96,601 wells across 946 recorded operators, with 4,159 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 Monterey-Temblor formation in California has 96,601 wells on record across 946 recorded operators, with 4,159 drilling permits filed in the 24-month window at source refresh. Its operators with the most wells on record are Aera Energy, Chevron, California Resources Elk Hills LLC, Berry Petroleum Company and Sentinel Peak Resources Ca. 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 Monterey-Temblor formation in California:
| # | Operator | Wells in Monterey-Temblor |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aera Energy | 44,660 |
| 2 | Chevron | 16,193 |
| 3 | California Resources Elk Hills LLC | 7,374 |
| 4 | Berry Petroleum Company | 7,207 |
| 5 | Sentinel Peak Resources Ca | 5,640 |
| 6 | California Resources Production | 5,278 |
| 7 | Crimson Resource Management | 1,760 |
| 8 | Holmes Western Oil | 1,012 |
| 9 | Shell Oil Company | 604 |
| 10 | Mobil Oil | 420 |
The California counties with the most Monterey-Temblor activity:
Kern, Kings, Fresno, Tulare
Drilling permits in California each year, the Monterey-Temblor count and share of them, and the median lateral length of those Monterey-Temblor permits.
| Year | State permits | This formation | Share | Median lateral |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2,510 | 777 | 31% | 1,403 ft |
| 2025 | 5,530 | 2,712 | 49% | 1,689 ft |
| 2024 | 5,346 | 2,721 | 50.9% | 1,476 ft |
| 2023 | 940 | 317 | 33.7% | 1,457 ft |
| 2022 | 757 | 33 | 4.4% | n<5 |
| 2021 | 130 | 66 | 50.8% | n<5 |
| 2020 | 1,825 | 1,298 | 71.1% | 1,627 ft |
| 2019 | 2,587 | 1,034 | 40% | 1,736 ft |
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 Monterey-Temblor is a formation/play group recorded in California, with 96,601 wells on file across 946 distinct operators of record. Operators have filed 4,159 drilling permits targeting the Monterey-Temblor 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.
96,601 wells target the Monterey-Temblor in California, worked by 946 recorded operators, per Buckhead Energy analysis of public oil and gas data. Formation summary date: 2026-10-02.
The Monterey-Temblor operators with the most wells on record in California are Aera Energy, Chevron, California Resources Elk Hills LLC, Berry Petroleum Company and Sentinel Peak Resources Ca. The full ranking is in the table on this page. Formation summary date: 2026-10-02.
Operators filed 4,159 drilling permits targeting the Monterey-Temblor 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 4,159 new drilling permits targeting the Monterey-Temblor 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.
Monterey-Temblor activity in California includes 96,601 wells on record and 946 recorded operators, with 4,159 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 Monterey-Temblor in California are Kern, Kings, Fresno, Tulare. 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: Monterey-Temblor
State: California
Total wells: 96,601
Recorded operators: 946
Permits 24mo: 4,159
Summary date: 2026-10-02
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