Sell Your Mineral Rights in Mountrail County, ND
If you own mineral rights in Mountrail County, you're sitting on some of the most historically productive Bakken acreage in North Dakota. This is one of the counties where the modern Bakken oil boom started — and operators are still actively drilling here today. Before you respond to any offer or make any decisions, it's worth knowing what your acres are actually worth.
Est. per Acre
$1,500–$6,000
per net royalty acre
Active Wells
1,800+
Drilling Activity
Core Basin
Williston Basin
Primary Formation
Primary Resource
Oil
Commodity Type
What's Happening with Mineral Rights in Mountrail County Right Now
Mountrail County is one of the core counties of the Bakken — not a fringe play, not speculative territory. Stanley, the county seat, sits in the heart of some of the most heavily drilled acreage in the entire Williston Basin, and the Parshall Oil Field in the eastern part of the county helped put the Bakken on the map as a commercial shale play back in the late 2000s. Hess Corporation has maintained a particularly strong presence here for years, running a dedicated acreage position around the Parshall and Manitou areas that continues to see drilling activity. If you've received a leasing offer or outright purchase offer, that's not random — buyers know what's here. Take the time to understand your position before you sign anything.
Mountrail County at a Glance
1,800+
wells
Estimated Active Wells (County)
$1,500 – $6,000
per acre (estimate — varies widely by location and production)
Estimated Value Range per Acre (producing)
9,500 – 11,000
feet below surface
Primary Bakken Formation Depth
Oil
with associated natural gas
Primary Commodity
2006
one of the first major commercial Bakken discoveries in North Dakota
Parshall Field Discovery
Who's Operating in Mountrail County
Hess Corporation
HESContinental Resources
CLRChord Energy
CHRDSlawson Exploration
PrivateBurlington Resources (ConocoPhillips)
COPWhat's in the Ground
Bakken Shale
The primary target in Mountrail County. The Middle Bakken member is a tight oil reservoir drilled horizontally, typically at depths of 9,500 to 11,000 feet. The Parshall Field in eastern Mountrail County was one of the earliest and highest-producing Bakken areas in the state — some of those wells are still producing meaningful volumes. This formation is the reason buyers are interested in your acres.
Three Forks
Directly below the Bakken, the Three Forks formation offers additional benches that operators target with separate horizontal laterals. In Mountrail County, Three Forks wells have added meaningful production beneath already-developed Bakken units, effectively stacking value in the same spacing unit. Owning rights to both matters.
Madison Limestone
A deeper, conventional carbonate formation that produced oil in North Dakota long before the shale era. Less commonly drilled today in the horizontal shale environment, but it remains a recognized formation in the county. Worth noting if your deed or lease language references deeper rights.
What to Know About Mountrail County
County Seat and Records
Mountrail County's county seat is Stanley, North Dakota. Deed records, oil and gas leases, and mineral conveyances are recorded with the Mountrail County Recorder's office in Stanley. If you're trying to trace the chain of title on inherited rights, that's your starting point. Older records may require an in-person search or a title company familiar with North Dakota mineral titles.
The Parshall Field Advantage
If your mineral rights are located in or near the Parshall area in eastern Mountrail County, they carry a historical production pedigree that many buyers specifically seek out. Early Bakken wells here set production records for the state and established this area as core Bakken territory. Acreage near Parshall tends to command higher per-acre values than more outlying parts of the county.
North Dakota Mineral Owner Protections
North Dakota law gives mineral owners specific rights in the pooling and spacing process. If your acreage is included in a drilling unit without a signed lease, the state's forced pooling rules apply — you may be entitled to a working interest participation option or a royalty interest. Understanding this before drilling begins can materially affect your payout. An oil and gas attorney licensed in North Dakota is worth consulting before you sign any lease.
Severed Minerals Are Common Here
In much of Mountrail County, the mineral estate was severed from the surface decades ago — meaning the person who owns the land and the person who owns what's beneath it are different. If you inherited rights here, you may own minerals without owning any surface. That's normal, and it doesn't reduce the value of what you have.
Questions We Hear From Mountrail County Owners
I got an offer from a company wanting to buy my Mountrail County minerals. Is it a fair offer?
My minerals have been in the family since before the Bakken boom. How do I even know what I own?
Is the Bakken still worth owning in Mountrail County, or is it running out?
Find Out What Your Mountrail County Minerals Are Worth
Whether you just got an offer, inherited rights you've never looked into, or you're simply curious — the first step is a free, no-pressure conversation. We know Mountrail County, we know the Bakken, and we'll give you a straight answer on what your mineral rights are realistically worth in today's market. No obligation, no sales pressure.
Get My Free ValuationOther Bakken Shale / Williston Basin Counties
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