290 wells across 108 recorded operators, with 13 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 Santa Cruz Basin formation in California has 290 wells on record across 108 recorded operators, with 13 drilling permits filed in the 24-month window at source refresh. Its operators with the most wells on record are Neaves Petro Developments, Chevron, Costa Loma, Union Oil Company Of California and The Eric And Susan Dunn Living Trust Dated July 27 2006. 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 Santa Cruz Basin formation in California:
| # | Operator | Wells in Santa Cruz Basin |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Neaves Petro Developments | 40 |
| 2 | Chevron | 26 |
| 3 | Costa Loma | 22 |
| 4 | Union Oil Company Of California | 22 |
| 5 | The Eric And Susan Dunn Living Trust Dated July 27 2006 | 11 |
| 6 | Botto & Miller Trustees | 7 |
| 7 | Peninsula Open Space Trust | 6 |
| 8 | Exxon Mobil | 6 |
| 9 | Ziaverde | 5 |
| 10 | Shell Oil Company | 5 |
The California counties with the most Santa Cruz Basin activity:
San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Marin, Monterey
The Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz Basin is a formation/play group recorded in California, with 290 wells on file across 108 distinct operators of record. Operators have filed 13 drilling permits targeting the Santa Cruz 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.
290 wells target the Santa Cruz Basin in California, worked by 108 recorded operators, per Buckhead Energy analysis of public oil and gas data. Formation summary date: 2026-10-03.
The Santa Cruz Basin operators with the most wells on record in California are Neaves Petro Developments, Chevron, Costa Loma, Union Oil Company Of California and The Eric And Susan Dunn Living Trust Dated July 27 2006. The full ranking is in the table on this page. Formation summary date: 2026-10-03.
Operators filed 13 drilling permits targeting the Santa Cruz 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 13 new drilling permits targeting the Santa Cruz 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.
Santa Cruz Basin activity in California includes 290 wells on record and 108 recorded operators, with 13 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 Santa Cruz Basin in California are San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Marin, Monterey. 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: Santa Cruz Basin
State: California
Total wells: 290
Recorded operators: 108
Permits 24mo: 13
Summary date: 2026-10-03
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