RedBird Explainers
Glossary of RRC terms and forms
The real terms and form numbers the Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) uses, each with its official name, a plain meaning, and where it comes from.
| Term or form | Official name or type | Plain meaning | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| RRC | Railroad Commission of Texas | The state agency that regulates oil and gas wells in Texas. Despite the name, it no longer regulates railroads. | RRC website |
| Operator | The company responsible for a well | The company the RRC holds responsible for running a well and for plugging it. | Texas Rule 14(c) |
| P-5 | Organization Report | The form that registers you as an operator with the RRC. You renew it every year and amend it within 15 days of a change. | Texas Rule 1 |
| Financial assurance (financial security) | Bond, letter of credit, or cash deposit | Money you file with the RRC, as a bond, a letter of credit, or cash, that backs your duty to plug your wells. Required for an approved P-5. | Texas Rule 78 |
| Blanket security | Rule 78 amount for all your wells | One security amount covering all the wells on your P-5: $25,000 for up to 10 wells, $50,000 for 11 to 99, $250,000 for 100 or more. | Texas Rule 78 |
| Form PR | Monthly Production Report | The report of how much oil and gas each lease produced. One per lease, due by the last day of the next month. | Texas Rule 58 |
| SAD form | Security Administrator Designation | Names the person who controls your RRC Online account. Must be on file before you can file in RRC Online. | RRC SAD form |
| RRC Online | RRC web filing system | The RRC system for Form PR, the H-15, plugging forms, and more. | RRC forms list |
| LoneSTAR | RRC online filing system | The RRC system for the P-5, W-3C, and W-3X. | RRC notice, 7/1/2024 |
| RAMP | RRC login system | The login you use to get into LoneSTAR. | RRC notice, 6/4/2026 |
| Inactive well | Rule 15 status | A well with no reported activity for more than 12 months. You must plug it, restore it to production, or get a plugging extension. | Texas Rule 15 |
| Plugging | Rule 14 | Sealing a well for good with cement plugs, set the way Rule 14 requires to protect usable-quality water and other underground layers. | Texas Rule 14 |
| Plugging extension | Approved on Form W-3X | RRC approval to wait longer before you plug an inactive well. | Texas Rule 15(e) |
| W-3X | Application for an Extension of Deadline for Plugging an Inactive Well | The form that applies for a plugging extension. Filed with your P-5 renewal, in LoneSTAR. | Texas Rule 15 |
| Surface equipment | Rule 15 cleanup | The tanks, piping, tank batteries, pump jacks, headers, fences, and other equipment at a well site. | Texas Rule 15(f) |
| W-3C | Certification of Surface Equipment Removal for an Inactive Well | The form that certifies you cleaned up the surface equipment at an inactive well. Filed with your P-5 renewal, in LoneSTAR. | Texas Rule 15 |
| Affirmation | Signed statement | A signed statement, made by someone who knows the well's physical condition, that required cleanup work is done. | Texas Rule 15(f) |
| Purge | Rule 15 cleanup step | Emptying all piping, tanks, vessels, and equipment for a well of production fluids. | Texas Rule 15(f) |
| H-15 | Test on an Inactive Well More than 25 Years Old | The form that reports a fluid level test or a mechanical integrity test (MIT) on an older inactive well. Filed within 30 days of the test. | Texas Rule 15(l) |
| Fluid level test | H-15 test option | A test that measures how high the fluid stands inside the well. Under Rule 15(l), repeated once every 12 months; approved results are good for 1 year. | Texas Rule 15(l) |
| Mechanical integrity test (MIT) | Hydraulic pressure test | A test that puts the well's casing under pressure to check that it holds. Under Rule 15(l), repeated once every 5 years; approved results are good for 5 years. | Texas Rule 15(l); RRC H-15 notice |
| Casing | Well construction | The steel pipe that lines the inside of a well. | General industry term |
| H-5 | Disposal/Injection Well Pressure Test Report | The mechanical integrity test report for disposal and injection wells, at least every 5 years or as the permit requires. | RRC notice, 4/15/2026 |
| UIC wells | Underground injection control wells | Disposal, injection, brine, and storage wells. | RRC notice, 4/15/2026 |
| W-3A | Notice of Intention to Plug and Abandon | Your notice that you plan to plug a well. Filed at least 5 days before plugging. | Texas Rule 14 |
| W-3 | Plugging Record | The report of how a well was plugged. Filed within 30 days after plugging. | Texas Rule 14 |
| W-15 | Cementing Report | The report of the cement work, signed by the operator and the cementer. Filed with the W-3 for a plugged well. | Texas Rule 14(b)(1); RRC forms list |
| P-4 | Producer's Transportation Authority and Certificate of Compliance | The form that names the operator and the gatherer or purchaser for a lease. | Texas Rule 58 |
| Certificate of compliance | Approved P-4 | The RRC approval that lets a pipeline or purchaser take oil or gas from your lease. | Texas Rule 73 |
| Gatherer | Named on the P-4 | The company that takes oil or gas from your lease, such as a pipeline or purchaser. | Texas Rule 58 |
| Severance | Rule 73 order | An RRC order that cuts a well off from its pipeline or purchaser. A seal order lets the RRC seal the well. Reissue costs $300 per order. | Texas Rule 73 |
| Guideline penalty | Rule 107 amount | The standard fine amount the RRC lists for a violation. Prior violations can raise it. | Texas Rule 107 |
| 15/25 well | SB 1150 term (proposed rules) | A well inactive more than 15 years and completed more than 25 years before an extension request. | SB 1150 and RRC proposal |
| 16 TAC 3.x | Texas Administrative Code | How the rules are cited. 16 TAC 3.15 means Title 16, Chapter 3, Rule 15: the RRC oil and gas rules. | RRC Chapter 3 rule book |
| Mcf | Thousand cubic feet | A unit for measuring gas. | General industry term |
| JIB | Joint interest billing | Bills sent to your working interest partners for their share of costs. | General industry term |
| DOI | Division of interest | The list of who owns what share of a well's revenue. | General industry term |
For learning only. This is not legal or tax advice. RedBird Solutions is not part of the Railroad Commission of Texas. Rule text is as of December 8, 2025. Last reviewed October 8, 2026. Back to all explainers.
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