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Colorado Oil & Gas Industry Snapshot 2026

The complete live dashboard of the Colorado oil and gas industry — top operators, hottest counties, most-active formations, current permit pipeline, DUC stack, recent rig activity, and newly producing wells. Refreshed daily from Colorado Energy & Carbon Management Commission records.

Data as of September 17, 2026 Source: Colorado Energy & Carbon Management Commission · refreshed daily

Original Data As of September 17, 2026

As of September 17, 2026, Colorado had 100 active oil & gas operators across 51 counties and 24 formations, led by Noble Energy with 10,460 wells, with 335 drilling permits filed in the last 24 months and 759 drilled-but-uncompleted (DUC) wells in inventory, per Colorado Energy & Carbon Management Commission records.

100
Active operators
51
Producing counties
335
Permits filed (last 24 mo)
759
DUC wells in inventory
Source: Colorado Energy & Carbon Management Commission (ECMC) well and permit records
Methodology: Aggregated from Colorado Energy & Carbon Management Commission records: operators ranked by well count; counties and formations by activity; drilling permits over a trailing 24-month window; and current DUC (drilled-but-uncompleted) inventory.
Updated: Refreshed daily — data current as of September 17, 2026
Total Wells (Top 100 Operators)
91,454
Recent Permits
335
last 24 months
DUC Inventory
759
drilled, uncompleted
Recent Spuds
138
last 90 days
New Producers
103
first prod in last 6 months
Active Counties
51
Active Formations
24
Operators Tracked
100

Top 10 Colorado Operators

The 10 largest operators of record in Colorado, by total well count. See the full top-100 leaderboard →

#OperatorWellsPermits 24moDUCsTop FormationTop County
1 Noble Energy 10,460 160 281 Muddy J Sand Weld
2 Kerrmcgee 9,796 279 251 Muddy J Sand Weld
3 Tep Rocky Mountain 9,046 68 176 Mesaverde Garfield
4 Pdc Energy 8,530 157 326 Muddy J Sand Weld
5 Qb Energy Operating LLC 6,118 47 201 Mesaverde Garfield
6 Own Resources Operating 3,446 0 50 Niobrara East Yuma
7 Evergreen Natural Resources LLC 2,504 0 52 Pierre -Niobrara Las Animas
8 Crestone Peak Resources Operating 2,428 89 92 Muddy J Sand Weld
9 Laramie Energy 2,260 22 58 Mesaverde Mesa
10 Simcoe LLC 1,701 3 161 Dakota La Plata

Top 10 Colorado Counties (by Drilling Activity)

The 10 most-active oil and gas counties in Colorado. See the full county rankings →

CountyTotal WellsPermits 24moSpuds 90dDUCsTop OperatorTop Formation
Weld 46,588 991 84 3,110 Noble Energy Muddy J Sand
Garfield 17,406 42 0 476 Tep Rocky Mountain Mesaverde
Rio Blanco 7,549 89 16 382 Scout Energy Management Piceance Basin
Yuma 6,240 0 0 1,116 Own Resources Operating Niobrara East
Washington 5,806 4 0 4,466 Padco D Sand
La Plata 5,335 30 0 517 Simcoe LLC Dakota
Adams 5,132 104 9 1,896 Pdc Energy Muddy J Sand
Las Animas 4,055 17 0 261 Evergreen Natural Resources LLC Pierre -Niobrara
Logan 3,926 0 0 3,043 British American Oil Production Company D Sand
Morgan 3,040 0 0 2,207 Pcr Operating D Sand

Top 10 Colorado Formations & Plays

The 10 most-active formations and plays in Colorado. See all active Colorado formations →

FormationWellsActive OperatorsPermits 24mo
Muddy J Sand 52,469 1,352 223
D Sand 14,078 1,344 0
Niobrara East 6,709 229 0
Piceance Basin 4,432 394 138
Pierre -Niobrara 4,208 125 0
Denver Basin 3,741 335 1,015
Las Animas Arch 3,452 435 11
Dakota 2,350 92 0
Mancos-Dakota 2,118 155 0
San Juan Basin 1,830 248 31

Latest 10 Drilling Permits

Permit DateWellAPICountyFormationOperator
2026-07-28 Carnation 25-6hz 05069065630000 Larimer Denver Basin Kerrmcgee
2026-07-28 Carnation 25-4hz 05069065610000 Larimer Denver Basin Kerrmcgee
2026-07-28 Carnation 25-9hz 05069065660000 Larimer Denver Basin Kerrmcgee
2026-07-28 Carnation 25-8hz 05069065650000 Larimer Denver Basin Kerrmcgee
2026-07-28 Carnation 25-5hz 05069065620000 Larimer Denver Basin Kerrmcgee
2026-07-28 Carnation 25-7hz 05069065640000 Larimer Denver Basin Kerrmcgee
2026-07-28 Carnation 25-3hz 05069065600000 Larimer Denver Basin Kerrmcgee
2026-07-28 Carnation 25-1hz 05069065580000 Larimer Denver Basin Kerrmcgee
2026-07-28 Carnation 25-2hz 05069065590000 Larimer Denver Basin Kerrmcgee
2026-07-28 Carnation 25-10hz 05069065670000 Larimer Denver Basin Kerrmcgee
View all recent Colorado permits →

Latest 10 Spudded Wells

Spud DateDays AgoWellOperatorCountyFormation
2026-09-05 10 Razor 10e-0304b Fundare Resources Operating Company LLC Weld Muddy J Sand
2026-09-05 10 Bull Moose 4-64 32-33-34 1bh Crestone Peak Resources Operating Arapahoe Denver Basin
2026-09-04 11 North Rim 4h Gmt Exploration Company Arapahoe Denver Basin
2026-09-04 11 Razor 10e-0303a Fundare Resources Operating Company LLC Weld Muddy J Sand
2026-09-04 11 Mancos 01n Pdc Energy Weld Denver Basin
2026-09-04 11 Bull Moose 4-64 32-33-34 2bh Crestone Peak Resources Operating Arapahoe Denver Basin
2026-09-04 11 Hunt Fed 8-60 6a-31-30-06 Bison Iv Operating LLC Weld Muddy J Sand
2026-09-04 11 Clydesdale Le12-01 Noble Energy Weld Denver Basin
2026-09-04 11 747 3-65 8-5-4 Bison Iv Operating LLC Adams Denver Basin
2026-09-04 11 Clydesdale Le12-02 Noble Energy Weld Denver Basin
View all recently spudded Colorado wells →

Latest 10 Newly Producing Wells

First ProdDays ProducingWellOperatorCountyFormation
2026-05-01 137 Elder East 4 Prairie Operating CO LLC Weld Muddy J Sand
2026-05-01 137 Elder West 1 Prairie Operating CO LLC Weld Muddy J Sand
2026-05-01 137 State La Plata 5-65 13-14-15-16 1bh Crestone Peak Resources Operating Arapahoe Denver Basin
2026-05-01 137 East Street 22-10hz Kerrmcgee Weld Denver Basin
2026-05-01 137 Indigo 6-12hz Kerrmcgee Weld Denver Basin
2026-05-01 137 Indigo 6-1hz Kerrmcgee Weld Denver Basin
2026-05-01 137 State Huron 5-65 13-18-17 1ah Crestone Peak Resources Operating Arapahoe Denver Basin
2026-05-01 137 Scarecrow Federal Lg04-725 Noble Energy Weld Denver Basin
2026-05-01 137 State Huron 5-65 13-18-17 4ah Crestone Peak Resources Operating Arapahoe Denver Basin
2026-05-01 137 Elder East 3 Prairie Operating CO LLC Weld Muddy J Sand
View all newly producing Colorado wells →

10 Most-Recent Colorado DUCs

Spud DateDays Since SpudWellOperatorCountyFormation
2026-09-05 10 Razor 10e-0304b Fundare Resources Operating Company LLC Weld Muddy J Sand
2026-09-05 10 Bull Moose 4-64 32-33-34 1bh Crestone Peak Resources Operating Arapahoe Denver Basin
2026-09-04 11 Clydesdale Le12-01 Noble Energy Weld Denver Basin
2026-09-04 11 Clydesdale Le12-02 Noble Energy Weld Denver Basin
2026-09-04 11 Hunt Fed 8-60 6a-31-30-06 Bison Iv Operating LLC Weld Muddy J Sand
2026-09-04 11 Mancos 01n Pdc Energy Weld Denver Basin
2026-09-04 11 Bull Moose 4-64 32-33-34 2bh Crestone Peak Resources Operating Arapahoe Denver Basin
2026-09-04 11 747 3-65 8-5-4 Bison Iv Operating LLC Adams Denver Basin
2026-09-04 11 Razor 10e-0303a Fundare Resources Operating Company LLC Weld Muddy J Sand
2026-09-04 11 North Rim 4h Gmt Exploration Company Arapahoe Denver Basin
View the full Colorado DUC inventory →

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About This Dashboard

Source: Colorado Energy & Carbon Management Commission well-header and production filings.

Refresh cadence: Daily. Data current as of September 17, 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.

Colorado Oil & Gas Snapshot FAQ

Who are the largest oil and gas operators in Colorado?

As of September 17, 2026, this dashboard tracks 100 active Colorado operators ranked by well count, led by Noble Energy, Kerrmcgee, Tep Rocky Mountain. See the Top Colorado Operators leaderboard for the full ranking.

How many drilling permits have been filed in Colorado recently?

About 335 Colorado drilling permits were filed in the trailing 24 months, per Colorado Energy & Carbon Management Commission records (as of September 17, 2026).

What is a DUC well, and how many are there in Colorado?

A DUC is a "drilled but uncompleted" well — drilled but not yet hydraulically fractured or put on production. As of September 17, 2026, Colorado had about 759 DUC wells in inventory. DUCs are a leading indicator of near-term completion and production activity.

Which plays and formations drive Colorado oil and gas activity?

Colorado activity centers on the DJ Basin (Wattenberg) on the northern Front Range and the Piceance Basin on the Western Slope, among roughly 24 active formations across 51 counties, aggregated from Colorado Energy & Carbon Management Commission records.

How often is this Colorado oil and gas snapshot updated?

It is refreshed daily from Colorado Energy & Carbon Management Commission well and permit records. The current data is as of September 17, 2026.

I own Colorado mineral rights — how do I find my operator and what they are worth?

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.

Quick Stats

State: Colorado

Operators: 100

Counties: 51

Formations: 24

Permits 24mo: 335

DUCs: 759

Data as of: September 17, 2026

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