3,859 wells across 773 active operators, with 148 drilling permits filed in the last 24 months.
Refreshed monthly from CalGEM well-header records. Data current as of 2026-08-16.
Quick answer: The Los Angeles Basin formation in California has 3,859 wells on record across 773 active operators, with 148 drilling permits filed in the last 24 months (as of 2026-08-16). Its most active operators by well count are Shadow Wolf Energy LLC, Chevron, Sentinel Peak Resources Ca, Southern Community and West Energy Operating LLC. Compiled from California Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM) well-header records, refreshed monthly.
The operators with the most well counts targeting the Los Angeles Basin formation in California:
| # | Operator | Wells in Los Angeles Basin |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shadow Wolf Energy LLC | 535 |
| 2 | Chevron | 356 |
| 3 | Sentinel Peak Resources Ca | 283 |
| 4 | Southern Community | 257 |
| 5 | West Energy Operating LLC | 119 |
| 6 | Warren E & P | 116 |
| 7 | Caltico Oil | 94 |
| 8 | Thums Long Beach Company | 88 |
| 9 | The Termo Company | 67 |
| 10 | Crimson Resource Management | 63 |
The California counties with the most Los Angeles Basin activity:
Los Angeles, Orange, Los Angeles Offshore, San Bernardino, Ventura
The most recent 38 drilling permits filed for Los Angeles Basin wells in California:
| Permit Date | Well | API | County | Operator | Lateral (ft) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-03 | Bijou 1 | 04037134530000 |
Los Angeles | Caltico Oil | — |
| 2026-08-03 | Donnely 1 | 04037133520000 |
Los Angeles | Caltico Oil | — |
| 2026-08-03 | Gold 1 | 04037134680000 |
Los Angeles | Caltico Oil | — |
| 2026-07-27 | Fee 18 | 04037134670000 |
Los Angeles | Caltico Oil | — |
| 2026-02-03 | Needham 1 | 04037128370000 |
Los Angeles | Tunnel Oil Company | — |
| 2026-01-29 | Baldwin 226 | 04037251420000 |
Los Angeles | Sentinel Peak | — |
| 2026-01-29 | Baldwin 223 | 04037251360000 |
Los Angeles | Sentinel Peak | 123 |
| 2026-01-29 | Baldwin 226 | 04037251420000 |
Los Angeles | Sentinel Peak Resources Ca | — |
| 2026-01-29 | Baldwin 223 | 04037251360000 |
Los Angeles | Sentinel Peak Resources Ca | 123 |
| 2026-01-08 | Gpm To12-9 | 04037241640000 |
Los Angeles | Shadow Wolf Energy LLC | — |
| 2025-12-22 | Kraft 12-19 | 04037240620000 |
Los Angeles | Shadow Wolf Energy LLC | — |
| 2025-12-16 | Kpm 13-16 | 04037240460000 |
Los Angeles | Shadow Wolf Energy LLC | — |
| 2025-12-16 | Gpm 10-13 | 04037232520000 |
Los Angeles | Shadow Wolf Energy LLC | — |
| 2025-12-12 | Kraft 9-18 | 04037232920000 |
Los Angeles | Shadow Wolf Energy LLC | — |
| 2025-12-12 | Kraft 12-17 | 04037240600000 |
Los Angeles | Shadow Wolf Energy LLC | — |
| 2025-10-22 | Porter 23 | 04037007100000 |
Los Angeles | Southern Community | — |
| 2025-08-28 | Lai-Bc 2667 | 04037268650000 |
Los Angeles | Sentinel Peak Resources Ca | — |
| 2025-08-28 | Lai-Bc 2467 | 04037268640000 |
Los Angeles | Sentinel Peak Resources Ca | — |
| 2025-08-28 | Lai-Bc 2667 | 04037268650000 |
Los Angeles | Sentinel Peak | — |
| 2025-08-28 | Lai-Bc 2467 | 04037268640000 |
Los Angeles | Sentinel Peak | — |
| 2025-06-19 | Rassp Community 2 | 04037138650000 |
Los Angeles | Caltico Oil | — |
| 2025-05-08 | High School 107 | 04037305760000 |
Los Angeles | Beverly Hills Oil Company | — |
| 2025-03-27 | Knapp 1-A | 04037011620000 |
Los Angeles | Canoga Oil Company | — |
| 2025-03-27 | Knapp 3 | 04037004940000 |
Los Angeles | Frank Knapp | — |
| 2025-03-26 | Knapp 6 | 04037011660000 |
Los Angeles | Canoga Oil Company | — |
| 2025-03-26 | Knapp 4-1 | 04037011600000 |
Los Angeles | Cache Oil Company | — |
| 2025-03-25 | Lucky Star 1 | 04037011670000 |
Los Angeles | Liu Cheng And Lin | — |
| 2025-03-25 | Knapp 1 | 04037011610000 |
Los Angeles | Canoga Oil Company | — |
| 2025-03-20 | Lease By Thums Long Beach CO. A-127 | 04237204080000 |
Los Angeles Offshore | Thums Long Beach Company | — |
| 2025-03-20 | Lease By Thums Long Beach CO. A-131 | 04237231400000 |
Los Angeles Offshore | Thums Long Beach Company | 3,200 |
| 2025-02-21 | Hartje 8 | 04037167750000 |
Los Angeles | West Energy Operating LLC | — |
| 2025-01-24 | Phillips 1 | 04037130520000 |
Los Angeles | Watt Mineral Holdings | — |
| 2025-01-14 | Baldwin 245 | 04037252950000 |
Los Angeles | Sentinel Peak Resources Ca | — |
| 2025-01-14 | Baldwin 245 | 04037252950000 |
Los Angeles | Sentinel Peak | — |
| 2025-01-10 | Porter 33 | 04037007200000 |
Los Angeles | Southern Community | — |
| 2024-10-18 | Harrison 1 | 04037126660000 |
Los Angeles | Caltico Oil | — |
| 2024-09-10 | Anaheim Union Water CO. 2 | 04059000690000 |
Orange | Visioncraft Energy | — |
| 2024-09-06 | Cra Texas A.u.w.c. 2 | 04059055270000 |
Orange | Visioncraft Energy | — |
The Los Angeles Basin is one of California's active oil and gas plays, with 3,859 wells on file across 773 distinct operators of record. Operators have filed 148 drilling permits targeting the Los Angeles Basin in the last 24 months — a measure of how active the play is right now versus its historical baseline.
For mineral owners with interests in Los Angeles, Orange, Los Angeles Offshore, San Bernardino, Ventura, knowing whether your tract sits within an active Los Angeles Basin footprint is a foundational valuation question. Active formations with consistent permit flow command premium pricing; legacy formations with steady but declining production are valued differently.
See all California oil & gas formations & plays · Download the California formations dataset (CSV)
3,859 wells target the Los Angeles Basin in California, worked by 773 active operators, per CalGEM well-header records (as of 2026-08-16).
By well count, the most active Los Angeles Basin operators in California are Shadow Wolf Energy LLC, Chevron, Sentinel Peak Resources Ca, Southern Community and West Energy Operating LLC. The full ranking is in the table on this page.
Operators filed 148 drilling permits targeting the Los Angeles Basin in the last 24 months — a live measure of current activity, per CalGEM records.
Operators filed 148 new drilling permits targeting the Los Angeles Basin in California over the last 24 months. New permits and spuds are the clearest signal of active Los Angeles Basin drilling, per CalGEM records (as of 2026-08-16).
Los Angeles Basin activity in California currently spans 3,859 wells on record and 773 active operators, led by Shadow Wolf Energy LLC, Chevron, Sentinel Peak Resources Ca, Southern Community and West Energy Operating LLC, with 148 drilling permits filed in the last 24 months — refreshed monthly from California Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM) well-header records (as of 2026-08-16).
The most active Los Angeles Basin counties in California are Los Angeles, Orange, Los Angeles Offshore, San Bernardino, Ventura.
Value depends on your net mineral acres or royalty decimal, the operator, the remaining drilling locations, and current oil and gas prices. Buckhead Energy checks your tract against current Los Angeles Basin well and permit data and puts a free, no-obligation written offer in writing — this page is informational only, not a valuation.
Cite this dataset
Permanently archived and citable via a DOI on Zenodo (CERN), under a CC BY 4.0 license. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.21442884 · View on Zenodo
License & attribution: This data is licensed CC BY 4.0. You are free to share and adapt it, including commercially, provided you credit “Buckhead Energy” and link back to this page or the DOI above.
Get a free written offer based on your specific tract, operator, and the current Los Angeles Basin activity in your area.
Get Your Free Mineral ValuationCalifornia Oil & Gas Industry Snapshot Dashboard
Top California Operators Leaderboard
California Drilling Activity Report (permits, DUCs, spuds)
US Mineral Market Activity Index (all 11 states ranked 0–100)
US Mineral & Drilling Activity Index (national rollup)
Texas Industry Snapshot (largest producing state)
Largest US Operators — National Leaderboard
Browse the Full Operator Directory
Live Oil & Gas Prices (WTI + Henry Hub)
Sell Your California Mineral Rights
Formation: Los Angeles Basin
State: California
Total wells: 3,859
Active operators: 773
Permits 24mo: 148
Last refresh: 2026-08-16
Free written offers on Los Angeles Basin mineral rights in California.
Get Your Free Offer