5,514 wells across 472 recorded operators, with 364 drilling permits filed in the 24-month window at summary refresh.
Buckhead Energy analysis of public oil and gas data. Formation summary date: 2026-10-02.
Quick answer: The Coastal Basins formation in California has 5,514 wells on record across 472 recorded operators, with 364 drilling permits filed in the 24-month window at source refresh. Its operators with the most wells on record are Chevron, Aera Energy, Sentinel Peak Resources Ca, Shell Oil Company and Phillips Petroleum Company. Source: Buckhead Energy analysis of public oil and gas data. Formation summary date: 2026-10-02.
The operators with the most well counts targeting the Coastal Basins formation in California:
| # | Operator | Wells in Coastal Basins |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chevron | 1,810 |
| 2 | Aera Energy | 1,532 |
| 3 | Sentinel Peak Resources Ca | 526 |
| 4 | Shell Oil Company | 193 |
| 5 | Phillips Petroleum Company | 70 |
| 6 | E & B Natural Resources Management | 65 |
| 7 | Calnrg Operating LLC | 59 |
| 8 | Exxon Mobil | 57 |
| 9 | Grace Petroleum | 53 |
| 10 | Arco Oil & Gas Company | 51 |
The California counties with the most Coastal Basins activity:
Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Kern, San Benito, Santa Barbara
Drilling permits in California each year, the Coastal Basins count and share of them, and the median lateral length of those Coastal Basins permits.
| Year | State permits | This formation | Share | Median lateral |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2,510 | 213 | 8.5% | 776 ft |
| 2025 | 5,530 | 134 | 2.4% | 670 ft |
| 2024 | 5,346 | 45 | 0.8% | 1,000 ft |
| 2023 | 940 | 3 | 0.3% | n<5 |
| 2022 | 757 | 29 | 3.8% | n<5 |
| 2021 | 130 | 3 | 2.3% | n<5 |
| 2020 | 1,825 | 26 | 1.4% | n<5 |
| 2019 | 2,587 | 58 | 2.2% | n<5 |
Share of each year’s California drilling permits by target formation, for the formations with the most permits.
| Year | Monterey-Temblor | San Joaquin Basin | Monterey | Coastal Basins | Sacramento Basin | Los Angeles Basin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 31% | 39.9% | 11.3% | 8.5% | 4.8% | 2.2% |
| 2025 | 49% | 33.7% | 8.8% | 2.4% | 2.9% | 1.3% |
| 2024 | 50.9% | 36.8% | 5.2% | 0.8% | 2.4% | 1.8% |
| 2023 | 33.7% | 55.1% | 5% | 0.3% | 1.8% | 2.8% |
| 2022 | 4.4% | 81.5% | 2% | 3.8% | — | 3.8% |
| 2021 | 50.8% | 30.8% | 16.2% | 2.3% | — | — |
| 2020 | 71.1% | 24.9% | 1.9% | 1.4% | 0.2% | 0.3% |
| 2019 | 40% | 40% | 15.2% | 2.2% | 0.3% | 0.3% |
Buckhead Energy computes every figure on this page from grouped records in public oil and gas data. The page shows counts, sums, percentiles and indexes only; it does not list individual wells, leases or permits.
Counts under 3 wells and percentiles under 5 wells are withheld; totals are floors.
Share is the formation’s permits as a percent of the state’s permits that year. Median lateral length is published only when at least 5 permits stand behind it.
Last computed: 2026-10-02. These figures are informational only and are not a valuation of any mineral or royalty interest.
The Coastal Basins is a formation/play group recorded in California, with 5,514 wells on file across 472 distinct operators of record. Operators have filed 364 drilling permits targeting the Coastal Basins in the 24-month window at summary refresh. These are stored records, not a live measure of drilling.
Recorded formation activity provides regional context. It does not establish ownership, future production, royalty payments or a value for an individual tract. Consult qualified professionals about your specific interest.
5,514 wells target the Coastal Basins in California, worked by 472 recorded operators, per Buckhead Energy analysis of public oil and gas data. Formation summary date: 2026-10-02.
The Coastal Basins operators with the most wells on record in California are Chevron, Aera Energy, Sentinel Peak Resources Ca, Shell Oil Company and Phillips Petroleum Company. The full ranking is in the table on this page. Formation summary date: 2026-10-02.
Operators filed 364 drilling permits targeting the Coastal Basins in the 24-month window at source refresh, per Buckhead Energy analysis of public oil and gas data. Formation summary date: 2026-10-02.
Operators filed 364 new drilling permits targeting the Coastal Basins in California in the 24-month window at source refresh. New permits and spuds record reported activity stages; they do not establish ongoing drilling, per Buckhead Energy analysis of public oil and gas data. Formation summary date: 2026-10-02.
Coastal Basins activity in California includes 5,514 wells on record and 472 recorded operators, with 364 drilling permits filed in the 24-month window at source refresh — from Buckhead Energy analysis of public oil and gas data. Formation summary date: 2026-10-02.
The primary counties recorded for Coastal Basins in California are Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Kern, San Benito, Santa Barbara. Formation summary date: 2026-10-02.
Value depends on your net mineral acres or royalty decimal, the operator, the remaining drilling locations, and current oil and gas prices. This page is informational only, not a valuation. Formation summary date: 2026-10-02.
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Formation: Coastal Basins
State: California
Total wells: 5,514
Recorded operators: 472
Permits 24mo: 364
Summary date: 2026-10-02
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