The complete live dashboard of the Colorado 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 1, 2026 Source: Colorado Energy & Carbon Management Commission · refreshed monthly
As of August 1, 2026, Colorado had 100 active oil & gas operators across 51 counties and 24 formations, led by Noble Energy with 10,460 wells, with 351 drilling permits filed in the last 24 months and 29 drilled-but-uncompleted (DUC) wells in inventory, per Colorado Energy & Carbon Management Commission records.
The 10 largest operators of record in Colorado, by total well count. See the full top-100 leaderboard →
| # | Operator | Wells | Permits 24mo | DUCs | Top Formation | Top County |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Noble Energy | 10,460 | 160 | 212 | Muddy J Sand | Weld |
| 2 | Kerrmcgee | 9,786 | 289 | 123 | Muddy J Sand | Weld |
| 3 | Tep Rocky Mountain | 9,042 | 64 | 141 | Mesaverde | Garfield |
| 4 | Pdc Energy | 8,530 | 157 | 277 | Muddy J Sand | Weld |
| 5 | Qb Energy Operating LLC | 6,118 | 47 | 166 | Mesaverde | Garfield |
| 6 | Own Resources Operating | 3,445 | 0 | 50 | Niobrara East | Yuma |
| 7 | Evergreen Natural Resources LLC | 2,504 | 0 | 52 | Pierre -Niobrara | Las Animas |
| 8 | Crestone Peak Resources Operating | 2,416 | 83 | 50 | Muddy J Sand | Weld |
| 9 | Laramie Energy | 2,260 | 22 | 44 | Mesaverde | Mesa |
| 10 | Simcoe LLC | 1,701 | 3 | 161 | Dakota | La Plata |
The 10 most-active oil and gas counties in Colorado. See the full county rankings →
| County | Total Wells | Permits 24mo | Spuds 90d | DUCs | Top Operator | Top Formation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weld | 46,580 | 1,012 | 15 | 2,764 | Noble Energy | Muddy J Sand |
| Garfield | 17,406 | 42 | 2 | 475 | Tep Rocky Mountain | Mesaverde |
| Rio Blanco | 7,545 | 85 | 1 | 313 | Scout Energy Management | Piceance Basin |
| Yuma | 6,239 | 0 | 0 | 1,115 | Own Resources Operating | Niobrara East |
| Washington | 5,806 | 7 | 0 | 4,466 | Padco | D Sand |
| La Plata | 5,332 | 29 | 0 | 512 | Simcoe LLC | Dakota |
| Adams | 5,132 | 116 | 2 | 1,845 | Pdc Energy | Muddy J Sand |
| Las Animas | 4,051 | 18 | 0 | 251 | 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 |
The 10 most-active formations and plays in Colorado. See all active Colorado formations →
| Formation | Wells | Active Operators | Permits 24mo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Muddy J Sand | 52,469 | 1,352 | 230 |
| D Sand | 14,078 | 1,343 | 0 |
| Niobrara East | 6,708 | 229 | 0 |
| Piceance Basin | 4,428 | 394 | 134 |
| Pierre -Niobrara | 4,208 | 125 | 0 |
| Denver Basin | 3,711 | 334 | 1,045 |
| Las Animas Arch | 3,452 | 435 | 11 |
| Dakota | 2,350 | 92 | 0 |
| Mancos-Dakota | 2,118 | 155 | 0 |
| San Juan Basin | 1,827 | 248 | 33 |
| Permit Date | Well | API | County | Formation | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-02 | Midwest 34-9hz | 05123534870000 |
Weld | Denver Basin | Kerrmcgee |
| 2026-07-02 | Midwest 34-12hz | 05123534900000 |
Weld | Denver Basin | Kerrmcgee |
| 2026-07-02 | Midwest 34-1hz | 05123534790000 |
Weld | Denver Basin | Kerrmcgee |
| 2026-07-02 | Midwest 34-5hz | 05123534830000 |
Weld | Denver Basin | Kerrmcgee |
| 2026-07-02 | Midwest 34-10hz | 05123534880000 |
Weld | Denver Basin | Kerrmcgee |
| 2026-07-02 | Midwest 34-6hz | 05123534840000 |
Weld | Denver Basin | Kerrmcgee |
| 2026-07-02 | Midwest 34-3hz | 05123534810000 |
Weld | Denver Basin | Kerrmcgee |
| 2026-07-02 | Midwest 34-7hz | 05123534850000 |
Weld | Denver Basin | Kerrmcgee |
| 2026-07-02 | Midwest 34-4hz | 05123534820000 |
Weld | Denver Basin | Kerrmcgee |
| 2026-07-02 | Midwest 34-11hz | 05123534890000 |
Weld | Denver Basin | Kerrmcgee |
| Spud Date | Days Ago | Well | Operator | County | Formation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-24 | 7 | 747 3-65 8-10-15 | Bison Iv Operating LLC | Adams | Denver Basin |
| 2026-07-24 | 7 | Federal Rgu 41-7-297 | Tep Rocky Mountain | Rio Blanco | Piceance Basin |
| 2026-07-24 | 7 | Mancos 08n | Pdc Energy | Weld | Denver Basin |
| 2026-07-24 | 7 | Buckskin Le02-10 | Noble Energy | Weld | Denver Basin |
| 2026-07-24 | 7 | Secret 2hn | Gmt Exploration Company | Arapahoe | Denver Basin |
| 2026-07-10 | 21 | Secret 4hn | Gmt Exploration Company | Arapahoe | Denver Basin |
| 2026-07-03 | 28 | Mancos 12n | Pdc Energy | Weld | Denver Basin |
| 2026-07-03 | 28 | 747 3-65 8-10-16 | Bison Iv Operating LLC | Adams | Denver Basin |
| 2026-07-03 | 28 | Chinook E20-615 | Noble Energy | Weld | Denver Basin |
| 2026-06-26 | 35 | Chinook E20-625 | Noble Energy | Weld | Denver Basin |
| First Prod | Days Producing | Well | Operator | County | Formation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-01 | 121 | Tinman Federal Lg07-645 | Noble Energy | Weld | Denver Basin |
| 2026-04-01 | 121 | Tinman Federal Lg07-635 | Noble Energy | Weld | Denver Basin |
| 2026-04-01 | 121 | Tinman Federal Lg07-615 | Noble Energy | Weld | Denver Basin |
| 2026-04-01 | 121 | Apache State E35-620 | Noble Energy | Weld | Denver Basin |
| 2026-04-01 | 121 | Apache State E35-684 | Noble Energy | Weld | Denver Basin |
| 2026-04-01 | 121 | Apache State E35-640 | Noble Energy | Weld | Denver Basin |
| 2026-04-01 | 121 | Apache State E35-669 | Noble Energy | Weld | Denver Basin |
| 2026-04-01 | 121 | Apache State E35-630 | Noble Energy | Weld | Denver Basin |
| 2026-04-01 | 121 | Apache State E35-656 | Noble Energy | Weld | Denver Basin |
| 2026-04-01 | 121 | Apache State E35-615 | Noble Energy | Weld | Denver Basin |
| Spud Date | Days Waiting | Well | Operator | County | Formation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-24 | 7 | Buckskin Le02-10 | Noble Energy | Weld | Denver Basin |
| 2026-07-24 | 7 | 747 3-65 8-10-15 | Bison Iv Operating LLC | Adams | Denver Basin |
| 2026-07-24 | 7 | Secret 2hn | Gmt Exploration Company | Arapahoe | Denver Basin |
| 2026-07-24 | 7 | Mancos 08n | Pdc Energy | Weld | Denver Basin |
| 2026-07-24 | 7 | Federal Rgu 41-7-297 | Tep Rocky Mountain | Rio Blanco | Piceance Basin |
| 2026-07-10 | 21 | Secret 4hn | Gmt Exploration Company | Arapahoe | Denver Basin |
| 2026-07-03 | 28 | Chinook E20-615 | Noble Energy | Weld | Denver Basin |
| 2026-07-03 | 28 | 747 3-65 8-10-16 | Bison Iv Operating LLC | Adams | Denver Basin |
| 2026-07-03 | 28 | Mancos 12n | Pdc Energy | Weld | Denver Basin |
| 2026-06-26 | 35 | Chinook E20-625 | Noble Energy | Weld | Denver 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: Colorado Energy & Carbon Management Commission well-header and production filings.
Refresh cadence: Monthly. Data current as of August 1, 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 Colorado Operators Leaderboard
Colorado Formations & Plays Directory
Top 500 Producing Wells in Colorado
All Recent Colorado Drilling Permits
All Recently Spudded Colorado Wells
All Newly Producing Colorado Wells
Colorado County Drilling Activity Rankings
As of August 1, 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.
About 351 Colorado drilling permits were filed in the trailing 24 months, per Colorado Energy & Carbon Management Commission records (as of August 1, 2026).
A DUC is a "drilled but uncompleted" well — drilled but not yet hydraulically fractured or put on production. As of August 1, 2026, Colorado had about 29 DUC wells in inventory. DUCs are a leading indicator of near-term completion and production 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.
It is refreshed monthly from Colorado Energy & Carbon Management Commission well and permit records. The current data is as of August 1, 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: Colorado
Operators: 100
Counties: 51
Formations: 24
Permits 24mo: 351
DUCs: 29
Data as of: August 1, 2026
Free written offers on Colorado mineral rights — anywhere in the state.
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