10,679 wells across 815 active operators, with 276 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 Sacramento Basin formation in California has 10,679 wells on record across 815 active operators, with 276 drilling permits filed in the last 24 months (as of 2026-08-16). Its most active operators by well count are California Resources Production, Chevron, Atlantic Oil Company, Amerada Hess and Capitol Oil. Compiled from California Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM) well-header records, refreshed monthly.
The operators with the most well counts targeting the Sacramento Basin formation in California:
| # | Operator | Wells in Sacramento Basin |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | California Resources Production | 1,861 |
| 2 | Chevron | 755 |
| 3 | Atlantic Oil Company | 316 |
| 4 | Amerada Hess | 260 |
| 5 | Capitol Oil | 217 |
| 6 | Shell Oil Company | 174 |
| 7 | Phillips Petroleum Company | 166 |
| 8 | Exxon Mobil | 164 |
| 9 | Pacific Gas & Electric Company | 162 |
| 10 | Rosetta Resources Operating | 157 |
The California counties with the most Sacramento Basin activity:
Solano, Yolo, Colusa, Glenn, San Joaquin
The most recent 39 drilling permits filed for Sacramento Basin wells in California:
| Permit Date | Well | API | County | Operator | Lateral (ft) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-15 | Wilson Lands 28-1 | 04067204990000 |
Sacramento | Stream Energy | — |
| 2026-07-15 | Wg Land CO 35-1 | 04067204490000 |
Sacramento | Stream Energy | — |
| 2026-06-11 | Ward 31-10 | 04013000690000 |
Contra Costa | Bridlegate Holding Company LLC | — |
| 2026-06-11 | Dow-Termo Ward 39 | 04013201000000 |
Contra Costa | Bridlegate Holding Company LLC | — |
| 2026-06-04 | Calcagno 2-34 | 04077205920000 |
San Joaquin | California Resources Production | — |
| 2026-06-04 | Calcagno 2-34 | 04077205920000 |
San Joaquin | California Resources | — |
| 2026-05-06 | Welch 25 | 04067205250000 |
Sacramento | California Resources Production | 223 |
| 2026-05-06 | Welch 25 | 04067205250000 |
Sacramento | California Resources | 223 |
| 2026-05-05 | Lease By Crockett Drilling Synd., INC. 3 | 04103001290000 |
Tehama | Crockett Drilling Synd | — |
| 2026-05-05 | Williams 1-5 | 04103201280000 |
Tehama | North Valley Gaswell Svc | — |
| 2026-04-28 | Rvgu 235 | 04067204260000 |
Sacramento | California Resources | 546 |
| 2026-04-28 | Rvgu 235 | 04067204260000 |
Sacramento | California Resources Production | 546 |
| 2026-04-08 | Galli 1 | 04077202780000 |
San Joaquin | California Resources Production | 139 |
| 2026-04-08 | Galli 1 | 04077202780000 |
San Joaquin | California Resources | 139 |
| 2026-04-06 | Honolulu-Barnsdall Liberty Far 3 | 04095003740000 |
Solano | Department Of Water Resources Dwr | — |
| 2026-02-25 | Rio Vista State 8-5 | 04067205330000 |
Sacramento | California Resources | — |
| 2026-02-25 | Rio Vista State 8-5 | 04067205330000 |
Sacramento | California Resources Production | — |
| 2026-02-18 | Rvgu 290 | 04095212600000 |
Solano | California Resources Production | 155 |
| 2026-02-18 | Rvgu 290 | 04095212600000 |
Solano | California Resources | 155 |
| 2026-01-15 | Los Medanos 22-D | 04013203880000 |
Contra Costa | Pacific Gas Electric Company | — |
| 2025-09-15 | Victoria Island, L.p. Ccs Easement C-1 | 04077207490000 |
San Joaquin | California Resources Production | — |
| 2025-09-15 | Victoria Island, L.p. Ccs Easement C-1 | 04077207490000 |
San Joaquin | California Resources | — |
| 2025-09-04 | Balsdon 3-35 | 04011209550000 |
Colusa | California Resources Production | 110 |
| 2025-09-04 | Balsdon 3-35 | 04011209550000 |
Colusa | California Resources | 110 |
| 2025-08-12 | Sonol Securities 11 | 04077207240000 |
San Joaquin | California Resources | — |
| 2025-08-12 | Sonol Securities 11 | 04077207240000 |
San Joaquin | California Resources Production | — |
| 2025-06-26 | Lathrop Unit B 14 | 04077207210000 |
San Joaquin | California Resources Production | — |
| 2025-06-26 | Lathrop Unit B 14 | 04077207210000 |
San Joaquin | California Resources | — |
| 2025-06-25 | Lathrop Unit A 7 | 04077207230000 |
San Joaquin | California Resources Production | — |
| 2025-06-25 | Lathrop Unit A 7 | 04077207230000 |
San Joaquin | California Resources | — |
| 2025-05-02 | Whiskey Slough 16e | 04077207480000 |
San Joaquin | Pacific Gas Electric Company | — |
| 2025-05-02 | Whiskey Slough 15e | 04077207460000 |
San Joaquin | Pacific Gas Electric Company | — |
| 2025-05-02 | Whiskey Slough 17e | 04077207450000 |
San Joaquin | Pacific Gas Electric Company | — |
| 2025-05-02 | Whiskey Slough 18e | 04077207470000 |
San Joaquin | Pacific Gas Electric Company | — |
| 2025-04-10 | N. Anderson 3 | 04067204420000 |
Sacramento | California Resources Production | — |
| 2025-04-10 | N. Anderson 3 | 04067204420000 |
Sacramento | California Resources | — |
| 2025-01-09 | Gaia 1 | 04101209170000 |
Sutter | Sequoia Sequestration Hub | — |
| 2024-11-12 | Los Medanos 23b | 04013203870000 |
Contra Costa | Pacific Gas Electric Company | — |
| 2024-11-12 | Turner Cut 1bs | 04077207440000 |
San Joaquin | Pacific Gas Electric Company | — |
The Sacramento Basin is one of California's active oil and gas plays, with 10,679 wells on file across 815 distinct operators of record. Operators have filed 276 drilling permits targeting the Sacramento 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 Solano, Yolo, Colusa, Glenn, San Joaquin, knowing whether your tract sits within an active Sacramento 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)
10,679 wells target the Sacramento Basin in California, worked by 815 active operators, per CalGEM well-header records (as of 2026-08-16).
By well count, the most active Sacramento Basin operators in California are California Resources Production, Chevron, Atlantic Oil Company, Amerada Hess and Capitol Oil. The full ranking is in the table on this page.
Operators filed 276 drilling permits targeting the Sacramento Basin in the last 24 months — a live measure of current activity, per CalGEM records.
Operators filed 276 new drilling permits targeting the Sacramento Basin in California over the last 24 months. New permits and spuds are the clearest signal of active Sacramento Basin drilling, per CalGEM records (as of 2026-08-16).
Sacramento Basin activity in California currently spans 10,679 wells on record and 815 active operators, led by California Resources Production, Chevron, Atlantic Oil Company, Amerada Hess and Capitol Oil, with 276 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 Sacramento Basin counties in California are Solano, Yolo, Colusa, Glenn, San Joaquin.
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 Sacramento 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.
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Formation: Sacramento Basin
State: California
Total wells: 10,679
Active operators: 815
Permits 24mo: 276
Last refresh: 2026-08-16
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