61 wells across 5 active operators, with 0 drilling permits filed in the last 24 months.
Refreshed monthly from IDNR well-header records. Data current as of 2026-08-02.
Quick answer: The Lake Michigan formation in Illinois has 61 wells on record across 5 active operators, with 0 drilling permits filed in the last 24 months (as of 2026-08-02). Its most active operators by well count are Illinois State Geological Survey, Il State Geological Survey, Hester N C, Mattheus Spitzer And Pearce and U S Geological Survey. Compiled from Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) well-header records, refreshed monthly.
The operators with the most well counts targeting the Lake Michigan formation in Illinois:
| # | Operator | Wells in Lake Michigan |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Illinois State Geological Survey | 36 |
| 2 | Il State Geological Survey | 11 |
| 3 | Hester N C | 9 |
| 4 | Mattheus Spitzer And Pearce | 4 |
| 5 | U S Geological Survey | 1 |
The Illinois counties with the most Lake Michigan activity:
Lake, Cook
The Lake Michigan is one of Illinois's active oil and gas plays, with 61 wells on file across 5 distinct operators of record. Operators have filed 0 drilling permits targeting the Lake Michigan 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 Lake, Cook, knowing whether your tract sits within an active Lake Michigan 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 Illinois oil & gas formations & plays · Download the Illinois formations dataset (CSV)
61 wells target the Lake Michigan in Illinois, worked by 5 active operators, per IDNR well-header records (as of 2026-08-02).
By well count, the most active Lake Michigan operators in Illinois are Illinois State Geological Survey, Il State Geological Survey, Hester N C, Mattheus Spitzer And Pearce and U S Geological Survey. The full ranking is in the table on this page.
Operators filed 0 drilling permits targeting the Lake Michigan in the last 24 months — a live measure of current activity, per IDNR records.
Operators filed 0 new drilling permits targeting the Lake Michigan in Illinois over the last 24 months. New permits and spuds are the clearest signal of active Lake Michigan drilling, per IDNR records (as of 2026-08-02).
Lake Michigan activity in Illinois currently spans 61 wells on record and 5 active operators, led by Illinois State Geological Survey, Il State Geological Survey, Hester N C, Mattheus Spitzer And Pearce and U S Geological Survey, with 0 drilling permits filed in the last 24 months — refreshed monthly from Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) well-header records (as of 2026-08-02).
The most active Lake Michigan counties in Illinois are Lake, Cook.
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 Lake Michigan 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 Lake Michigan activity in your area.
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Formation: Lake Michigan
State: Illinois
Total wells: 61
Active operators: 5
Permits 24mo: 0
Last refresh: 2026-08-02