96,601 wells across 946 active operators, with 4,611 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 Monterey-Temblor formation in California has 96,601 wells on record across 946 active operators, with 4,611 drilling permits filed in the last 24 months (as of 2026-08-16). Its most active operators by well count are Aera Energy, Chevron, California Resources Elk Hills LLC, Berry Petroleum Company and Sentinel Peak Resources Ca. Compiled from California Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM) well-header records, refreshed monthly.
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 | 7,377 |
| 4 | Berry Petroleum Company | 7,207 |
| 5 | Sentinel Peak Resources Ca | 5,640 |
| 6 | California Resources Production | 5,275 |
| 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
The most recent 100 drilling permits filed for Monterey-Temblor wells in California:
| Permit Date | Well | API | County | Operator | Lateral (ft) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-11 | Dtr 614p-33 | 04029740220000 |
Kern | Aera Energy | — |
| 2026-08-11 | Sebu T 5271-1 | 04030271560000 |
Kern | Aera Energy | — |
| 2026-08-11 | Sebu T 5094-12 | 04030316190000 |
Kern | Aera Energy | — |
| 2026-08-07 | Dtr 457-28 | 04029725760000 |
Kern | Aera Energy | — |
| 2026-08-07 | R.h.d. I-1 | 04029658340000 |
Kern | Aera Energy | — |
| 2026-08-07 | Anderson-Fitzgerald 5303u | 04030289600000 |
Kern | Aera Energy | — |
| 2026-08-07 | Unspecified 14-11i | 04030481160000 |
Kern | Chevron | — |
| 2026-08-06 | Dtr 432-34 | 04029724530000 |
Kern | Aera Energy | — |
| 2026-08-06 | Unspecified 628f-35 | 04029625880000 |
Kern | Aera Energy | — |
| 2026-08-05 | Lease By Aera Energy LLC 614f-20 | 04029783560000 |
Kern | Aera Energy | — |
| 2026-08-05 | Lease By Aera Energy LLC 446-20 | 04029883800000 |
Kern | Aera Energy | — |
| 2026-08-05 | Dtr 686par-29 | 04030086370000 |
Kern | Aera Energy | — |
| 2026-08-04 | Unspecified 477k-18 | 04030574070000 |
Kern | Aera Energy | — |
| 2026-08-04 | Sebu T 5346-1 | 04030074640000 |
Kern | Aera Energy | — |
| 2026-08-03 | Dtr 672p-29 | 04029771030000 |
Kern | Aera Energy | — |
| 2026-08-03 | Dtr 487-34 | 04029883540000 |
Kern | Aera Energy | — |
| 2026-07-31 | Unspecified 78wd-27r | 04030293720000 |
Kern | California Resources Elk Hills LLC | — |
| 2026-07-31 | Mckittrick Fee 3845st | 04030209310000 |
Kern | Chevron | — |
| 2026-07-30 | Lowell-Wible 4025-I | 04030309740000 |
Kern | Chevron | — |
| 2026-07-30 | Wilbert I-9 | 04030013900000 |
Kern | Aera Energy | — |
| 2026-07-30 | Sebu T 5319a-12 | 04030337290000 |
Kern | Aera Energy | — |
| 2026-07-28 | Unspecified 6-8uw | 04030259250000 |
Kern | Chevron | — |
| 2026-07-24 | Sebu T 5175-12 | 04030601530000 |
Kern | Aera Energy | — |
| 2026-07-23 | Wilbert I-15 | 04029864510000 |
Kern | Aera Energy | — |
| 2026-07-23 | Sebu T 5268-1 | 04030271550000 |
Kern | Aera Energy | — |
| 2026-07-23 | Ellis 75-19 | 04029377680000 |
Kern | Aera Energy | — |
| 2026-07-20 | Belridge 3038a-11 | 04030674040000 |
Kern | Aera Energy | — |
| 2026-07-20 | Marina 5430-11 | 04030288350000 |
Kern | Aera Energy | — |
| 2026-07-20 | Wilbert To-3 | 04030052090000 |
Kern | Aera Energy | — |
| 2026-07-17 | Unspecified Wi-1 | 04029500300000 |
Kern | Valley Water Management Company | — |
| 2026-07-17 | L & H 7-9i | 04030226570000 |
Kern | Aera Energy | — |
| 2026-07-17 | Mcphee T.o. 11-11 | 04030330250000 |
Kern | Chevron | — |
| 2026-07-17 | Mcphee T.o. 8-6 | 04030314580000 |
Kern | Chevron | — |
| 2026-07-16 | Lease By Aera Energy LLC 448-20 | 04029883810000 |
Kern | Aera Energy | — |
| 2026-07-16 | Sebu T 5284-12 | 04030193180000 |
Kern | Aera Energy | — |
| 2026-07-16 | Dtr 443-34 | 04029866480000 |
Kern | Aera Energy | — |
| 2026-07-16 | Mcphee T.o. 7-7 | 04030299640000 |
Kern | Chevron | — |
| 2026-07-16 | Ellis 85c-19 | 04029377900000 |
Kern | Aera Energy | — |
| 2026-07-14 | Sebu T 5319-12 | 04030201910000 |
Kern | Aera Energy | — |
| 2026-07-14 | Mckittrick Unit 1-I-823 | 04030468810000 |
Kern | Sentinel Peak Resources Ca | — |
| 2026-07-13 | Mckittrick Unit 1-I-814 | 04030426630000 |
Kern | Sentinel Peak Resources Ca | — |
| 2026-07-06 | Sebu T 5087-12 | 04030178480000 |
Kern | Aera Energy | — |
| 2026-07-06 | Ellis 4-2zr2-19 | 04030553690000 |
Kern | Aera Energy | — |
| 2026-07-03 | Wilbert I-27 | 04029680090000 |
Kern | Aera Energy | — |
| 2026-07-03 | Belridge 5157a-11 | 04030139560000 |
Kern | Aera Energy | — |
| 2026-07-03 | Sebu T 5323-12 | 04030220170000 |
Kern | Aera Energy | — |
| 2026-07-01 | Mckittrick Unit 1-I-834 | 04030468820000 |
Kern | Sentinel Peak Resources Ca | — |
| 2026-07-01 | Wilbert To-5 | 04030052180000 |
Kern | Aera Energy | — |
| 2026-07-01 | Mckittrick Unit 1-I-834 | 04030468820000 |
Kern | Sentinel Peak | — |
| 2026-07-01 | Mckittrick Unit 1-I-715 | 04030426620000 |
Kern | Sentinel Peak | — |
The Monterey-Temblor is one of California's active oil and gas plays, with 96,601 wells on file across 946 distinct operators of record. Operators have filed 4,611 drilling permits targeting the Monterey-Temblor 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 Kern, Kings, Fresno, Tulare, knowing whether your tract sits within an active Monterey-Temblor 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)
96,601 wells target the Monterey-Temblor in California, worked by 946 active operators, per CalGEM well-header records (as of 2026-08-16).
By well count, the most active Monterey-Temblor operators 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.
Operators filed 4,611 drilling permits targeting the Monterey-Temblor in the last 24 months — a live measure of current activity, per CalGEM records.
Operators filed 4,611 new drilling permits targeting the Monterey-Temblor in California over the last 24 months. New permits and spuds are the clearest signal of active Monterey-Temblor drilling, per CalGEM records (as of 2026-08-16).
Monterey-Temblor activity in California currently spans 96,601 wells on record and 946 active operators, led by Aera Energy, Chevron, California Resources Elk Hills LLC, Berry Petroleum Company and Sentinel Peak Resources Ca, with 4,611 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 Monterey-Temblor counties in California are Kern, Kings, Fresno, Tulare.
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 Monterey-Temblor 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.
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Formation: Monterey-Temblor
State: California
Total wells: 96,601
Active operators: 946
Permits 24mo: 4,611
Last refresh: 2026-08-16
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