(817) 778-9532

The Wyoming Oil & Gas Formations & Plays Directory

Every active oil and gas formation and play in Wyoming — Niobrara- Mowry, Mesaverde-Lance-Lewis, Powder River Basin, Muddy J Sand, Mesaverde-Lance, Big Horn Basin, and more — ranked by well count, with the top operators and primary counties for each.

Refreshed monthly from WOGCC well records. Data current as of 2026-08-23.

Get a Free Offer on Your Wyoming Minerals

Quick answer: The most-targeted oil and gas formations in Wyoming are the Niobrara- Mowry, Mesaverde-Lance-Lewis, Powder River Basin, Muddy J Sand and Mesaverde-Lance, led by the Niobrara- Mowry with 76,491 wells on record. Ranked by well count across 23 tracked formations from Wyoming Oil & Gas Conservation Commission (WOGCC) well-header records (as of 2026-08-23) and refreshed monthly.

Original Data As of 2026-08-23

As of 2026-08-23, the most-developed Wyoming formation is the Niobrara- Mowry with 76,491 wells on record, across 23 tracked formations, per Wyoming Oil & Gas Conservation Commission (WOGCC) well records.

Niobrara- Mowry
Most-developed formation
76,491 wells
Wells on record in that formation
23
Formations tracked
Source: Wyoming Oil & Gas Conservation Commission (WOGCC) well-header records
Methodology: Formations ranked by well count from WOGCC well-header records; active operators and recent permits are aggregated per formation.
Updated: Refreshed monthly — data current as of 2026-08-23
Active Formations
23
Total Wells
152,202
Total Lateral
51,963 miles
Recent Permits (24mo)
457

Niobrara- Mowry

76,491 wells 1,572 active operators 37,944 miles of lateral 70 permits (24mo)

Top Operators:

Eog Resources (6,887), Devon Energy Production Company (3,774), Wold Energy Partners (3,661), Anadarko Petroleum (3,187), Lance Oil & Gas Company (2,402), Fdl Operating (2,325), Contango Resources Company (2,005), Wrc Energy LLC (1,953), Anschutz Exploration (1,632), Carbon Creek Energy (1,617)

Primary counties: Campbell, Converse, Natrona, Johnson, Weston

Mesaverde-Lance-Lewis

12,094 wells 346 active operators 4,628 miles of lateral 1 permits (24mo)

Top Operators:

Crowheart Energy (3,438), Wamsutter E And P LLC (1,117), Noble Energy (875), Bpx Operating Company (819), Southland Royalty Company (708), Devon Energy Production Company (476), Wexpro Company (408), Rockies Resources Holdings (384), Amoco Production Company (337), Anadarko Petroleum (287)

Primary counties: Sweetwater, Carbon, Fremont, Converse, Sublette

Powder River Basin

10,932 wells 1,326 active operators 2,525 miles of lateral 87 permits (24mo)

Top Operators:

Carbon Creek Energy (1,219), Eog Resources (780), Anschutz Exploration (525), Atx Energy Partners (467), Davis Oil Company (357), Ballard Petroleum Holdings (254), Seven Sisters Oil & Gas (241), Osage Partners (206), True Oil (176), Sage Butte Prb Operating, LLC (123)

Primary counties: Johnson, Campbell, Weston, Crook, Niobrara

Muddy J Sand

10,091 wells 233 active operators 3,116 miles of lateral 2 permits (24mo)

Top Operators:

Anadarko Petroleum (2,691), Eog Resources (1,553), Wave Petroleum Operating (979), North Silo Resources LLC (907), Samson Resources Company (536), Longs Peak Resources (512), Gungnir Operating LLC (381), Fh Petroleum (303), Kaiserfrancis Oil Company (189), Rockies Holdings LLC (146)

Primary counties: Laramie, Goshen, Platte

Mesaverde-Lance

9,538 wells 207 active operators 2,247 miles of lateral 9 permits (24mo)

Top Operators:

Purewest Resources INC (3,610), Jonah Energy (2,914), Ultra Resources (803), Shell Oil Company (292), Encana Oil & Gas (262), Qep Energy Company (161), Eog Resources (140), Saurus Resources (108), Pinedale Energy Partners Operating (91), Bpx Operating Company (75)

Primary counties: Sublette, Sweetwater, Uinta, Teton, Fremont

Big Horn Basin

7,354 wells 883 active operators 171 miles of lateral 3 permits (24mo)

Top Operators:

Merit Energy Company (1,628), Marathon Oil Company (645), Contango Resources Company (478), Citation Oil & Gas (335), Bpx Operating Company (179), Breitburn Operating (169), Conocophillips Company (133), Granite Creek Energy LLC (126), Bareto Energy, LLC (102), Vaquero Big Horn (100)

Primary counties: Park, Hot Springs, Big Horn, Washakie, Sheridan

Hilliardbaxtermancos-Niobrara

7,062 wells 418 active operators 272 miles of lateral 0 permits (24mo)

Top Operators:

Hilcorp Energy Company (1,146), Eog Resources (872), Urban Oil & Gas Group (599), Anadarko Petroleum (469), Wexpro Company (386), Wy Basin Operating LLC (316), Breitburn Operating (281), Contango Resources Company (218), Fdl Operating (187), Cabot Oil & Gas (153)

Primary counties: Sweetwater, Sublette, Lincoln, Carbon, Uinta

Green River Basin

3,757 wells 567 active operators 220 miles of lateral 194 permits (24mo)

Top Operators:

Urban Oil & Gas Group (301), Amplify Energy Operating (267), Eog Resources (202), Chevron (156), Wexpro Company (144), Purewest Resources INC (127), Hilcorp Energy Company (126), Marathon Oil Company (114), Crowheart Energy (104), Atlantic Richfield Company (96)

Primary counties: Carbon, Sublette, Sweetwater, Albany, Lincoln

Cretaceous-Lower Tertiary

3,680 wells 460 active operators 213 miles of lateral 0 permits (24mo)

Top Operators:

Contango Resources Company (290), Aethon Energy Operating (226), Brown Tom (223), Hilcorp Energy Company (208), Encana Oil & Gas (164), Burlington Resources Oil & Gas Company (114), Bill Barrett (100), Ovintiv USA INC (93), Adamas Energy LLC (88), Citation Oil & Gas (87)

Primary counties: Fremont, Natrona

Bighorn Basin

2,669 wells 610 active operators 57 miles of lateral 2 permits (24mo)

Top Operators:

Merit Energy Company (406), Marathon Oil Company (271), Contango Resources Company (127), Breitburn Operating (63), Citation Oil & Gas (61), Bpx Operating Company (53), Endeavor Energy Resources (34), Kcs Mountain Resources (33), Natural Gas Processing Company (33), Coronado Oil Company (32)

Primary counties: Hot Springs, Big Horn, Park, Washakie, Sheridan

Greater Green River Basin

2,277 wells 360 active operators 106 miles of lateral 51 permits (24mo)

Top Operators:

Urban Oil & Gas Group (212), Eog Resources (176), Hilcorp Energy Company (162), Chevron (116), Bcemach (103), Amplify Energy Operating (95), Atlantic Richfield Company (90), Wexpro Company (82), Bpx Operating Company (53), Richardson Operating Company (42)

Primary counties: Sweetwater, Sublette, Lincoln, Carbon, Fremont

Codell-Niobrara

1,722 wells 110 active operators 179 miles of lateral 0 permits (24mo)

Top Operators:

Gungnir Operating LLC (996), Eme Wyoming LLC (252), Bill Barrett (55), Rki Exploration & Production (23), Hesperus Energy Ii LLC (22), Petrovalues Wy LLC (21), Chesapeake Energy (20), Largo Exploration Resources LLC (18), Devon Energy Production Company (16), Hoefle Geologic Company (15)

Primary counties: Goshen, Platte, Laramie, Sweetwater

Central Western Overthrust

1,243 wells 261 active operators 100 miles of lateral 8 permits (24mo)

Top Operators:

Bcemach (92), Bpx Operating Company (92), Urban Oil & Gas Group (91), Hilcorp Energy Company (86), Chevron (83), Eog Resources (65), North Shore Exploration & Production (47), Rocky Mountain Gas (30), Texaco Exploration And Production (22), Spire Storage West LLC (20)

Primary counties: Lincoln, Uinta

Wind River Basin

1,053 wells 320 active operators 5 miles of lateral 0 permits (24mo)

Top Operators:

Wesco Operating (82), Denbury Onshore (51), Wind River Energy (51), Devon Energy Production Company (39), Citation Oil & Gas (31), Bpx Operating Company (30), Atlantic International (20), Beren (18), Conocophillips Company (17), Amerada Hess (17)

Primary counties: Fremont, Natrona, Hot Springs, Sweetwater

Overthrust Belt

746 wells 175 active operators 40 miles of lateral 0 permits (24mo)

Top Operators:

Urban Oil & Gas Group (141), Exxon Mobil (65), Bpx Operating Company (45), Chevron (42), Eog Resources (39), Spring Valley Oil & Gas (33), Hilcorp Energy Company (27), North Shore Exploration & Production (22), Big Piney Oil & Gas Company (20), Wexpro Company (16)

Primary counties: Uinta, Sublette, Lincoln, Teton

Mowry

487 wells 119 active operators 25 miles of lateral 0 permits (24mo)

Top Operators:

Kentex Worland LLC (53), Contango Resources Company (47), Devon Energy Production Company (33), Tenneco Oil Company (31), Bass Enterprises Production Company (17), Valkyrie Operating LLC (16), Cabot Oil & Gas (14), Washakie Energies Company (14), Kcs Mountain Resources (14), Carolholly Oil (12)

Primary counties: Washakie, Big Horn, Park, Hot Springs, Fremont

Denver Basin

315 wells 120 active operators 85 miles of lateral 22 permits (24mo)

Top Operators:

Gungnir Operating LLC (27), Shell Oil Company (23), Samson Resources Company (16), Tallgrass High Plains Carbon Storage LLC (15), Longs Peak Resources (15), Bison Iv Operating LLC (14), North Silo Resources LLC (14), Prima Exploration (10), Phoenix Operating Company (10), Rockies Holdings LLC (7)

Primary counties: Laramie, Goshen, Platte, Campbell

Laramie

192 wells 82 active operators 1 miles of lateral 0 permits (24mo)

Top Operators:

Rock River Operating (23), Marathon Oil Company (23), Pds Resources LLC (7), Petcon Associates (7), Bitterroot Energy Partners LLC (7), Gibson J W (7), Chevron (6), Oklahoma Oil Company (5), Loil Oil (4), Integrated Energy (3)

Primary counties: Albany, Carbon

Denver-Cheyenne Basin

185 wells 81 active operators 20 miles of lateral 8 permits (24mo)

Top Operators:

Longs Peak Resources (36), Bison Iv Operating LLC (23), Gungnir Operating LLC (8), Exeter Drilling Company (7), True Oil (6), Shell Oil Company (5), North Silo Resources LLC (4), Griffin Drilling Company (4), Bill Barrett (3), Severson Petroleum Company (3)

Primary counties: Laramie, Platte, Goshen, Converse, Niobrara

Hanna

149 wells 90 active operators 2 miles of lateral 0 permits (24mo)

Top Operators:

Production Service & Equipment (13), Mingo Oil Producers (10), Marathon Oil Company (10), Metfuel Wyoming (4), True Oil (4), Bpx Operating Company (3), Ames Oil & Gas (3), Sonoma Energy (3), Black Hills Wyoming Gas LLC (3), Anadarko Petroleum (2)

Primary counties: Carbon

Muddy-Frontier-Mesaverde

77 wells 44 active operators 7 miles of lateral 0 permits (24mo)

Top Operators:

Bpx Operating Company (7), Bill Barrett (6), Anadarko Petroleum (5), Cirque Resources (3), Koch Exploration Company (3), Garywilliams Oil Producer (3), Hunt Oil Company (3), Schneider Oil (2), Casey E M (2), Kentex Worland LLC (2)

Primary counties: Big Horn, Park, Washakie, Hot Springs

Shirley Basin

62 wells 38 active operators 0 miles of lateral 0 permits (24mo)

Top Operators:

Six Ten Operating Company (8), Wolf Energy Company (5), New York Oil Company (4), Markley & Woodin (3), K & W Oil Company (3), Aladdin Petroleum (2), Stanolind Oil & Gas Company (2), Carter Oil Company (2), Sorrels Warren D (2), Iowawyoming Oil Company (2)

Primary counties: Natrona, Carbon, Albany

Yellowstone Province

26 wells 21 active operators 0 miles of lateral 0 permits (24mo)

Top Operators:

Williams Exploration Company (3), Exxon Mobil (3), American Beryllium Oil (2), Travis G (1), Rogers W P (1), Chs Mcpherson Refinery (1), Marmik Oil Company (1), Bpx Operating Company (1), The Tower Company (1), Rocky Mountain Gas (1)

Primary counties: Teton, Sublette

About This Data

Source: Wyoming Oil & Gas Conservation Commission (WOGCC) well-header records, aggregated by primary play / interpreted formation / basin.

Threshold: Only formations with at least 50 wells are listed (excludes one-off wildcat plays).

Why it matters: Knowing which formation underlies your tract — and which operators are actively drilling that formation — is the foundation of mineral-rights valuation. Stacked-pay plays carry materially different upside than mature single-bench plays.

Refresh cadence: Monthly. Data current as of 2026-08-23.

Download: CSV · JSON — free to reuse under CC BY 4.0.

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)
BibTeX (machine-readable)

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

What oil and gas formations are targeted in Wyoming?

The most-developed formations and plays in Wyoming are the Niobrara- Mowry, Mesaverde-Lance-Lewis, Powder River Basin, Muddy J Sand and Mesaverde-Lance, among others. This directory tracks 23 active formations ranked by well count, per Wyoming Oil & Gas Conservation Commission (WOGCC) records.

Which formation has the most wells in Wyoming?

The Niobrara- Mowry has the most wells on record in Wyoming — 76,491 wells, worked by 1,572 active operators, per WOGCC well-header data. This is a well-count ranking, not a reserves or value ranking.

Who operates in the Niobrara- Mowry in Wyoming?

The most active operators in the Niobrara- Mowry are EOG Resources, Devon Energy Production Company, Wold Energy Partners, Anadarko Petroleum, Lance Oil & Gas Company. Each formation card below lists its top operators by well count.

How many drilling permits were filed across Wyoming formations in the last 24 months?

About 457 drilling permits were filed across the tracked Wyoming formations in the last 24 months, per WOGCC records — a rough measure of where new activity is concentrated.

How do I find out if I own minerals in a Wyoming formation?

Your deed and county records determine which formations your mineral rights cover; a tract can own multiple stacked formations. Buckhead Energy can check the geology under your tract against current well and permit data and put a free, no-obligation written offer in writing — this directory is informational only, not a valuation.

Know What Formation Underlies Your Minerals?

The geology under your tract drives your valuation. Get a free written offer based on your specific formation and county.

Get Your Free Mineral Valuation

Quick Stats

State: Wyoming

Active formations: 23

Total wells: 152,202

Recent permits: 457

Last refresh: 2026-08-23

Ready to Sell?

Free written offers on Wyoming mineral rights — across every active formation.

Get Your Free Offer