X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used to study the reoxidation kinetics of both mechanically and chemically polished as well as freshly fractured SrTiO3surfaces. X‐ray take‐off angles were varied in order to resolve surface contributions from those further into the sample. Most surfaces were found to have Sr/Ti ratios that varied significantly from the stoichiometric ratio of 1. Only the oxygen peaks were found to be take‐off angle sensitive. We tentatively identify both adsorbed hydroxyl and carbonate O 1slevels as these angle sensitive peaks, indicating that hydroxyl adsorption occurs very rapidly.