Statewide permits, drilled-but-uncompleted inventory, recent spuds, newly producing wells, and the most active operators and counties — compiled from California Geologic Energy Management Division well-header records and refreshed daily. Free to cite, quote, and embed with attribution.
Data as of · CC BY 4.0As of September 17, 2026, California has 1,853 drilling permits filed over the trailing 24 months, 157 drilled-but-uncompleted (DUC) wells in inventory, 4 wells spudded in the last 90 days, and 89 wells brought onto first production in the last six months, across 45 producing counties — per California Geologic Energy Management Division records compiled by Buckhead Energy.
| # | Operator | Wells | Permits 24mo | DUCs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chevron | 59,410 | 2,372 | 7,340 |
| 2 | Aera Energy | 57,836 | 2,219 | 7,401 |
| 3 | California Resources Production | 15,278 | 765 | 1,327 |
| 4 | Sentinel Peak Resources Ca | 10,943 | 721 | 1,292 |
| 5 | Berry Petroleum Company | 8,439 | 724 | 793 |
| # | County | Recent Permits | DUCs | Producing Wells |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kern | 7,556 | 13,877 | — |
| 2 | Los Angeles | 400 | 1,123 | — |
| 3 | Fresno | 278 | 5,241 | — |
| 4 | Orange | 256 | 112 | — |
| 5 | Ventura | 240 | 968 | — |
Compiled from California Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM) well-header and production filings: permits over a trailing 24-month window, current DUC inventory (spudded, no reported first production), spuds in the last 90 days, and wells with first production within six months. Refreshed daily; every figure carries the as-of date above.
Live snapshot dashboard · All datasets · Texas edition · Oklahoma edition · New Mexico edition · North Dakota edition · Colorado edition · Wyoming edition · US Index · Illinois edition · Mississippi edition · Utah edition
Wondering whether to sell now? See Is now a good time to sell mineral rights in California? — it ties this drilling data to the factors that decide timing, then routes to a free written offer.
Buckhead Energy, "California Drilling Activity Report — September 2026," compiled from California Geologic Energy Management Division records, September 17, 2026. https://www.buckheadenergy.com/california-drilling-activity-report
Journalists and researchers: monthly figures, county-level breakdowns, and CSV extracts are available on request — [email protected].