Application of γ-PGA is limited due to the high cost associated with its production. Screening bacterial strains in order to find a more efficient producer is one of the platforms towards overcoming its limited usage. Over the 1500 colonies of bacteria were isolated from soil samples. From them, the 6 isolates, MJ80, CS4-29, HB-31, HB-31c, H1-19, and H1-07, were selected as candidates for γ-PGA production. Based on their morphological and biochemical properties and 16s rDNA sequences, MJ80 and CS4-29 were ultimately identified as Bacillus subtilis, H1-07 as B. thuringiensis, HB-31and HB-31c as B. anthracis, and H1-19 as B. sonorensis. The yield of γ-PGA ranged from 3.28 to 4.4%. It turned out that B. subtilis MJ80 and B. subtilis CS4-29 utilized both glutamic acid (GA) and soybean for γ-PGA production. B. thuringiensis H1-07 was identified as GA-dependent, while the other 3 strains were GA-independent. All strains produced high molecular weight γ-PGA over 200 kDa.