332 wells across 145 active operators, with 3 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 Salton Basin formation in California has 332 wells on record across 145 active operators, with 3 drilling permits filed in the last 24 months (as of 2026-08-16). Its most active operators by well count are Cardox Corp., Prado Petroleum, Chevron, The Hampton Oil and California Time Petroleum. Compiled from California Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM) well-header records, refreshed monthly.
The operators with the most well counts targeting the Salton Basin formation in California:
| # | Operator | Wells in Salton Basin |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cardox CORP | 125 |
| 2 | Prado Petroleum | 14 |
| 3 | Chevron | 8 |
| 4 | The Hampton Oil | 6 |
| 5 | California Time Petroleum | 5 |
| 6 | Lynnhart Company INC | 4 |
| 7 | J B Nelson | 4 |
| 8 | Pacific-Imperial Dri-Ice INC | 4 |
| 9 | A L Hunter Oper | 3 |
| 10 | 104 Oil & Drilling Company | 3 |
The California counties with the most Salton Basin activity:
Imperial, Riverside, San Bernardino
The most recent 1 drilling permits filed for Salton Basin wells in California:
| Permit Date | Well | API | County | Operator | Lateral (ft) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-11-01 | Gov. 326-1 | 04065200030000 |
Riverside | Lynnhart Company INC | — |
The Salton Basin is one of California's active oil and gas plays, with 332 wells on file across 145 distinct operators of record. Operators have filed 3 drilling permits targeting the Salton 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 Imperial, Riverside, San Bernardino, knowing whether your tract sits within an active Salton 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)
332 wells target the Salton Basin in California, worked by 145 active operators, per CalGEM well-header records (as of 2026-08-16).
By well count, the most active Salton Basin operators in California are Cardox Corp., Prado Petroleum, Chevron, The Hampton Oil and California Time Petroleum. The full ranking is in the table on this page.
Operators filed 3 drilling permits targeting the Salton Basin in the last 24 months — a live measure of current activity, per CalGEM records.
Operators filed 3 new drilling permits targeting the Salton Basin in California over the last 24 months. New permits and spuds are the clearest signal of active Salton Basin drilling, per CalGEM records (as of 2026-08-16).
Salton Basin activity in California currently spans 332 wells on record and 145 active operators, led by Cardox Corp., Prado Petroleum, Chevron, The Hampton Oil and California Time Petroleum, with 3 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 Salton Basin counties in California are Imperial, Riverside, San Bernardino.
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 Salton 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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Sell Your California Mineral Rights
Formation: Salton Basin
State: California
Total wells: 332
Active operators: 145
Permits 24mo: 3
Last refresh: 2026-08-16
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