260 wells across 154 recorded operators, with 0 drilling permits filed in the 24-month window at summary refresh.
Buckhead Energy analysis of public oil and gas data. Formation summary date: 2026-10-03.
Quick answer: The Mojave Basin formation in California has 260 wells on record across 154 recorded operators, with 0 drilling permits filed in the 24-month window at source refresh. Its operators with the most wells on record are Optima Conservation Resources Exploration, Stone Cabin Resources, Padre Oil Company, Polaris Production and Chevron. Source: Buckhead Energy analysis of public oil and gas data. Formation summary date: 2026-10-03.
The operators with the most well counts targeting the Mojave Basin formation in California:
| # | Operator | Wells in Mojave Basin |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Optima Conservation Resources Exploration | 16 |
| 2 | Stone Cabin Resources | 13 |
| 3 | Padre Oil Company | 11 |
| 4 | Polaris Production | 9 |
| 5 | Chevron | 6 |
| 6 | Casex Company | 6 |
| 7 | L H Scott | 4 |
| 8 | Mobil Oil | 4 |
| 9 | The Major Oil | 4 |
| 10 | Charles C Carrillo & Chris B Pedersen | 4 |
The California counties with the most Mojave Basin activity:
San Bernardino, Riverside
The Mojave Basin is not among the California formations tracked separately in the yearly permit mix, so only statewide permit counts are shown.
| Year | State permits | This formation | Share | Median lateral |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2,510 | — | — | — |
| 2025 | 5,530 | — | — | — |
| 2024 | 5,346 | — | — | — |
| 2023 | 940 | — | — | — |
| 2022 | 757 | — | — | — |
| 2021 | 130 | — | — | — |
| 2020 | 1,825 | — | — | — |
| 2019 | 2,587 | — | — | — |
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: 2026-10-03. These figures are informational only and are not a valuation of any mineral or royalty interest.
The Mojave Basin is a formation/play group recorded in California, with 260 wells on file across 154 distinct operators of record. Operators have filed 0 drilling permits targeting the Mojave Basin 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.
260 wells target the Mojave Basin in California, worked by 154 recorded operators, per Buckhead Energy analysis of public oil and gas data. Formation summary date: 2026-10-03.
The Mojave Basin operators with the most wells on record in California are Optima Conservation Resources Exploration, Stone Cabin Resources, Padre Oil Company, Polaris Production and Chevron. The full ranking is in the table on this page. Formation summary date: 2026-10-03.
Operators filed 0 drilling permits targeting the Mojave Basin in the 24-month window at source refresh, per Buckhead Energy analysis of public oil and gas data. Formation summary date: 2026-10-03.
Operators filed 0 new drilling permits targeting the Mojave Basin 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: 2026-10-03.
Mojave Basin activity in California includes 260 wells on record and 154 recorded operators, with 0 drilling permits filed in the 24-month window at source refresh — from Buckhead Energy analysis of public oil and gas data. Formation summary date: 2026-10-03.
The primary counties recorded for Mojave Basin in California are San Bernardino, Riverside. Formation summary date: 2026-10-03.
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: 2026-10-03.
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Formation: Mojave Basin
State: California
Total wells: 260
Recorded operators: 154
Permits 24mo: 0
Summary date: 2026-10-03
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