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North Dakota · Williston Basin · Bakken Core

Sell Mineral Rights
in McKenzie County,
North Dakota.

McKenzie County is the largest oil-producing county in North Dakota and the heart of the modern Bakken play. If you own mineral rights here, you are sitting on what has become one of the most consistently developed unconventional oil fairways in the country. We are happy to help you understand what you have.

32%
of ND Oil
2024 state production
~10,500ft
Bakken Depth
typical TVD
10,000ft
Standard Lateral
with 4-mile pilots underway
6,320
Producing Wells
as of 2024
1,280ac
Standard DSU
2 section spacing
01 The Basin

The Bakken core,
distilled into one county.

The Williston Basin spans parts of North Dakota, Montana, and Saskatchewan, but the productive heart of it sits in a band of counties along the Missouri River in western North Dakota. McKenzie County is the most productive of those counties by a wide margin, and has been for years.

According to the North Dakota Industrial Commission, McKenzie County produced about 32 percent of all North Dakota oil in 2024, on the order of 376,000 barrels per day. The county had over 6,300 wells capable of producing, with most of them actively making oil. About 37 percent of the state's drilling rigs were working in McKenzie at any given moment, more than twice the share in any other county. The Bakken core is McKenzie County.

If you want to know what the modern Bakken looks like in steady-state, look at McKenzie. This is the play that the rest of the basin compares itself to.

If you are reading this, you probably own a piece of that. Maybe it came through a will, a letter showed up in the mail with an offer to lease, or you are trying to make sense of a royalty statement that started arriving years ago. This page is for you. Below we walk through the rock, who is drilling, where in the county your minerals sit, what shapes value, and how the regulatory side actually works.

Starting point

Have minerals in McKenzie County? Send us what you have and we will take a look.

Send Us the Details →
02 The Rock

Two formations. One spacing unit.
Stacked pay across the column.

McKenzie County's productive geology is anchored by two unconventional reservoirs that sit on top of each other: the Middle Bakken and the Three Forks. Modern operators commonly drill multiple wells on a single 1,280-acre spacing unit, targeting both formations and sometimes specific Three Forks benches separately. The same acre of mineral rights can produce royalty income from several wells over time.

Middle Bakkensiltstone and dolomite

The Middle Bakken is the original Bakken target and the workhorse formation of McKenzie County. It sits between the Upper and Lower Bakken shales, which act as the source rock that charges the entire petroleum system. Most early horizontal Bakken wells in McKenzie targeted this interval exclusively, and it remains the primary formation for a large share of new wells.

For mineral owners, the Middle Bakken is typically the first formation drilled when a spacing unit is developed. A standard development pattern often includes multiple Middle Bakken wells per 1,280-acre unit, with completion designs that have evolved significantly over the past decade.

Depth Range
9,500 to 11,500 ft
Type
Siltstone and dolomite
Typical Lateral
10,000 ft, some 4-mile
Lead Operators
Continental, Chevron, Chord
Three Forksmultiple benches

Below the Bakken sits the Three Forks formation, a separate carbonate-and-shale interval that has emerged as a major target in its own right. The Three Forks contains multiple distinct benches, often referred to as Bench 1 through Bench 4 from top to bottom, with development concentrated in the upper benches in McKenzie County. Some operators drill multiple Three Forks wells per spacing unit, targeting different benches with separate horizontals.

For McKenzie County mineral owners, the Three Forks is the reason a single spacing unit can support five, six, or more wells over the life of development. Each well is a separate revenue stream tied to the same underlying minerals.

Depth Range
10,500 to 12,000 ft
Type
Carbonate and shale
Active Benches
Bench 1 and Bench 2 primarily
Common Pairing
Stacked with Bakken
Pronghornand basin-edge variations

Along certain parts of McKenzie County, particularly toward the southern and western edges of the basin, operators have developed the Pronghorn member of the Bakken and other transitional intervals. These are typically secondary targets compared to the Middle Bakken and Three Forks, but they add to the inventory of drillable locations on a given spacing unit.

The practical implication for mineral owners is that even mature spacing units in McKenzie County often have meaningful undeveloped inventory left, particularly as operators experiment with longer laterals and tighter well spacing.

Depth Range
10,000 to 11,500 ft
Type
Transitional siltstone
Status
Secondary target
Where Active
Basin edges
03 The Operators

Who is drilling on your
McKenzie County minerals.

McKenzie County's operator landscape consolidated meaningfully through the 2020 to 2024 period. Several public Bakken operators went private or merged, and major positions changed hands. The five operators below cover the bulk of current drilling and royalty activity, though dozens of smaller operators hold pieces of the county.

i.
Continental Resources
Continental is the largest oil producer in North Dakota, accounting for roughly 16 percent of state production in 2025. Founder Harold Hamm took the company private in late 2022. McKenzie County is central to Continental's Bakken footprint, and the company has been one of the more active drillers of long-lateral and 4-mile horizontal pilots in the state. Mineral owners receiving Continental royalties have less public visibility into development plans since the privatization, but the company remains active and is generally considered a stable operator.
Private · Largest in ND
16% of ND Oil
ii.
Chevron (Hess Bakken)
Chevron acquired Hess Corporation in 2024, inheriting Hess's substantial Bakken position in the process. The Hess Bakken assets account for roughly 10 percent of North Dakota oil production and are concentrated in McKenzie and adjacent counties. Hess had built one of the more efficient drilling programs in the basin before the acquisition, and Chevron has indicated continued investment. Mineral owners with Hess-era leases will see them transition to Chevron operation over time.
Major · Hess legacy
10% of ND Oil
iii.
Chord Energy
Chord Energy was formed by the 2022 merger of Oasis Petroleum and Whiting Petroleum, and expanded further by acquiring Enerplus in 2024. The combined company is one of the largest pure-play Bakken operators and is the third-largest oil producer in North Dakota. Chord has significant acreage in McKenzie, with development concentrated in central and southern parts of the county.
Public · Pure-play Bakken
8% of ND Oil
iv.
ConocoPhillips (Burlington / Marathon)
ConocoPhillips holds the legacy Burlington Resources Bakken position and added the Marathon Oil position through its 2024 acquisition of Marathon. The combined position is concentrated in McKenzie and Dunn counties. ConocoPhillips reports its Bakken activity at the corporate level rather than as a standalone segment, but is consistently one of the top five producers in the state.
Major · Burlington / Marathon
8% of ND Oil
v.
Private Operators & Long Tail
McKenzie County has a long tail of smaller operators including ExxonMobil through XTO Energy, EOG Resources, SOGC and various private operators that took over assets from divestitures. Some of these operators are highly active in specific townships even though they hold smaller overall positions. Mineral owners may also encounter older operators of record on legacy wells whose interests have changed hands several times.
Mixed · Multiple operators
Many Smaller Positions
See a familiar name?

We know how these operators develop in McKenzie County. Happy to give you context on yours.

Ask About Your Operator →
04 The Geography

Not all McKenzie County
minerals are built the same.

McKenzie County covers nearly 2,800 square miles, making it the largest county in North Dakota by area. The Bakken core runs through the central and northern part of the county, with development thinning toward the basin edges and federal land boundaries. Where in the county your minerals sit shapes everything from operator activity to remaining drilling inventory.

Watford City Core
T148N-T152N R98W-R101W
The geographic and operational center of the modern Bakken. Watford City is the county seat and the regional hub for oil and gas service activity. Spacing units in this area have typically seen the most aggressive development, with multiple Middle Bakken and Three Forks wells already drilled. Remaining inventory is meaningful but development pace is steadier than the basin-edge areas.
Activity: Highest Development: Mature, infill
Northern McKenzie / Williams Border
T153N-T156N R96W-R101W
The northern part of the county runs up to the Williams County line and the Missouri River corridor. Activity here remains high, with Continental, Chord, and Chevron all running active programs. Some of the longest laterals in the basin, including 4-mile horizontals, have been drilled in this area.
Activity: High Development: Active
Southern McKenzie / Dunn Border
T142N-T146N R97W-R102W
Southern McKenzie transitions toward Dunn County and includes some of the basin's earliest Three Forks development. Newer activity here has emphasized longer laterals and tighter well spacing as operators try to extract more inventory from already-developed spacing units.
Activity: Moderate to High Development: Mature with infill
Western Edge / Montana Border
T142N-T156N R102W-R105W
The western part of McKenzie runs to the Montana state line and the basin edge. Wells here are generally less productive than the core but improvements in completion design have made some of these areas economically attractive again. Several of the recent 4-mile lateral pilots have targeted this area.
Activity: Moderate Development: Selective
Theodore Roosevelt National Park Buffer
T140N-T145N Various
The North Unit and South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park sit partly within McKenzie County. Federal land restrictions and surface-use considerations limit drilling on portions of this acreage. Mineral interests adjacent to the park can still be valuable, but development requires more navigation than open private land.
Activity: Constrained Development: Permit-sensitive
Lake Sakakawea Corridor
T149N-T152N R94W-R95W
The southern shore of Lake Sakakawea cuts through eastern McKenzie County. Federal water board considerations, USACE jurisdiction, and tribal land questions can complicate development on parts of this acreage, but mineral interests in producing units along the shore continue to receive royalty income.
Activity: Moderate Development: Producing legacy
05 Your Valuation

What your McKenzie County
mineral rights are worth.

There is no universal formula. Valuation in McKenzie County is shaped by current production, future drilling inventory, operator quality, lease terms, and commodity prices. McKenzie's distinguishing feature is that even mature spacing units typically have meaningful inventory left, which keeps mineral values supported even as the field ages. What follows are the four scenarios we see most often.

01
Producing Minerals with Active Royalty Income
Valued on cash flow plus remaining inventory
If your McKenzie County minerals are actively producing and you receive monthly royalty checks, valuation typically starts with the trailing twelve months of royalty income. A buyer applies a multiple based on expected remaining well life, future drilling potential on the spacing unit, and commodity outlook. McKenzie spacing units often carry stronger multiples than other Bakken counties because remaining inventory expectations are higher.
What shapes the number: well vintage and remaining productive life, how many additional Middle Bakken or Three Forks locations remain undrilled on your spacing unit, your royalty rate, the operator quality, and whether your lease permits cost deductions for transportation and processing.
02
Unleased Minerals in Active Development
Valued on drilling proximity and future potential
Unleased McKenzie County minerals, particularly in the Watford City core or northern townships, are valued on expected development timing and operator activity within a few miles. Buyers look at recent permits, operator acreage positions, and the trajectory of drilling within a township. Unleased minerals also carry optionality because the buyer can negotiate lease terms directly with the operator.
What shapes the number: nearby permit activity, the operator's recent drilling pace in your township, formation quality beneath your specific section, comparable lease bonuses paid on surrounding tracts, and whether the section is likely to be force pooled.
03
Small Fractional Interests & Inherited Positions
Often overlooked, often worth more than expected
Many McKenzie County mineral owners hold small fractional interests inherited across multiple generations, often spread across heirs in different states. These positions sometimes get ignored by larger buyers because they are administratively cumbersome. We pay them the same attention as larger interests and we are comfortable doing the title research on fractional chains, including positions held by descendants of original homestead patentees from the early 1900s.
What shapes the number: net mineral acre count, royalty rate if leased, producing status, operator quality, remaining drilling inventory on the spacing unit, and whether other heirs holding the same chain are also ready to move.
04
Leased but Not Yet Producing
Valued on lease terms and proximity to activity
If your minerals are leased but not yet producing, value depends on the lease terms and how close active drilling has moved toward your acreage. Bakken leases typically have three to five year primary terms with extension if held by production. A lease held by a major active driller such as Continental or Chevron is worth materially more than one held by a passive leaseholder waiting on conditions.
What shapes the number: your royalty rate, primary term expiration, the specific operator holding the lease, recent drilling activity in adjacent spacing units, and whether your lease has a Pugh clause or similar acreage-protection language.
Your specific situation

We would rather look at real facts than speak in generalities. Send us what you have.

Request an Analysis →
06 The Regulatory Landscape

North Dakota rules,
Bakken realities.

McKenzie County operates under the standard North Dakota oil and gas regime, administered primarily by the North Dakota Industrial Commission. The on-the-ground realities reflect McKenzie's mix of private land, federal land, and tribal land overlap, plus the practical effects of the Bakken having been actively drilled for nearly two decades.

The NDIC and how forced pooling works

The North Dakota Industrial Commission, through its Department of Mineral Resources Oil and Gas Division, regulates oil and gas activity on state and private minerals in McKenzie County. The NDIC permits wells, sets spacing, conducts public hearings on pooling and unitization applications, and maintains the public well database. North Dakota allows compulsory pooling of unleased minerals into spacing units when an operator establishes that pooling is in the public interest, which is the standard framework in McKenzie County.

Standard 1,280 acre DSU pattern

Modern Bakken development in McKenzie County typically uses 1,280-acre drilling and spacing units, which is two adjacent sections combined. This matches the design of two-mile horizontal laterals and is the most common unit pattern across the basin. A subset of newer permits, particularly the 4-mile lateral pilots, have used larger or non-standard unit configurations.

The BLM, federal minerals, and the Three Affiliated Tribes

McKenzie County has substantial federal mineral acreage administered by the BLM Williston Field Office, plus a portion of the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation along the southeastern edge. Mineral interests on tribal trust land are administered through the Bureau of Indian Affairs and have a different leasing process than state or private minerals. If your minerals are on or near the reservation, the analysis is more involved than for fee minerals.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park and surface restrictions

Portions of the North Unit and South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park lie within McKenzie County. Federal land restrictions on surface use can complicate development on adjacent acreage, particularly for surface locations. The minerals themselves remain developable, but operators may need to drill from offsetting surface locations and use longer laterals to reach the target acreage.

07 Questions We Hear Often

The real questions
mineral owners ask.

We have been through these conversations hundreds of times. Below are honest answers to the things people actually want to know.

01
How much are mineral rights worth in McKenzie County, North Dakota?
Values in McKenzie County vary widely depending on where in the county you own, whether your minerals are leased or producing, who the operator is, and how much remaining drilling inventory exists on your spacing unit. McKenzie minerals tend to carry stronger valuations than most other Bakken counties because remaining inventory expectations are higher, but the same mineral interest can have a meaningfully different value from one section to the next. The only way to know what your specific minerals are worth is to look at the actual facts. We are happy to do that for you, at no cost and with no obligation to sell.
02
How is the Bakken different from other oil plays I might have heard about?
The Bakken is an unconventional oil play, meaning the oil is locked into a relatively impermeable rock formation and has to be released through hydraulic fracturing of horizontal wellbores. This contrasts with conventional plays where oil flows naturally from porous reservoirs. In practical terms, Bakken development looks like multiple long horizontal wells per spacing unit, each with intensive completions. McKenzie County is the most heavily developed Bakken county, so the patterns are well established and predictable for mineral owners.
03
I inherited mineral rights in McKenzie County but I do not have any documents. What do I do?
You are not alone. This is one of the more common situations we see. Start by gathering anything you do have: old letters from operators, tax statements, probate records, royalty stubs, division orders. The McKenzie County Recorder's office in Watford City keeps deed records, and the NDIC maintains a public database of wells, operators, and production by section. We can usually identify what someone owns with just a name and a rough idea of where the minerals are located, because North Dakota mineral records are publicly accessible and reasonably well-organized when you know where to look.
04
Should I sell my McKenzie County mineral rights now or hold them?
That depends on your situation. People who hold typically want long-term royalty income, do not need cash for other priorities, and are comfortable with commodity price volatility. People who sell typically want to convert future uncertain income into certain present value, simplify their estate, or use the capital for something else. Neither is wrong. The Bakken is a mature play with predictable behavior, which makes both holding and selling defensible strategies depending on your goals. We can help you think through the tradeoffs without pressure to pick a side.
05
What is the difference between an offer to lease and an offer to buy my minerals?
Leasing gives an operator the right to develop your minerals for a period of time, typically three to five years, with extension if production is established. In exchange you receive a bonus payment per net mineral acre and a royalty percentage on any production. You still own the minerals. Buying transfers ownership entirely, in exchange for a lump sum. After a sale, you no longer own the minerals and you receive no future royalties. Both have their place. Buying typically delivers more value up front, leasing preserves long-term upside.
06
I just received a pooling notice from the NDIC. What does that mean?
A pooling notice is a strong signal that an operator is preparing to drill on a spacing unit that includes your minerals. North Dakota allows compulsory pooling, so the operator can typically move forward whether or not you sign a voluntary lease. Your options are roughly three: negotiate a voluntary lease with the operator before the hearing (usually preferable), participate as a working interest owner (rarely the right move for passive owners because you take on a share of well costs), or accept the default terms of the pooling order. Most owners benefit from the negotiation path.
07
My minerals are on or near the Fort Berthold reservation. Does that change anything?
Yes, somewhat. Mineral interests held in trust for the Three Affiliated Tribes or for individual tribal members are administered through the Bureau of Indian Affairs, not the NDIC. The leasing and royalty payment processes are different from fee minerals. If your minerals are fee minerals adjacent to the reservation, the analysis is similar to other McKenzie minerals. If they are tribal trust minerals, additional considerations apply. We can help sort out which category your specific minerals fall into.
08
Can I sell mineral rights I inherited if other family members inherited the same minerals?
Yes, you can sell your undivided fractional interest without needing the other heirs to participate. This is extremely common in McKenzie County, where many interests have been subdivided across generations of heirs, often spread across multiple states. A good buyer will work with your specific interest, not require you to round up cousins. We do this all the time.
09
How does the sale process actually work?
Step one, we do the research. You send us what you have, we pull NDIC and BLM records, we check operator activity in the spacing unit, and we build an analysis. Step two, we send you a written summary with our reasoning. Step three, if you want to proceed, we handle the mineral deed preparation, you sign at a notary, and funds are wired at close. We move on your timeline, whether that is quick or deliberate. There is no charge for the research and no obligation to sell.
10
Why should I sell to Timberline Minerals specifically?
We are a family-owned office with roots in Texas and Montana. We work across the primary US basins but we spend most of our time in the Powder River Basin, the DJ Basin, and the Williston Basin. That means we know McKenzie County geology, the operators working here, and the way the NDIC handles things. We work with mineral interests of all sizes. You should always get multiple offers and we encourage it. If ours is not the best one you receive, that is useful information for you. Either way, we are happy to help you understand what you have.

Find out what your
McKenzie County minerals
are actually worth.

Send us what you have, or what you think you have. We will pull NDIC and BLM records, check operator activity in your section, and put together a plain-English summary with our reasoning laid out. If it makes sense to go further, we move on your timeline. If not, you have a free breakdown you can take anywhere.

Request a Valuation (512) 626-7267
Free · No Obligation · Your Timeline
08 Keep Reading

More for McKenzie County
mineral owners.

Guide · 6 min read
I inherited mineral rights. What now?
A walkthrough of the first few things to look at, whether you just found out or have been sitting on it for years.
Read the guide  →
Guide · 6 min read
What is a pooling order?
If you received a pooling notice, here is what it actually means, what your options are, and how owners typically respond.
Read the guide  →
Guide · 8 min read
How mineral rights are valued
The core inputs that go into a mineral valuation. Production, inventory, operator, lease terms, and what each one actually means in practice.
Read the guide  →
Market Pulse

Bakken status, April 2026

The Bakken produced approximately 1.18 million barrels per day of crude oil in March 2026, the most recent month with confirmed data, roughly flat against February and modestly below year-ago levels. Per-rig productivity continues to improve even as the active rig count has trended lower over the past twelve months. For McKenzie, Dunn, and Mountrail mineral owners, the practical takeaway is sustained operator focus on infill drilling within the most productive Three Forks and Middle Bakken intervals rather than aggressive expansion onto the play margins.

12 month oil production trend
1,180
thousand barrels per day
Latest month
+5(+0.4%)
thousand barrels per day
Month over month
-10(-0.8%)
thousand barrels per day
Year over year
Last updated April 2026. Source: US Energy Information Administration, Short-Term Energy Outlook (April 2026).