Statewide permits, drilled-but-uncompleted inventory, recent spuds, newly producing wells, and the most active counties — Buckhead Energy analysis of public oil and gas data, refreshed daily.
Data as ofAs of November 1, 2026, California has 3,902 drilling permits filed over the last 12 months, 161 drilled-but-uncompleted (DUC) wells in inventory, 39 wells spudded in the last 12 months, and 116 wells brought onto first production in the last 12 months, across 45 producing counties — per Buckhead Energy analysis of public oil and gas data.
| # | Operator | Wells |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chevron | 59,405 |
| 2 | Aera Energy | 57,874 |
| 3 | California Resources Production | 22,859 |
| 4 | Sentinel Peak Resources Ca | 10,949 |
| 5 | Berry Petroleum Company | 8,439 |
| # | County | Recent Permits | DUCs | Producing Wells |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kern | 6,864 | 117 | <3 |
| 2 | Los Angeles | 403 | 11 | <3 |
| 3 | Fresno | 293 | 0 | <3 |
| 4 | Orange | 274 | 13 | <3 |
| 5 | Ventura | 254 | 4 | <3 |
Buckhead Energy analysis of public oil and gas data: permits, spuds and first-production events summed over the last 12 complete months; DUC proxy = spudded in the last 3 years with no reported first production. Counts under 3 wells are withheld, so totals are floors. Refreshed daily; every figure carries the as-of date above.
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Source: Buckhead Energy analysis of public oil and gas data. Data as of .
Journalists and researchers with methodology questions: [email protected].
