Idle Well Program: Public Reports & Information

If you are an Operator, you might be looking for one of these resource pages:

Idle Well Program Information

In California's current regulations, an “idle well" is an oil or gas well that has not been used for two years or more and has not yet been properly “plugged and abandoned". The plugging and abandonment of a well involves permanently sealing and closing the well with a cement plug. If a well is not properly sealed and closed, it may provide a pathway for hydrocarbons or other contaminants to migrate into drinking water or to the surface. Improved reporting shows there are approximately 32,000 wells in California categorized as idle.

The Department of Conservation's Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM) revised its idle well regulations in April 2019 to create far more stringent testing requirements that better protect public safety and the environment from the potential threats posed by idle wells. The regulations require idle wells to be tested and, if necessary, repaired, or permanently sealed and closed.

Who is Responsible For Idle Wells?

If an operator becomes insolvent, or deserts their idle wells, responsibility for permanently sealing and closing these wells may fall to the State.

To reduce the number of idle wells for which the State may become responsible, legislative and regulatory changes have been made to create incentives for operators to manage and eliminate their idle wells by entering into Idle Well Management Plans (IWMPs). For example, as of 2025, any operator that does not file an IWMP must pay idle well fees annually which have been increased to reflect the potential costs associated with elimination of the idle wells. The fees are deposited into the Hazardous and Idle-Deserted Well Abatement Fund to help fund the permanent sealing and closure of deserted wells. Operators are also required to consider specified factors when prioritizing idle wells for plugging and abandonment, in addition to increasing the minimum percentages of idle wells operators are required to eliminate each year.

(In September 2024, Assembly Bill No. 1866 (AB 1866) passed into law, which amended sections 3206 and 3206.3 of the Public Resources Code. This law went into effect January 1, 2025)

Information & Resources

Idle Well Regulations (effective April 1, 2019)
Idle Well Testing and Management Implementation Presentation
2024 Idle Well Inventory Evaluation Form (Excel, download)

Are you looking for the two well inventories CalGEM manages: Annual Fee Inventory and Idle Well Management Plan (IWMP) Inventory? Visit that section of our Operators Page

Idle Well Program Reports

Idle Wells: Legal Definitions

An "idle well":

"[A]ny well that for a period of 24 consecutive months has not either produced oil or natural gas, produced water to be used in production stimulation, or been used for enhanced oil recovery, reservoir pressure management, or injection. For the purpose of determining whether a well is an idle well, production or injection is subject to verification by the division.” (Pub. Resources Code, § 3008, subd. (d).)

A well no longer meets the definition of "idle well" when:

“[A]n idle well continues to be an idle well until it has been properly abandoned in accordance with Section 3208 or it has been shown to the division’s satisfaction that, since the well became an idle well, the well has for a continuous six-month period either maintained production of oil or natural gas, maintained production of water used in production stimulation, or been used for enhanced oil recovery, reservoir pressure management, or injection. An idle well does not include an active observation well.” (Pub. Resources Code, § 3008, subd. (d).)

Long-term Idle Well (LTIW):

Idle Start Date:

Active Observation Well:

“[A] well being used for the sole purpose of gathering reservoir data, such as pressure or temperature in a reservoir being currently produced or injected by the operator. For a well to be an active observation well, the operator shall demonstrate to the division’s satisfaction that the well fulfills a need for gathering reservoir data, and the operator shall provide the division with a summary report of the type of data collected at least annually or as requested by the division.” (Pub. Resources Code, § 3008, subd. (c).)

​​​​Idle Well Program: Public Reports & Information

​​If you are an Operator, you might be looking for one of these resource pages:

​Idle Well Program Information