Oil and gas · Land records · October 14, 2026
Oil and Gas Well Map: How to Find Wells Near a Property
Use your state's free oil and gas well map to find active, plugged and orphan wells on or near a property, and learn what the well records can tell you.
Oil and gas wells turn up in places people do not expect: a back pasture, the edge of a subdivision, a wooded lot sold as a building site. Some are still producing, many are plugged, and some were drilled so long ago that nobody is responsible for them anymore. An oil and gas well map from your state regulator is the free, fast way to see what is on or near a property before you buy, build or sign a lease. This guide explains where those maps come from, how to search one by address, how to read what you find, and what the maps can miss.
Why it matters for a property
- Building and septic plans. Many states and some counties set minimum distances between wells and houses, water wells or other structures. A well in the wrong spot can shrink the usable part of a lot.
- Access and easements. Active wells usually come with a lease road, flow lines or a pipeline across the land, and the operator may have rights to use them.
- Old wellbores. A badly plugged or unplugged well can leak gas or fluids, and an open casing can be a hazard to people and livestock.
- Mineral questions. A nearby well, especially a horizontal one, can be a clue that the minerals under the land are leased or producing. The map does not tell you who owns them, but it tells you where to start asking.
Where well maps come from
Every state that has oil and gas production has an agency that permits wells and keeps their records. Depending on the state it may be called an oil and gas commission, a division of oil and gas inside the natural resources or environmental department, or, in Texas, the Railroad Commission. Most of these agencies publish a free online map built from permit applications, drilling reports and plugging reports. A few examples:
- Texas: the Railroad Commission's Public GIS Viewer shows wells and pipelines. You can search by address, coordinates, API number or survey and abstract, and it marks both where a well starts at the surface and where it ends underground.
- Pennsylvania: the Department of Environmental Protection's Oil and Gas Mapping site shows conventional and unconventional wells, producing or not, and can be searched by address, county, municipality or permit number.
- Ohio: the Department of Natural Resources offers a Well Locator with current and historical oil and gas wells, wellbores, well pads and horizontal drilling units.
- California: the Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM) runs Well Finder, which searches by address, coordinates, API number or field name.
In other states, search for the state name plus "oil and gas well map" or "well search," and make sure the result is on a state government site. Some county GIS viewers also carry a well layer copied from the state; it is handy, but the state's own map is usually the more current one.
How to search a well map
- Pin down the property. Find the parcel on the county GIS map or our land map and note the address, the coordinates of its center, or its legal description. In rural areas that may be a section, township and range; in Texas it may be a survey and abstract number.
- Open the state map and search by that address, point or legal description.
- Turn on the well layer and, if the map offers it, layers for wellbores, horizontal laterals, pipelines and parcel lines.
- Look beyond the lot line. Scan at least a quarter mile around the property. Some viewers let you draw a radius and list every well inside it.
- Click each well and write down its API number, operator, well type and status.
- Open the records. Most maps link to the well's permit, completion report, production reports and, if it was plugged, the plugging report. Save copies.
How to read what you find
API number
Most U.S. wells carry an API number, a unique ID that follows the well through every record. The first two digits stand for the state and the next three for the county, so it is also a quick check that you are looking at the right place. Use it whenever you call the agency or search its records.
Well type and status
- Type: oil, gas, oil and gas, injection or disposal, or a dry hole that never produced.
- Active or producing: an operator is running it and filing reports.
- Shut in, inactive or temporarily abandoned: not producing now but not permanently plugged.
- Plugged and abandoned: sealed with cement under a state permit. The plugging report shows when and how.
- Permitted or not drilled: approved on paper; a well may or may not follow.
- Orphaned: no solvent operator is responsible, so the state is in charge of plugging it.
Map symbols and status names differ from state to state, so read the legend instead of guessing from colors.
Surface location vs bottom hole
A vertical well sits almost straight below its surface point. A horizontal well turns underground and can run a mile or more sideways, under neighboring tracts. Maps that show laterals or bottom-hole locations will reveal a well that is drilled under a property even when its pad is somewhere else.
What the maps can miss
- Very old wells. Wells drilled before modern permits may be missing, or their location may be an estimate from old paperwork. States are still finding undocumented wells.
- Location errors. A map point can be off by enough to land on the wrong side of a property line. It is not a survey.
- Lag time. New permits and status changes can take a while to show up.
- Field signs. A pipe sticking out of the ground, an old concrete pad, rusted tanks, a patch of dead vegetation or bubbling in standing water can all point to a well that is not on the map. Do not disturb it. If you smell gas or see a leak, keep people and animals away and report it to the state agency, or call 911 if there is an immediate danger.
If you find an unplugged well with no active operator, the state agency can tell you whether it is already on its orphan well list. Many states have stepped up plugging programs in recent years with help from federal funding under the 2021 infrastructure law.
Other records to pull alongside the map
- Mineral ownership. The well map shows wells, not owners. See how to find out who owns mineral rights and what a mineral deed is.
- Leases. A recorded lease or memorandum of lease at the county recorder shows who has drilling rights. Our guide to the oil and gas lease explains the main terms.
- Pipelines. Gathering lines and pipelines usually sit in recorded easements. See pipeline easements on a land map.
- Water wells. These are tracked separately, often by a state water or health agency. See how to find well records for a property.
If you are buying land
- Run the state well map before you make an offer, and ask the seller for any leases, surface damage agreements or plugging records.
- Ask the county or state about setback rules if you plan to build, drill a water well or put in a septic field near a mapped well.
- Have a title company or attorney check for recorded leases, mineral reservations and easements; see how to find easements on a property.
- Walk the land and compare what you see with the map. How to tell if land is buildable covers the other checks.
Quick checklist
- Find the parcel and its legal description on the county GIS map.
- Search the state oil and gas well map by address or coordinates.
- Scan a quarter mile around the lot and note every API number.
- Open the permit, production and plugging records for each well.
- Check horizontal laterals and pipelines that cross the land.
- Walk the property and report any unmapped well to the state.
Questions people ask
Is there a free map of oil and gas wells?
Yes. Most states that have oil and gas production publish a free online well map through the agency that permits wells, such as the Texas Railroad Commission, Pennsylvania DEP, Ohio DNR and California's CalGEM.
How do I find out if there is an oil well on my property?
Find the parcel on the county GIS map, then search the address or coordinates in your state's oil and gas well map and scan the area around it. Walk the land too, since very old wells can be missing from the map.
What does plugged and abandoned mean?
It means the well was sealed with cement under a state permit and is no longer used. The plugging report on the state's records site shows when it was plugged and by whom.
What is an API number on a well?
It is a unique ID assigned to most U.S. wells. The first two digits stand for the state and the next three for the county. Use it to pull the well's permit, completion, production and plugging records.
Does a well on the map mean I own the minerals?
No. A well map shows where wells are, not who owns the minerals or who holds the lease. Check the deed records, any mineral reservations and recorded leases at the county.
What should I do if I find an unmapped or leaking well?
Keep people and animals away and do not try to cap or move anything. Report it to the state oil and gas agency, and call 911 if you smell gas or there is an immediate danger.