Lookup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
district_no
key
join
|
text | — | FL-DISTRICT |
RRC district as the FL tape stores it, 01 to 14 — the INTERNAL number, not the designation the industry prints. 07 is District 6E, 08 is 7B, 09 is 7C, 10 is District 08, 11 is 8A, 13 is District 09 and 14 is District 10. This is the same numbering PDQ calls district_no, so the two join directly; the printed form is on fl_field.district_name. Code 12 (District 8B) is reserved and no field carries it. e.g. 11 | RRC district (internal number) |
| 2 |
field_no
key
join
|
integer | — | FL-NUMBER |
The eight-digit RRC field number: five digits of field, then three of reservoir. Stored as an INTEGER, so the leading zeros are gone — 6,529 of the 65,826 fields have one. Pad it back before joining to PDQ or the Oracle field rules, which key on it as eight characters: lpad(field_no::text, 8, '0'). Padded, all 65,826 fields resolve to the PDQ field directory; unpadded, 59,297 do. e.g. 53411426 | — |
| 3 |
rule_seq
key
|
smallint | — | — | Which rule under this field, counting from 1 in the order the tape carries them — newest first, the undated rule last. EZRRC's column, not RRC's: the tape keys a rule on 99999999 minus its effective date, and 7,496 of the 13,951 gas rules and 5,473 of the 8,565 oil rules carry the bare 99999999, meaning no effective date at all. A date missing from more than half the rows cannot be the key, so position is. e.g. 1 | — |
| 4 |
rule_effective_date
|
date | 3-10 | FL-GAS-RULE-EFFECTIVE-KEY |
When this gas rule took effect. The tape stores 99999999 minus the date, so the rules sort newest first; 7,496 of the 13,951 carry the bare 99999999 and decode to null, which is the standing rule with no order date behind it. The 2,148 dates present run from 1933 to 2066 — the far end is what the mainframe was given, not a rule that starts in forty years. | — |
| 5 |
proration_eff_date
|
date | 11-18 | FL-GAS-PRORATION-EFF-DATE |
Date the allocation formula took effect for this prorated field, CCYYMMDD on the tape. Null on the fields that were never prorated. | — |
| 6 |
proration_suspend_date
|
date | 19-26 | FL-GAS-PRORATION-SUSPEND-DATE |
When the allocation formula was suspended for the field. Filled on 2,992 rules. | — |
| 7 |
rules_rescinded_date
|
date | 27-34 | FL-GAS-RULES-RESCINDED-DATE |
When the field rules were rescinded and the field went back to statewide spacing. Filled on 1,180 rules, every one of them 2000-05-01 — a bulk rescission rather than 1,180 separate ones. | — |
| 8 |
docket_suffix
|
text | 35-37 | FL-GAS-DOCKET-SUFFIX |
Three characters categorising the docket the rule came from. EMPTY in every row; the docket number itself is in docket_number. | — |
| 9 |
spacing_to_lease_line
|
smallint measured in ft | 38-41 | FL-GAS-SPACING-TO-LEASE-LINE |
Feet a well must be from the nearest lease line under this field's rules. Statewide rule 37 says 467. Zero means the rule sets no lease-line distance, not zero feet. e.g. 440 | — |
| 10 |
spacing_to_well
|
smallint measured in ft | 42-45 | FL-GAS-SPACING-TO-WELL |
Feet a well must be from the nearest other well under this field's rules. Statewide rule 37 says 1,200. Zero means unset. e.g. 880 | — |
| 11 |
injection_credit
|
text | 46 | FL-GAS-INJECTION-CREDIT |
'Y' where gas injected back into the reservoir is credited against the field's production. 150 rules. | — |
| 12 |
acres_per_unit
|
numeric measured in acres | 47-52 | FL-GAS-ACRES-PER-UNIT |
Acres dedicated to one well — the minimum proration unit on which a well may be drilled. Statewide rule 37 says 40. Two decimal places. e.g. 42.50 | — |
| 13 |
tolerance_acres
|
numeric measured in acres | 53-57 | FL-GAS-TOLERANCE-ACRES |
Acreage left over in a lease once every proration unit has been carved out, which the operator may ask to be spread among the other wells or given to the last well drilled. Two decimal places. | — |
| 14 |
casing_code
|
text | 58 | FL-GAS-CASING-CODE |
What sets the required casing depth: 'F' the field rules, 'W' the Texas Department of Water Resources (now the TCEQ). Null where the rule says nothing. e.g. W | — |
| 15 |
casing_depth
|
integer measured in ft | 59-63 | FL-GAS-CASING-DEPTH |
Depth in feet the casing of the discovery well was set to. Zero on the great majority — read it with casing_code, which usually says the water agency sets the depth rather than the field rule. | — |
| 16 |
casing_remarks
|
text | 64-95 | FL-GAS-CASING-REMARKS |
Free text a proration analyst wrote about the casing requirement, up to 32 characters ('TDWR LTR.', 'T. W. C.'). e.g. T. W. C. | — |
| 17 |
diagonal_code
|
text | 96-97 | FL-GAS-DIAGONAL-CODE |
How the diagonal is measured: 'CC' corner to corner, 'WC' well to corner. Null where no diagonal applies. e.g. CC | — |
| 18 |
diagonal
|
integer measured in ft | 98-102 | FL-GAS-DIAGONAL |
The diagonal of the proration unit in feet — the second half of a density rule, which stops a unit being a long thin strip. Zero means none; 99999 is the mainframe's 'no limit'. | — |
| 19 |
diagonal_remarks
|
text | 103-123 | FL-GAS-DIAGONAL-REMARKS |
Free text about the diagonal, up to 21 characters. | — |
| 20 |
field_allow_tolerance
|
smallint measured in MCF | 124-126 | FL-GAS-FIELD-ALLOW-TOLERANCE |
How far the allowables handed to the wells may add up short of the field total before the calculation stops, in MCF per well. The standard deviation is 1.5 MCF per well. | — |
| 21 |
field_transfer_allow
|
text | 127 | FL-GAS-FIELD-TRANSFER-ALLOW |
'Y' where allowable may be transferred from a poor well to one that can produce it. Rare, and RRC has to approve it: 66 rules. e.g. Y | — |
| 22 |
allowable_basis
|
text | 128 | FL-GAS-ALLOWABLE-BASIS |
'G' where the allowable comes from the G-7 and T-3 nomination process, 'A' where it is an average of past production. Every rule that carries a value carries 'G'. e.g. G | — |
| 23 |
no_months_averaged
|
smallint | 129-130 | FL-GAS-NO-MONTHS-AVERAGED |
How many months of past production were averaged to set the allowable. The manual says the process is not in use and every row is zero. | — |
| 24 |
field_text
|
text | 131-190 | FL-GAS-FIELD-TEXT |
Free text a proration analyst wrote about this rule, up to 60 characters. It carries the things the fixed columns cannot — optional unit sizes, what has to be filed with a plat, which older field a rule was inherited from. e.g. OIL FIELD CARRIED AS LEVELLAND FIELD/MULTI 49B | — |
| 25 |
old_allocation_code
|
text | 191 | FL-GAS-OLD-ALLOCATION-CODE |
The pre-1980s allocation-formula code, one character, listed at the manual's appendix C ('2' is 100% acres, '%' a percentage split on AP and NP fields). RRC-internal, and superseded by the allocation formula terms in fl_gas_alloc_formula. | — |
| 26 |
class_pending_code
|
text | 192-193 | FL-GAS-CLASS-PENDING-CODE |
The allowable type that takes effect when the allocation formula is suspended. One rule in the state carries it. | — |
| 27 |
docket_number
|
text | 194-203 | FL-GAS-DOCKET-NUMBER |
The Commission docket the rule came out of, written district-dash-number ('7C-0297471', '08-72572'). This is the number to look the order up under in the oil and gas docket dataset. e.g. 8A-84804 | — |
| 28 |
rules_not_reliable_flag
|
text | 204 | FL-GAS-RULES-NOT-RELIABLE-FLAG |
'Y' when RRC does not stand behind the transcribed rule. Empty in every row of the August 2026 tape, gas and oil alike. | — |
Code lookups used here
Every coded column in this dataset resolves to a real lookup table, so
a well code of G can be read as what it actually means.
RRC district (internal number) 14 values
Read by district_no
RRC's internal sequential district numbering, 01 to 14 plus 20 for statewide. The production data, the UIC database and the high-cost gas certifications all use this. Internal 07 is District 6E, 08 is 7B, 09 is 7C, 10 is District 08, 11 is 8A, 13 is 09 and 14 is District 10. There is no internal 12.
| Code | Means |
|---|---|
01 |
District 01 — San Antonio (internal 01) Internal district number 01, which RRC prints as District 01 and administers from San Antonio. |
02 |
District 02 — San Antonio (internal 02) Internal district number 02, which RRC prints as District 02 and administers from San Antonio. |
03 |
District 03 — Houston (internal 03) Internal district number 03, which RRC prints as District 03 and administers from Houston. |
04 |
District 04 — Corpus Christi (internal 04) Internal district number 04, which RRC prints as District 04 and administers from Corpus Christi. |
05 |
District 05 — Kilgore (internal 05) Internal district number 05, which RRC prints as District 05 and administers from Kilgore. |
06 |
District 06 — Kilgore (internal 06) Internal district number 06, which RRC prints as District 06 and administers from Kilgore. |
07 |
District 6E — Kilgore (internal 07) Internal district number 07, which RRC prints as District 6E and administers from Kilgore. |
08 |
District 7B — Abilene (internal 08) Internal district number 08, which RRC prints as District 7B and administers from Abilene. |
09 |
District 7C — San Angelo (internal 09) Internal district number 09, which RRC prints as District 7C and administers from San Angelo. |
10 |
District 08 — Midland (internal 10) Internal district number 10, which RRC prints as District 08 and administers from Midland. |
11 |
District 8A — Midland (internal 11) Internal district number 11, which RRC prints as District 8A and administers from Midland. |
13 |
District 09 — Wichita Falls (internal 13) Internal district number 13, which RRC prints as District 09 and administers from Wichita Falls. |
14 |
District 10 — Pampa (internal 14) Internal district number 14, which RRC prints as District 10 and administers from Pampa. |
20 |
District 20 — State Wide (internal 20) Internal district number 20, which RRC prints as District 20 and administers from State Wide. |
Source: Generated from texas.pdq_gp_district.district_no
What this joins to
The Railroad Commission never states these keys anywhere in the files. They are the reason the data is hard to use, so here they are with the exact columns on both sides.
Field Gas Rules (Mainframe) joins to Statewide Field Data on District number and Field number — many rows here share a single row there.
is a gas rule for
All 13,951 gas rules resolve to a field, and 11,435 distinct fields carry one: a field can have up to twelve rules on the tape, newest first.
statewide-field-gas-rules.district_no = statewide-field-data.district_no AND statewide-field-gas-rules.field_no = statewide-field-data.field_no
Field Gas Rules (Mainframe) joins to Oil & Gas Field Rules on Field number — many rows here share a single row there.
is a mainframe rule for
Every one of the 13,951 gas rules on the tape names a field that the Oracle field-rules export also carries -- 13,951 of 13,951. The two disagree by design rather than by accident: this side keeps the superseded rules with their suspension dates and the analyst's own text, the Oracle side keeps what is in force. Read them together before assuming either is the whole story. These two columns are different types — one is text, the other an integer — so a direct equality is rejected by Postgres. Cast the text side to integer, which also disposes of any leading zeros; casting the integer to text would not, because '000123' and 123 are not equal as text.
statewide-field-gas-rules.field_no = oil-gas-field-rules.field_number
Where this comes from
- Published by
- Texas Railroad Commission — the original page
- Original format
- EBCDIC IBM mainframe encoding (cp037). Opening it as text gives you nonsense; it has to be transcoded first.
- RRC publishes
- Updated once a month (Monthly. Available by the 27th.)
- RRC download link
- GoAnywhere MFT
- Record layout manual
- Our table
texas.fl_gas_field_rule
EZRRC is an independent mirror of public-domain data published by the Texas Railroad Commission. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the RRC. For any legal or regulatory purpose, verify against the official RRC release.