2.2M+ Well Permits Across 27 States
Comprehensive drilling permit data from 1864 to present. 10 states with activity in the last 30 days.
Updated Just now2,189,720
permits
15,819
recent permits
27
US states
166+
years (1864-2030)
All 27 States
Sorted by total permits| # | State | Total Permits | Last 30 Days | Date Range | Updates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas(TX) | 404,525 | +433 | 1966 — 2026 | Daily |
| 2 | California(CA) | 240,553 | — | 1867 — 2025 | Daily |
| 3 | Ohio(OH) | 238,601 | — | 2011 — 2023 | Weekly |
| 4 | Wyoming(WY) | 207,790 | — | 1900 — 2025 | Weekly |
| 5 | Louisiana(LA) | 190,173 | — | 1902 — 2026 | Daily |
| 6 | New Mexico(NM) | 136,677 | — | 1973 — 2025 | Daily |
| 7 | Colorado(CO) | 124,033 | +128 | 1898 — 2026 | Daily |
| 8 | Oklahoma(OK) | 117,591 | +21 | 1901 — 2026 | Daily |
| 9 | Kentucky(KY) | 102,087 | — | 1900 — 2025 | Weekly |
| 10 | Illinois(IL) | 97,822 | — | 1900 — 2025 | Weekly |
| 11 | Michigan(MI) | 84,510 | +2 | 2025 — 2026 | Weekly |
| 12 | New York(NY) | 45,918 | — | 1864 — 2026 | Weekly |
| 13 | Montana(MT) | 41,898 | — | 1890 — 2026 | Weekly |
| 14 | North Dakota(ND) | 41,703 | +34 | 1904 — 2026 | Daily |
| 15 | Utah(UT) | 39,742 | +15,078 | 2026 — 2026 | Weekly |
| 16 | Kansas(KS) | 34,830 | — | 2025 — 2026 | Weekly |
| 17 | Tennessee(TN) | 16,476 | — | 1968 — 2023 | Weekly |
| 18 | Indiana(IN) | 8,809 | — | — | Weekly |
| 19 | Arkansas(AR) | 4,271 | — | 1905 — 2025 | Weekly |
| 20 | Alabama(AL) | 2,886 | +5 | 1904 — 2030 | Weekly |
| 21 | Mississippi(MS) | 2,395 | — | 2014 — 2017 | Weekly |
| 22 | Alaska(AK) | 2,333 | — | 2025 — 2025 | Weekly |
| 23 | Florida(FL) | 1,366 | — | 1944 — 2020 | Weekly |
| 24 | Nebraska(NE) | 1,000 | — | 2015 — 2015 | Weekly |
| 25 | Pennsylvania(PA) | 830 | +34 | 1927 — 2026 | Weekly |
| 26 | Virginia(VA) | 526 | +83 | 1929 — 2026 | Weekly |
| 27 | West Virginia(WV) | 375 | +1 | 2025 — 2026 | Weekly |
Explore by State
Daily Updates (7 states)
Texas
404,525
total permits
+433 last 30d
California
240,553
total permits
Louisiana
190,173
total permits
New Mexico
136,677
total permits
Colorado
124,033
total permits
+128 last 30d
Oklahoma
117,591
total permits
+21 last 30d
North Dakota
41,703
total permits
+34 last 30d
Weekly Updates (20 states)
Ohio
238,601
total permits
Wyoming
207,790
total permits
Kentucky
102,087
total permits
Illinois
97,822
total permits
Michigan
84,510
total permits
+2 last 30d
New York
45,918
total permits
Montana
41,898
total permits
Utah
39,742
total permits
+15,078 last 30d
Kansas
34,830
total permits
Tennessee
16,476
total permits
Indiana
8,809
total permits
Arkansas
4,271
total permits
Alabama
2,886
total permits
+5 last 30d
Mississippi
2,395
total permits
Alaska
2,333
total permits
Florida
1,366
total permits
Nebraska
1,000
total permits
Pennsylvania
830
total permits
+34 last 30d
Virginia
526
total permits
+83 last 30d
West Virginia
375
total permits
+1 last 30d
Access Well Permit Data via API
Well permit add-ons start at $49/month for single-state coverage, up to $349/month for all 27 states with full historical data.
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Access This Data via API
Access well permit data programmatically. Get all-time totals and recent activity for all 27 states.
/v1/pseo/drilling-intelligence/statescurl -X GET "https://api.oilpriceapi.com/v1/pseo/drilling-intelligence/states"
Sample Response
{
"data": {
"state": "Texas",
"total_permits": 404525,
"recent_permits_30d": 433,
"earliest_date": "1966-07-28",
"latest_date": "2026-02-17"
},
"meta": {
"source": "Railroad Commission of Texas",
"updated_at": "2026-02-17T22:23:46.987Z"
}
}Frequently Asked Questions About Well Permits
A drilling permit is a legal authorization from a state regulatory agency allowing an operator to drill an oil or gas well at a specific location. Permits must be obtained before any drilling can begin and include details about well depth, casing program, and operator information.
Well permits are a leading indicator of future drilling activity. A surge in permit applications signals operator confidence and upcoming rig activity, while declining permits suggest a slowdown. Permit data typically leads actual drilling by 30-90 days.
Texas consistently leads the nation in drilling permits due to its size and prolific basins (Permian, Eagle Ford). California, Ohio, Wyoming, and Louisiana follow with extensive historical records going back over a century.
Major oil-producing states (Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, North Dakota, Colorado, California, Louisiana) update permit data daily. Other states typically update weekly. We aggregate all sources for comprehensive coverage.
Drilling permits typically include: operator name, well name and number, surface and bottom hole location (GPS/survey), proposed depth, formation target, lease information, and anticipated spud date.
Our well permit database contains records dating back to 1864 (New York), with comprehensive coverage from most states since the early 1900s. This makes it one of the most complete historical drilling permit datasets available.
Weekly Drilling Report
See state-by-state permit trends, top operators, and interactive drilling maps in our weekly analysis.
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