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 June 14, 2026 Source: California Geologic Energy Management Division · refreshed monthly
As of June 14, 2026, California had 100 active oil & gas operators across 51 counties and 16 formations, led by Chevron with 59,413 wells, with 866 drilling permits filed in the last 24 months and 6 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 | 59,413 | 2,480 | 7,359 | San Joaquin Basin | Kern |
| 2 | Aera Energy | 57,796 | 2,167 | 7,401 | Monterey-Temblor | Kern |
| 3 | California Resources Production | 15,269 | 765 | 1,327 | San Joaquin Basin | Kern |
| 4 | Sentinel Peak Resources Ca | 10,942 | 762 | 1,293 | Monterey-Temblor | Kern |
| 5 | Berry Petroleum Company | 8,431 | 842 | 793 | Monterey-Temblor | Kern |
| 6 | California Resources Elk Hills LLC | 7,561 | 889 | 353 | Monterey-Temblor | Kern |
| 7 | Tidelands Oil Production Company | 4,172 | 69 | 285 | Monterey | Los Angeles |
| 8 | E & B Natural Resources Management | 4,072 | 154 | 467 | San Joaquin Basin | Kern |
| 9 | Union Oil Company Of California | 2,561 | 0 | 143 | Monterey | Santa Barbara |
| 10 | Shell Oil Company | 2,501 | 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 | 157,335 | 7,880 | 2 | 13,889 | Aera Energy | Monterey-Temblor |
| Los Angeles | 24,880 | 417 | 1 | 1,115 | Tidelands Oil Production Company | Monterey |
| Fresno | 12,614 | 254 | 0 | 5,259 | Chevron | San Joaquin Basin |
| Orange | 9,201 | 243 | 0 | 112 | Chevron | Monterey |
| Ventura | 8,593 | 263 | 0 | 968 | Calnrg Operating LLC | Monterey |
| Santa Barbara | 6,985 | 84 | 0 | 184 | Cat Canyon Resources LLC | Monterey |
| Monterey | 3,892 | 249 | 0 | 263 | Chevron | Coastal Basins |
| Los Angeles Offshore | 3,302 | 86 | 0 | 172 | Thums Long Beach Company | Monterey |
| San Luis Obispo | 2,099 | 11 | 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 | 945 | 4,599 |
| San Joaquin Basin | 75,881 | 2,643 | 3,574 |
| Monterey | 46,412 | 3,225 | 790 |
| Sacramento Basin | 10,678 | 814 | 285 |
| Coastal Basins | 5,507 | 472 | 259 |
| Los Angeles Basin | 3,859 | 773 | 165 |
| Ventura Basin | 3,052 | 527 | 89 |
| Santa Maria Basin | 1,766 | 289 | 28 |
| Southern California Borderlands Province | 931 | 35 | 52 |
| Salton Basin | 332 | 145 | 3 |
| Permit Date | Well | API | County | Formation | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-12 | Kendon 504 | 04030014480000 |
Kern | San Joaquin Basin | Aera Energy |
| 2026-06-11 | Kendon 513 | 04030397310000 |
Kern | San Joaquin Basin | Aera Energy |
| 2026-06-11 | Unspecified 11-1wa | 04030010930000 |
Kern | Monterey-Temblor | Chevron |
| 2026-06-11 | Lost Hills Two L4063r-19 | 04030701230000 |
Kern | San Joaquin Basin | Aera Energy |
| 2026-06-10 | Unspecified 616a-35 | 04029731940000 |
Kern | Monterey-Temblor | Aera Energy |
| 2026-06-09 | Dtr 786bu-33 | 04030399460000 |
Kern | Monterey-Temblor | Aera Energy |
| 2026-06-09 | Dtr 775cl-33 | 04030269950000 |
Kern | Monterey-Temblor | Aera Energy |
| 2026-06-08 | Security 576slr | 04030101400000 |
Kern | San Joaquin Basin | California Resources |
| 2026-06-04 | Dtr 775gl-33 | 04030269990000 |
Kern | Monterey-Temblor | Aera Energy |
| 2026-06-04 | Calcagno 2-34 | 04077205920000 |
San Joaquin | Sacramento Basin | California Resources |
| Spud Date | Days Ago | Well | Operator | County | Formation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-15 | 30 | Sarrett Fee 1146tvh | California Resources Production | Kern | San Joaquin Basin |
| 2026-04-24 | 51 | Needham-Bloemer 58 | Citadel Exploration | Kern | San Joaquin Basin |
| 2026-04-10 | 65 | Whiskey Slough 18e | Pacific Gas & Electric Company | San Joaquin | Sacramento Basin |
| 2026-03-27 | 79 | Whiskey Slough 17e | Pacific Gas & Electric Company | San Joaquin | Sacramento Basin |
| First Prod | Days Producing | Well | Operator | County | Formation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-01 | 105 | Sea Breeze 3-1ai | Chevron | Kern | Monterey-Temblor |
| 2026-03-01 | 105 | Wild Goose Gas Unit 2 25v | Wild Goose Storage | Butte | Sacramento Basin |
| 2026-03-01 | 105 | Nukern Wd-1 | Kern River Holdings Ii LLC | Kern | San Joaquin Basin |
| 2026-03-01 | 105 | Gb 5 | Harvest Petroleum | Humboldt | Eel River Basin |
| 2026-03-01 | 105 | Unspecified 7-3h-2c | California Resources Elk Hills LLC | Kern | San Joaquin Basin |
| 2026-03-01 | 105 | John C. Hershey 87 | Hunter Edison Oil Development LTD | Kern | San Joaquin Basin |
| 2026-02-01 | 133 | American Naphtha 3683 | Chevron | Kern | San Joaquin Basin |
| 2026-02-01 | 133 | Unspecified 3-8ai | Chevron | Kern | Monterey-Temblor |
| 2026-02-01 | 133 | Lease By Thums Long Beach CO. J-337 | Thums Long Beach Company | Los Angeles | Southern California Borderlands Province |
| 2026-02-01 | 133 | Unspecified 2-6h-19g | California Resources Elk Hills LLC | Kern | San Joaquin Basin |
| Spud Date | Days Waiting | Well | Operator | County | Formation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-15 | 30 | Sarrett Fee 1146tvh | California Resources Production | Kern | San Joaquin Basin |
| 2026-04-24 | 51 | Needham-Bloemer 58 | Citadel Exploration | Kern | San Joaquin Basin |
| 2026-04-10 | 65 | Whiskey Slough 18e | Pacific Gas & Electric Company | San Joaquin | Sacramento Basin |
| 2026-03-27 | 79 | Whiskey Slough 17e | Pacific Gas & Electric Company | San Joaquin | Sacramento Basin |
| 2026-03-13 | 93 | Needham-Bloemer 18 | Citadel Exploration | Kern | San Joaquin Basin |
| 2026-03-06 | 100 | Whiskey Slough 16e | Pacific Gas & Electric Company | San Joaquin | Sacramento Basin |
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 June 14, 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
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
California Formations & Plays Directory
As of June 14, 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 866 California drilling permits were filed in the trailing 24 months, per California Geologic Energy Management Division records (as of June 14, 2026).
A DUC is a "drilled but uncompleted" well — drilled but not yet hydraulically fractured or put on production. As of June 14, 2026, California had about 6 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 June 14, 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: 866
DUCs: 6
Data as of: June 14, 2026
Free written offers on California mineral rights — anywhere in the state.
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