290 wells across 108 active operators, with 13 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 Santa Cruz Basin formation in California has 290 wells on record across 108 active operators, with 13 drilling permits filed in the last 24 months (as of 2026-08-16). Its most active operators by well count are Neaves Petro Developments, Chevron, Union Oil Company Of California, Costa Loma and The Eric And Susan Dunn Living Trust Dated July 27 2006. Compiled from California Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM) well-header records, refreshed monthly.
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 | Union Oil Company Of California | 22 |
| 4 | Costa Loma | 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 | Shell Oil Company | 5 |
| 10 | Ziaverde | 5 |
The California counties with the most Santa Cruz Basin activity:
San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Marin, Monterey
The most recent 7 drilling permits filed for Santa Cruz Basin wells in California:
| Permit Date | Well | API | County | Operator | Lateral (ft) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-29 | Unknown Conductor 2 | 04081200730000 |
San Mateo | Costa Loma | — |
| 2026-05-29 | Costa 8 | 04081200650000 |
San Mateo | Costa Loma | — |
| 2026-05-29 | Unknown Conductor 1 | 04081200720000 |
San Mateo | Costa Loma | — |
| 2026-05-29 | Unknown Conductor 3 | 04081200740000 |
San Mateo | Costa Loma | — |
| 2026-05-29 | Lease By Frank W. Royer 1 | 04081001500000 |
San Mateo | Frank W Royer | — |
| 2026-05-29 | Lease By Big Basin Paraffin Oil CO. 1 | 04081001570000 |
San Mateo | Big Basin Paraffin Oil Company | — |
| 2026-05-29 | Butts 2 | 04081200660000 |
San Mateo | Thompson Mcbride | — |
The Santa Cruz Basin is one of California's active oil and gas plays, with 290 wells on file across 108 distinct operators of record. Operators have filed 13 drilling permits targeting the Santa Cruz 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 San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Marin, Monterey, knowing whether your tract sits within an active Santa Cruz 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)
290 wells target the Santa Cruz Basin in California, worked by 108 active operators, per CalGEM well-header records (as of 2026-08-16).
By well count, the most active Santa Cruz Basin operators in California are Neaves Petro Developments, Chevron, Union Oil Company Of California, Costa Loma and The Eric And Susan Dunn Living Trust Dated July 27 2006. The full ranking is in the table on this page.
Operators filed 13 drilling permits targeting the Santa Cruz Basin in the last 24 months — a live measure of current activity, per CalGEM records.
Operators filed 13 new drilling permits targeting the Santa Cruz Basin in California over the last 24 months. New permits and spuds are the clearest signal of active Santa Cruz Basin drilling, per CalGEM records (as of 2026-08-16).
Santa Cruz Basin activity in California currently spans 290 wells on record and 108 active operators, led by Neaves Petro Developments, Chevron, Union Oil Company Of California, Costa Loma and The Eric And Susan Dunn Living Trust Dated July 27 2006, with 13 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 Santa Cruz Basin counties in California are San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Marin, Monterey.
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 Santa Cruz 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.
Get a free written offer based on your specific tract, operator, and the current Santa Cruz Basin activity in your area.
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Formation: Santa Cruz Basin
State: California
Total wells: 290
Active operators: 108
Permits 24mo: 13
Last refresh: 2026-08-16
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