Data out of the Mahoning County Recorder’s Office continues to indicate a rapid northern expansion of Utica/Point Pleasant shale activity.
As reported by Dan O’Brien in the Youngstown Business Journal on August 4, 2026, 496 new oil and gas leases had been filed in the county since April 17, with bonus payments reaching “$5,000 per acre and 20% royalties in some of the more in-demand areas.”
A fresh pull of the Recorder’s index on October 14 puts the 2026 leases issued in Mahoning County, Ohio at 893.
Breaking down the Mahoning Recorder’s office data by township shows the strong connection to the Wehr well and western Columbiana County, following the trend discussed in earlier posts, and indicates where those acquiring leases are currently focused. Green, Berlin, Ellsworth and Goshen hold 91% of the leases (904 of 996), all along the trend axis that I have noted previously.
Leasing over time, starting with the December 2025 upward spike in the chart below, has remained impressive and continues, albeit it somewhat reduced recently, perhaps due to getting the “easier” core area lease signing done. Unitization will follow, the step before we see permits issued by the ODNR. Once permits are issued, we should see drilling commence rather quickly as long as results are consistent with expectations. And when we see unitization and permit activity in Mahoning County we will get a better picture. Number of leases is skewed by acreage size but lease activity is strong, a good sign. Logana Exploration entered the lease buying frenzy in August and EAP Ohio (Encino) is the only true operator. The rest acquire the land and work with operators.
Disclosure: I own land in southern Ashtabula County, north of the area discussed here. I have no financial relationship with any of the companies named in this post.