The complete live dashboard of the California oil and gas industry — top operators, hottest counties, most-active formations (SCOOP, STACK, Woodford, Mississippi Lime, Cherokee Platform), current permit pipeline, DUC stack, recent rig activity, and newly producing wells. Refreshed monthly from OCC well-header records.
Data as of August 16, 2026 Source: California Geologic Energy Management Division · refreshed monthly
As of August 16, 2026, California had 100 active oil & gas operators across 51 counties and 16 formations, led by Chevron with 59,416 wells, with 1,884 drilling permits filed in the last 24 months and 4 drilled-but-uncompleted (DUC) wells in inventory, per California Geologic Energy Management Division records.
The 10 largest operators of record in California, by total well count. See the full top-100 leaderboard →
| # | Operator | Wells | Permits 24mo | DUCs | Top Formation | Top County |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chevron | 59,416 | 2,475 | 7,358 | San Joaquin Basin | Kern |
| 2 | Aera Energy | 57,831 | 2,273 | 7,401 | Monterey-Temblor | Kern |
| 3 | California Resources Production | 15,279 | 767 | 1,327 | San Joaquin Basin | Kern |
| 4 | Sentinel Peak Resources Ca | 10,943 | 769 | 1,293 | Monterey-Temblor | Kern |
| 5 | Berry Petroleum Company | 8,439 | 803 | 793 | Monterey-Temblor | Kern |
| 6 | California Resources Elk Hills LLC | 7,570 | 913 | 352 | Monterey-Temblor | Kern |
| 7 | Tidelands Oil Production Company | 4,172 | 74 | 286 | Monterey | Los Angeles |
| 8 | E & B Natural Resources Management | 4,071 | 165 | 467 | San Joaquin Basin | Kern |
| 9 | Union Oil Company Of California | 2,561 | 0 | 143 | Monterey | Santa Barbara |
| 10 | Shell Oil Company | 2,503 | 4 | 295 | Monterey | Kern |
The 10 most-active oil and gas counties in California. See the full county rankings →
| County | Total Wells | Permits 24mo | Spuds 90d | DUCs | Top Operator | Top Formation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kern | 157,415 | 7,929 | 2 | 13,881 | Aera Energy | Monterey-Temblor |
| Los Angeles | 24,880 | 406 | 4 | 1,123 | Tidelands Oil Production Company | Monterey |
| Fresno | 12,614 | 271 | 0 | 5,259 | Chevron | San Joaquin Basin |
| Orange | 9,201 | 252 | 0 | 112 | Chevron | Monterey |
| Ventura | 8,594 | 241 | 0 | 968 | Calnrg Operating LLC | Monterey |
| Santa Barbara | 6,985 | 75 | 0 | 183 | Cat Canyon Resources LLC | Monterey |
| Monterey | 3,900 | 324 | 0 | 263 | Chevron | Coastal Basins |
| Los Angeles Offshore | 3,302 | 92 | 0 | 172 | Thums Long Beach Company | Monterey |
| San Luis Obispo | 2,099 | 17 | 0 | 79 | Sentinel Peak Resources Ca | Coastal Basins |
| Og | 1,977 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Lost Hills | — |
The 10 most-active formations and plays in California. See all active California formations →
| Formation | Wells | Active Operators | Permits 24mo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monterey-Temblor | 96,601 | 946 | 4,611 |
| San Joaquin Basin | 75,960 | 2,643 | 3,627 |
| Monterey | 46,412 | 3,224 | 812 |
| Sacramento Basin | 10,679 | 815 | 276 |
| Coastal Basins | 5,514 | 472 | 340 |
| Los Angeles Basin | 3,859 | 773 | 148 |
| Ventura Basin | 3,052 | 526 | 64 |
| Santa Maria Basin | 1,767 | 289 | 18 |
| Southern California Borderlands Province | 931 | 35 | 54 |
| Salton Basin | 332 | 145 | 3 |
| Permit Date | Well | API | County | Formation | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-12 | Unspecified 62cr1-29 | 04030703070000 |
Kern | San Joaquin Basin | Aera Energy |
| 2026-08-12 | Elena 14x-32 | 04030703060000 |
Kern | San Joaquin Basin | Valley Resources |
| 2026-08-11 | Unspecified 56ei | 04019225570000 |
Fresno | San Joaquin Basin | Aera Energy |
| 2026-08-11 | Sebu T 5094-12 | 04030316190000 |
Kern | Monterey-Temblor | Aera Energy |
| 2026-08-11 | Maxwell 417 | 04030391130000 |
Kern | San Joaquin Basin | Aera Energy |
| 2026-08-11 | Dtr 614p-33 | 04029740220000 |
Kern | Monterey-Temblor | Aera Energy |
| 2026-08-11 | Sebu T 5271-1 | 04030271560000 |
Kern | Monterey-Temblor | Aera Energy |
| 2026-08-10 | Unspecified 51k1-29 | 04030703030000 |
Kern | San Joaquin Basin | Aera Energy |
| 2026-08-10 | Unspecified 83tr1-29 | 04030703020000 |
Kern | San Joaquin Basin | Aera Energy |
| 2026-08-10 | Unspecified 181te-29 | 04030703010000 |
Kern | San Joaquin Basin | Aera Energy |
| Spud Date | Days Ago | Well | Operator | County | Formation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-24 | 22 | Baldwin-Cienega 105 | Sentinel Peak Resources Ca | Los Angeles | Monterey |
| 2026-07-10 | 36 | Lease By Mills Petro. CO. 1 | Mills Petro Company | Los Angeles | Monterey |
| 2026-07-03 | 43 | St. James 5 | Allenco Energy | Los Angeles | Monterey |
| 2026-06-26 | 50 | Vickers 1 580 | Sentinel Peak Resources Ca | Los Angeles | Monterey |
| First Prod | Days Producing | Well | Operator | County | Formation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-01 | 75 | Ardantz 514 | Asphalta LLC | Santa Barbara | Santa Maria Basin |
| 2026-06-01 | 75 | Lease By Thums Long Beach CO. J-435 I | Thums Long Beach Company | Los Angeles | Monterey |
| 2026-06-01 | 75 | Matthew Fee 1113lvh | California Resources Production | Kern | San Joaquin Basin |
| 2026-06-01 | 75 | Sarrett Fee 1116fvh | California Resources Production | Kern | San Joaquin Basin |
| 2026-06-01 | 75 | Glide-Vedder 1324tvh | California Resources Production | Kern | San Joaquin Basin |
| 2026-06-01 | 75 | Sarrett Fee 1126tvh | California Resources Production | Kern | San Joaquin Basin |
| 2026-05-01 | 106 | Mckittrick Fee 3875 | Chevron | Kern | Monterey-Temblor |
| 2026-05-01 | 106 | Keene 108 | Sentinel Peak Resources Ca | Kern | San Joaquin Basin |
| 2026-05-01 | 106 | Sarrett Fee 1118fvh | California Resources Production | Kern | San Joaquin Basin |
| 2026-05-01 | 106 | King 1021lvh | California Resources Production | Kern | San Joaquin Basin |
| Spud Date | Days Waiting | Well | Operator | County | Formation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-24 | 22 | Baldwin-Cienega 105 | Sentinel Peak Resources Ca | Los Angeles | Monterey |
| 2026-07-10 | 36 | Lease By Mills Petro. CO. 1 | Mills Petro Company | Los Angeles | Monterey |
| 2026-07-03 | 43 | St. James 5 | Allenco Energy | Los Angeles | Monterey |
| 2026-06-26 | 50 | Vickers 1 580 | Sentinel Peak Resources Ca | Los Angeles | Monterey |
SCOOP, STACK, Cherokee Platform, Mississippi Lime, or anywhere else in the state — get a free written offer based on your specific tract and current operator activity.
Get Your Free Mineral ValuationSource: California Geologic Energy Management Division well-header and production filings.
Refresh cadence: Monthly. Data current as of August 16, 2026.
What's tracked: Permits filed in the last 24 months, wells spudded in the last 90 days, wells with first production in the last 6 months, drilled-uncompleted (DUC) wells, top operators by total well count, top counties by activity, and active formations/plays.
Disclaimer: Data is provided as a public-service reference. Buckhead Energy is not affiliated with the operators listed unless explicitly stated.
Top 100 California Operators Leaderboard
California Formations & Plays Directory
Top 500 Producing Wells in California
All Recent California Drilling Permits
All Recently Spudded California Wells
All Newly Producing California Wells
California County Drilling Activity Rankings
As of August 16, 2026, this dashboard tracks 100 active California operators ranked by well count, led by Chevron, Aera Energy, California Resources Production. See the Top California Operators leaderboard for the full ranking.
About 1,884 California drilling permits were filed in the trailing 24 months, per California Geologic Energy Management Division records (as of August 16, 2026).
A DUC is a "drilled but uncompleted" well — drilled but not yet hydraulically fractured or put on production. As of August 16, 2026, California had about 4 DUC wells in inventory. DUCs are a leading indicator of near-term completion and production activity.
California activity centers on the San Joaquin Basin (Kern County) and the Los Angeles Basin, among roughly 16 active formations across 51 counties, aggregated from California Geologic Energy Management Division records.
It is refreshed monthly from California Geologic Energy Management Division well and permit records. The current data is as of August 16, 2026.
Look up your operator in the operator directory to see their activity, then request a free written offer based on your specific tract, operator, formation, and decimal interest.
State: California
Operators: 100
Counties: 51
Formations: 16
Permits 24mo: 1,884
DUCs: 4
Data as of: August 16, 2026
Free written offers on California mineral rights — anywhere in the state.
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