Pennsylvania has about 279,000 oil and gas wells on record with the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), across 58 counties. The DEP’s oil and gas mapping tool shows well locations, but production, inspections, and waste reports sit in separate report systems. [1] Assembling one well’s full picture means moving between the map and each of those report pages by hand. TetraSoft Atlas, a subscription data platform, draws those DEP records into one interactive Pennsylvania oil and gas map, searchable by operator or county. [2] Each result opens the well with its full record attached, from permit to latest production. [2]

Quick Answer: Pennsylvania has about 279,000 oil and gas wells across 58 counties on DEP record, including roughly 25,000 unconventional Marcellus and Utica wells. TetraSoft Atlas maps them on one screen, cross-linked with production, inspections, and permits. [2]

Animated walkthrough of the Atlas Pennsylvania oil and gas map: zooming from statewide well clusters into the southwestern Marcellus fairway in Washington County, switching to satellite imagery, then opening the LEHMAN UNIT 11H well to read its identity, production history, waste records, and DEP compliance record

Every Pennsylvania well on one map, from statewide clusters down to a single well’s permit, production, and inspections. [2]

Search Every Pennsylvania Well and Open Its Full Record

TetraSoft Atlas returns any Pennsylvania well from a single search box. [2] You search by operator, county, well name, or API number, without paging through separate DEP report systems. [2] Every result opens the well with its full record attached. [2]

The map clusters wells statewide, then resolves to individual wells as you zoom in. [2] From a statewide view of about 279,000 wells, you drop straight into a single pad in the Marcellus fairway or the historic northwestern oil fields. Satellite imagery sits behind the map, so a well’s pad and surroundings are visible at the same zoom. [2]

Production sits next to the inspection record on the same screen. [2] Monthly and annual volumes line up against the permit and the DEP inspection history for that well. [2] You can run that same lookup on the Pennsylvania oil and gas map in a few seconds. [2]

What the DEP Records Show for Each Well

The DEP record behind each Pennsylvania well covers its permit, production, and inspection history. [1] Atlas carries about 1.5 million monthly production records and more than 770,000 DEP inspection records. That history is attached to each well, not spread across separate report downloads. [2]

Pennsylvania splits into two very different well populations. [1] About 25,000 wells are unconventional Marcellus and Utica horizontals, while the rest are conventional and shallower. Atlas flags each well’s type and status, so you can separate the two on the map. [2]

The Atlas Pennsylvania map with the unconventional-only filter applied: Marcellus and Utica wells concentrate in the southwestern counties around Washington and Greene and in the northeastern counties around Susquehanna and Bradford, while the legacy conventional fields of McKean, Warren, and Venango in the northwest drop away

Unconventional wells only: the Marcellus and Utica fairways separate from Pennsylvania’s conventional inventory, leaving the southwest and northeast lit and the northwestern oil counties nearly empty.

Operators are attached to every well. [2] About 8,100 distinct operators appear across the Pennsylvania dataset, from major Marcellus producers to legacy conventional operators. Searching by operator pulls their full Pennsylvania footprint onto the map at once. [2]

Pennsylvania’s well records are hard to search because more than 160 years of drilling left them spread across separate DEP systems. [1] The commercial oil industry began at Drake’s 1859 well in Venango County, and McKean, Warren, and Venango counties still hold the most wells today. A single well’s history can span multiple legacy systems as a result.

Abandoned wells make the fragmentation worse. More than 20,000 wells sit on the DEP’s abandoned list, and thousands more are recorded as plugged or abandoned. For what those wells are and where they turn up, see Abandoned Gas Wells: What They Are and Where to Find Them.

Atlas removes the reconcile step. [2] One search resolves the well, and its location, permit, production, and inspections open together. [2] The data refreshes monthly from DEP records, so a lookup returns current data, not a stale export. [2]

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is PA DEP Oil and Gas Mapping?

PA DEP oil and gas mapping refers to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s public tools for locating oil and gas wells. [1] The DEP map shows well locations, while production, inspection, and waste data live in separate report systems. [1] Atlas answers the same search on one map, with those records attached to each well. [2]

Can You Search Pennsylvania Wells by API or Operator?

Yes, an API number or an operator name are the two most direct ways to find a Pennsylvania well. [2] Pennsylvania wells carry the state API prefix 37, followed by a county code and a unique well number. [1] For how to read those digits, see API Well Number Lookup: What It Is and How to Read One.

Does It Include Abandoned and Plugged Wells?

Yes, the Pennsylvania map includes active, plugged, and abandoned wells across every DEP status. [1] More than 20,000 wells on the DEP abandoned list appear on the map alongside active production. A plugged or abandoned well keeps its record and location on the map. [2]

How Current Is the DEP Data?

Atlas refreshes its Pennsylvania data monthly from DEP records. A search returns the latest permits, production, and inspections the DEP has published, not a one-time download. [2] Older wells keep their full history, so the record spans decades. [2]

How Much Does TetraSoft Atlas Cost?

Atlas is priced by team size, from a single seat up to unlimited seats. [2] Every plan starts with a seven-day free trial, and you can cancel anytime. [2] For current plans and prices, see the Atlas pricing page. [2]

Pennsylvania oil and gas mapping should not mean the DEP map in one tab and reports in three more. Atlas puts every well and its permit, production, and inspections on one map, refreshed monthly from DEP records. [2] Start your free 7-day trial.

This post is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or compliance advice. Consult qualified legal counsel or a compliance professional for guidance specific to your operations and jurisdiction.

References

  1. TetraSoft Atlas, Pennsylvania oil and gas dataset and product features. https://tetrasoftco.com/atlas-landing.html#pricing
  2. Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Office of Oil and Gas Management public well, permit, production, inspection, and waste records.