621 wells across 98 active operators, with 0 drilling permits filed in the last 24 months.
Refreshed monthly from IDNR well-header records. Data current as of 2026-08-24.
Quick answer: The Michigan Basin formation in Illinois has 621 wells on record across 98 active operators, with 0 drilling permits filed in the last 24 months (as of 2026-08-24). Its most active operators by well count are Il State Geological Survey, Illinois State Geological Survey, Miller J P Art Well, Isgs and Keiferassociates. Compiled from Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) well-header records, refreshed monthly.
The operators with the most well counts targeting the Michigan Basin formation in Illinois:
| # | Operator | Wells in Michigan Basin |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Il State Geological Survey | 193 |
| 2 | Illinois State Geological Survey | 74 |
| 3 | Miller J P Art Well | 28 |
| 4 | Isgs | 26 |
| 5 | Keiferassociates | 25 |
| 6 | Northern Illinois Gas Company | 24 |
| 7 | Alco Oil & Gas | 16 |
| 8 | Geiger S B Company | 13 |
| 9 | Perry Edward | 10 |
| 10 | Snelton Brothers | 10 |
The Illinois counties with the most Michigan Basin activity:
Lake, Cook, Mc Henry, Du Page, Will
The Michigan Basin is one of Illinois's active oil and gas plays, with 621 wells on file across 98 distinct operators of record. Operators have filed 0 drilling permits targeting the Michigan 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 Lake, Cook, Mc Henry, Du Page, Will, knowing whether your tract sits within an active Michigan 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 Illinois oil & gas formations & plays · Download the Illinois formations dataset (CSV)
621 wells target the Michigan Basin in Illinois, worked by 98 active operators, per IDNR well-header records (as of 2026-08-24).
By well count, the most active Michigan Basin operators in Illinois are Il State Geological Survey, Illinois State Geological Survey, Miller J P Art Well, Isgs and Keiferassociates. The full ranking is in the table on this page.
Operators filed 0 drilling permits targeting the Michigan Basin in the last 24 months — a live measure of current activity, per IDNR records.
Operators filed 0 new drilling permits targeting the Michigan Basin in Illinois over the last 24 months. New permits and spuds are the clearest signal of active Michigan Basin drilling, per IDNR records (as of 2026-08-24).
Michigan Basin activity in Illinois currently spans 621 wells on record and 98 active operators, led by Il State Geological Survey, Illinois State Geological Survey, Miller J P Art Well, Isgs and Keiferassociates, with 0 drilling permits filed in the last 24 months — refreshed monthly from Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) well-header records (as of 2026-08-24).
The most active Michigan Basin counties in Illinois are Lake, Cook, Mc Henry, Du Page, Will.
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 Michigan 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: Michigan Basin
State: Illinois
Total wells: 621
Active operators: 98
Permits 24mo: 0
Last refresh: 2026-08-24
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