1,767 wells across 289 active operators, with 18 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 Maria Basin formation in California has 1,767 wells on record across 289 active operators, with 18 drilling permits filed in the last 24 months (as of 2026-08-16). Its most active operators by well count are E & B Natural Resources Management, Sunset Oil Company, Arco Oil & Gas Company, Chevron and Seaside Oil Company. Compiled from California Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM) well-header records, refreshed monthly.
The operators with the most well counts targeting the Santa Maria Basin formation in California:
| # | Operator | Wells in Santa Maria Basin |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | E & B Natural Resources Management | 376 |
| 2 | Sunset Oil Company | 187 |
| 3 | Arco Oil & Gas Company | 108 |
| 4 | Chevron | 102 |
| 5 | Seaside Oil Company | 86 |
| 6 | Saba Petroleum | 69 |
| 7 | Oryx Energy Company | 55 |
| 8 | Southern Community | 34 |
| 9 | Atlantic Richfield Company | 34 |
| 10 | Phillips Petroleum Company | 31 |
The California counties with the most Santa Maria Basin activity:
Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara Offshore, San Luis Obispo, Santa Rosa Island, Santa Cruz Area
The most recent 12 drilling permits filed for Santa Maria Basin wells in California:
| Permit Date | Well | API | County | Operator | Lateral (ft) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-30 | Goleta 2 | 04083230040000 |
Santa Barbara | Southern Community | — |
| 2026-04-30 | Goleta 5 | 04083230000000 |
Santa Barbara | Southern Community | — |
| 2026-04-30 | Goleta 3 | 04083230020000 |
Santa Barbara | Southern Community | — |
| 2026-04-30 | Goleta 4 | 04083230030000 |
Santa Barbara | Southern Community | — |
| 2026-04-30 | Goleta 6 | 04083230010000 |
Santa Barbara | Southern Community | — |
| 2026-04-29 | Goleta 7 | 04083229990000 |
Santa Barbara | Southern Community | — |
| 2025-07-25 | Hidden Canyon 1 | 04083229980000 |
Santa Barbara | West Bay Exploration Company | — |
| 2025-06-02 | Four Deer 6 | 04083229450000 |
Santa Barbara | Hdt INC | — |
| 2025-01-30 | Summerland Beach Legacy Unknown Well A | 04283215870000 |
Santa Barbara Offshore | State Lands Commission | — |
| 2025-01-30 | Summerland Beach Legacy Unknown Well B | 04283215880000 |
Santa Barbara Offshore | State Lands Commission | — |
| 2024-12-17 | S.c.u. 66-35 | 04083033110000 |
Santa Barbara | E B Natural Resources Management | — |
| 2024-08-30 | S.c.u. 76-36 | 04083002540000 |
Santa Barbara | E B Natural Resources Management | — |
The Santa Maria Basin is one of California's active oil and gas plays, with 1,767 wells on file across 289 distinct operators of record. Operators have filed 18 drilling permits targeting the Santa Maria 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 Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara Offshore, San Luis Obispo, Santa Rosa Island, Santa Cruz Area, knowing whether your tract sits within an active Santa Maria 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)
1,767 wells target the Santa Maria Basin in California, worked by 289 active operators, per CalGEM well-header records (as of 2026-08-16).
By well count, the most active Santa Maria Basin operators in California are E & B Natural Resources Management, Sunset Oil Company, Arco Oil & Gas Company, Chevron and Seaside Oil Company. The full ranking is in the table on this page.
Operators filed 18 drilling permits targeting the Santa Maria Basin in the last 24 months — a live measure of current activity, per CalGEM records.
Operators filed 18 new drilling permits targeting the Santa Maria Basin in California over the last 24 months. New permits and spuds are the clearest signal of active Santa Maria Basin drilling, per CalGEM records (as of 2026-08-16).
Santa Maria Basin activity in California currently spans 1,767 wells on record and 289 active operators, led by E & B Natural Resources Management, Sunset Oil Company, Arco Oil & Gas Company, Chevron and Seaside Oil Company, with 18 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 Maria Basin counties in California are Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara Offshore, San Luis Obispo, Santa Rosa Island, Santa Cruz Area.
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 Maria 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: Santa Maria Basin
State: California
Total wells: 1,767
Active operators: 289
Permits 24mo: 18
Last refresh: 2026-08-16
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