Denver Basin Formation in Colorado: Operators, Permits & Activity 2026

Name: Denver Basin Formation – Colorado Oil & Gas Activity
Creator: Buckhead Energy
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Total Wells

3,721

Active Operators

335

Total Lateral

5,565 miles

Permits (24mo)

1,027

Top Operators in the Denver Basin (Colorado)

The operators with the most well counts targeting the Denver Basin formation in Colorado:

#	Operator	Wells in Denver Basin
1	Kerrmcgee	699
2	Pdc Energy	518
3	Noble Energy	315
4	Crestone Peak Resources Operating	224
5	Bison Iv Operating LLC	208
6	Verdad Resources	170
7	Extraction Oil & Gas	105
8	Prairie Operating CO LLC	82
9	Bonanza Creek Energy Operating Company	65
10	Javernick Oil	58

Primary Colorado Counties for the Denver Basin

The Colorado counties with the most Denver Basin activity:

Weld, Fremont, Lincoln, Adams, Arapahoe

Recent Denver Basin Drilling Permits in Colorado

The most recent 100 drilling permits filed for Denver Basin wells in Colorado:

Permit Date	Well	API	County	Operator	Lateral (ft)
2026-07-28	Carnation 25-1hz	`05069065580000`	Larimer	Kerrmcgee	9,819
2026-07-28	Carnation 25-9hz	`05069065660000`	Larimer	Kerrmcgee	15,678
2026-07-28	Carnation 25-10hz	`05069065670000`	Larimer	Kerrmcgee	15,931
2026-07-28	Carnation 25-5hz	`05069065620000`	Larimer	Kerrmcgee	9,718
2026-07-28	Carnation 25-6hz	`05069065630000`	Larimer	Kerrmcgee	14,444
2026-07-28	Carnation 25-8hz	`05069065650000`	Larimer	Kerrmcgee	15,314
2026-07-28	Carnation 25-2hz	`05069065590000`	Larimer	Kerrmcgee	10,072
2026-07-28	Carnation 25-7hz	`05069065640000`	Larimer	Kerrmcgee	14,519
2026-07-28	Carnation 25-4hz	`05069065610000`	Larimer	Kerrmcgee	9,572
2026-07-28	Carnation 25-3hz	`05069065600000`	Larimer	Kerrmcgee	9,415
2026-07-02	Midwest 34-9hz	`05123534870000`	Weld	Kerrmcgee	20,622
2026-07-02	Midwest 34-4hz	`05123534820000`	Weld	Kerrmcgee	18,428
2026-07-02	Midwest 34-11hz	`05123534890000`	Weld	Kerrmcgee	12,212
2026-07-02	Midwest 34-2hz	`05123534800000`	Weld	Kerrmcgee	17,026
2026-07-02	Midwest 34-8hz	`05123534860000`	Weld	Kerrmcgee	19,328
2026-07-02	Midwest 34-10hz	`05123534880000`	Weld	Kerrmcgee	16,634
2026-07-02	Midwest 34-6hz	`05123534840000`	Weld	Kerrmcgee	17,689
2026-07-02	Midwest 34-1hz	`05123534790000`	Weld	Kerrmcgee	16,437
2026-07-02	Midwest 34-5hz	`05123534830000`	Weld	Kerrmcgee	17,377
2026-07-02	Midwest 34-7hz	`05123534850000`	Weld	Kerrmcgee	18,451
2026-07-02	Midwest 34-3hz	`05123534810000`	Weld	Kerrmcgee	17,434
2026-07-02	Midwest 34-12hz	`05123534900000`	Weld	Kerrmcgee	11,703
2026-06-29	Magnolia 35-2hz	`05123534750000`	Weld	Kerrmcgee	15,033
2026-06-29	Magnolia 35-5hz	`05123534780000`	Weld	Kerrmcgee	16,337
2026-06-29	Magnolia 35-3hz	`05123534760000`	Weld	Kerrmcgee	15,824
2026-06-29	Magnolia 35-4hz	`05123534770000`	Weld	Kerrmcgee	15,882
2026-06-29	Magnolia 35-1hz	`05123534740000`	Weld	Kerrmcgee	15,938
2026-05-29	Quandary 11n	`05123534530000`	Weld	Pdc Energy	10,854
2026-05-29	Quandary 23n	`05123534650000`	Weld	Pdc Energy	16,785
2026-05-29	Quandary 03n	`05123534610000`	Weld	Pdc Energy	11,245
2026-05-29	Quandary 19n	`05123534730000`	Weld	Pdc Energy	17,074
2026-05-29	Quandary 25n	`05123534450000`	Weld	Pdc Energy	16,715
2026-05-29	Quandary 30n	`05123534680000`	Weld	Pdc Energy	16,751
2026-05-29	Quandary 07n	`05123534640000`	Weld	Pdc Energy	10,920
2026-05-29	Quandary 12n	`05123534660000`	Weld	Pdc Energy	10,880
2026-05-29	Quandary 18n	`05123534690000`	Weld	Pdc Energy	17,180
2026-05-29	Quandary 31n	`05123534500000`	Weld	Pdc Energy	16,788
2026-05-29	Quandary 14n	`05123534440000`	Weld	Pdc Energy	10,979
2026-05-29	Quandary 21n	`05123534560000`	Weld	Pdc Energy	16,912
2026-05-29	Quandary 20n	`05123534550000`	Weld	Pdc Energy	16,991
2026-05-29	Quandary 10n	`05123534540000`	Weld	Pdc Energy	10,842
2026-05-29	Quandary 13n	`05123534600000`	Weld	Pdc Energy	10,917
2026-05-29	Quandary 24n	`05123534520000`	Weld	Pdc Energy	16,753
2026-05-29	Quandary 09n	`05123534700000`	Weld	Pdc Energy	10,852
2026-05-29	Quandary 28n	`05123534620000`	Weld	Pdc Energy	16,715
2026-05-29	Quandary 33n	`05123534670000`	Weld	Pdc Energy	16,903
2026-05-29	Quandary 04n	`05123534590000`	Weld	Pdc Energy	11,136
2026-05-29	Quandary 29n	`05123534580000`	Weld	Pdc Energy	16,695
2026-05-29	Quandary 26n	`05123534420000`	Weld	Pdc Energy	16,708
2026-05-29	Quandary 32n	`05123534630000`	Weld	Pdc Energy	16,841

Denver Basin DUCs (Drilled, Uncompleted Wells) in Colorado

Wells targeting the Denver Basin that have been spudded but are waiting on completion — near-term production upside:

Spud Date	Days Waiting	Well	Operator	County	Lateral (ft)
2026-08-07	15	Mancos 06n	Pdc Energy	Weld	16,293
2026-08-07	15	Buckskin Le02-08	Noble Energy	Weld	16,110
2026-08-07	15	Secret 5hn	Gmt Exploration Company	Arapahoe	13,165
2026-07-31	22	Secret 3hn	Gmt Exploration Company	Arapahoe	11,996
2026-07-31	22	Mancos 07n	Pdc Energy	Weld	16,261
2026-07-24	29	747 3-65 8-10-15	Bison Iv Operating LLC	Adams	15,770
2026-07-24	29	Buckskin Le02-10	Noble Energy	Weld	16,588
2026-07-24	29	Secret 2hn	Gmt Exploration Company	Arapahoe	11,499
2026-07-24	29	Mancos 08n	Pdc Energy	Weld	13,282
2026-07-10	43	Secret 4hn	Gmt Exploration Company	Arapahoe	12,532
2026-07-03	50	Chinook E20-615	Noble Energy	Weld	13,214
2026-07-03	50	Mancos 12n	Pdc Energy	Weld	13,323
2026-07-03	50	747 3-65 8-10-16	Bison Iv Operating LLC	Adams	15,442
2026-06-26	57	Mancos 13n	Pdc Energy	Weld	13,389
2026-06-26	57	Chinook E20-625	Noble Energy	Weld	13,323
2026-06-19	64	Chinook E20-629	Noble Energy	Weld	13,398
2026-06-19	64	Mancos 14n	Pdc Energy	Weld	13,465
2026-06-19	64	Midnight N 11-61 17-33-9	Bison Iv Operating LLC	Weld	19,977
2026-06-05	78	Chinook E20-644	Noble Energy	Weld	13,703
2026-05-29	85	Chinook E26-680	Noble Energy	Weld	10,615
2026-05-15	99	Chinook E26-660	Noble Energy	Weld	10,823

About the Denver Basin Formation in Colorado

The Denver Basin is one of Colorado's active oil and gas plays, with 3,721 wells on file across 335 distinct operators of record. Operators have filed 1,027 drilling permits targeting the Denver 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 Weld, Fremont, Lincoln, Adams, Arapahoe, knowing whether your tract sits within an active Denver 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 Colorado oil & gas formations & plays · Download the Colorado formations dataset (CSV)

Frequently Asked Questions

How many wells target the Denver Basin formation in Colorado?

3,721 wells target the Denver Basin in Colorado, worked by 335 active operators, per ECMC well-header records (as of 2026-08-23).

Who are the top operators in the Denver Basin in Colorado?

By well count, the most active Denver Basin operators in Colorado are Kerr-McGee, PDC Energy, Noble Energy, Crestone Peak Resources Operating and Bison Iv Operating LLC. The full ranking is in the table on this page.

How active is the Denver Basin formation right now?

Operators filed 1,027 drilling permits targeting the Denver Basin in the last 24 months, and there are 21 drilled-but-uncompleted (DUC) wells awaiting completion — a live measure of current activity, per ECMC records.

Is there active drilling in the Denver Basin in Colorado?

Operators filed 1,027 new drilling permits targeting the Denver Basin in Colorado over the last 24 months, with 21 drilled-but-uncompleted (DUC) wells awaiting completion. New permits and spuds are the clearest signal of active Denver Basin drilling, per ECMC records (as of 2026-08-23).

What is the current Denver Basin activity in Colorado?

Denver Basin activity in Colorado currently spans 3,721 wells on record and 335 active operators, led by Kerr-McGee, PDC Energy, Noble Energy, Crestone Peak Resources Operating and Bison Iv Operating LLC, with 1,027 drilling permits filed in the last 24 months — refreshed monthly from Colorado Energy & Carbon Management Commission (ECMC) well-header records (as of 2026-08-23).

Which Colorado counties have the most Denver Basin activity?

The most active Denver Basin counties in Colorado are Weld, Fremont, Lincoln, Adams, Arapahoe.

How do I find out what my Denver Basin mineral rights are worth?

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 Denver 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

Citation (plain text)

Buckhead Energy (2026). U.S. Oil & Gas Reference & Drilling-Activity Data: Helium by Field, State Severance Tax & Deduction Rules, and Operator/County Activity (Version 2.0.0) [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21442884

BibTeX (machine-readable)

@dataset{buckheadEnergy2026_10528121442884,
  author    = {{Buckhead Energy}},
  title     = {{U.S. Oil & Gas Reference & Drilling-Activity Data: Helium by Field, State Severance Tax & Deduction Rules, and Operator/County Activity}},
  year      = {2026},
  version   = {2.0.0},
  publisher = {Zenodo},
  doi       = {10.5281/zenodo.21442884},
  url       = {https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21442884}
}

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.