Surface Owner

• The ND Oil and Gas Division does not calculate surface values, review private lease information, or review any private contracts.
• Contact an attorney for questions related to leasing issues:
  • State Bar Association of North Dakota – Lawyer Referral Service
  • State of North Dakota Courts – Lawyer Directory 
• North Dakota Department of Trust Lands offers a sample oil and gas lease and additional information including the results of the most recent State Land Department quarterly oil and gas lease auction. (The ND Department of Trust lands does not calculate mineral values, review private lease information, or review any private contracts.)

• Notice to Surface Owners Memo: Covers concerns and rights related to compensation for damages caused by oil and gas operations.
• North Dakota Mediation Service: (North Dakota Department of Agriculture) – This NDDA program was expanded in 2011 to include dispute resolution of property issues related to energy development related to surface damages, property access, well location, oil and gas related pipelines, easements, and compensation in an effort to for landowners to avoid litigation, resolve issues, communicate needs, and avoid disputes that can negatively impact both parties and the community.

• The Statement of Intention to Succeed Form must be recorded in the office of the recorder in the county in which the mineral interest is located:
  • North Dakota Recorders Information Network – List of ND Recorders

Statement of Intention to Succeed to the Ownership of Mineral Interest Form

• Pursuant to NDCC 38-18.1-02 any mineral interest is, if unused for a period of twenty years immediately preceding the first publication of the notice required by section 38-18.1-06, deemed to be abandoned, unless a statement of claim is recorded in accordance with section 38-18.1-04. Title to the abandoned mineral interest vests in the owner or owners of the surface estate in the land in or under which the mineral interest is located on the date of abandonment. The owner of the surface estate in the land in or under which the mineral interest is located on the date of abandonment may record a statement of succession in interest indicating that the owner has succeeded to ownership of the minerals under this chapter.

• Report a Gathering Line Incident:
  • If this is an emergency, an imminent threat to public health and safety, or for additional assistance, please call the Oil and Gas Division or the Department of Environmental Quality at the numbers below.
    • North Dakota Industrial Commission, Oil and Gas Division - (701)328-8020
    • North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality, Environmental Health Section - 701-328-9921 or 1-800-472-2121
    • North Dakota Emergency Management 24-Hour Hotline: 1-800-472-2121

Pipeline Restoration and Reclamation Oversight  (North Dakota Department of Agriculture) – This NDDA program connects landowners and tenants experiencing pipeline reclamation and restoration issues with an independent ombudsman to assist them in working with pipeline companies. The goal of the program are to help landowners/tenants regain confidence that their land will be restored properly. Landowners or tenants who are dissatisfied by the response of a pipeline owner/operator in dealing with the reclamation of their property can contact the NDDA for assistance at 701-328-2231 or 1-800-242-7535.

• The National Ground Water Association (NGWA) and the Ground Water Protection Council (GWPC) water-testing brochure: offers household water well owners living near oil or gas development and completion activities, including hydraulic fracturing, information on how to go about getting their water tested prior to oil and gas activities to establish baseline water quality and guidelines for retesting the water after oil and gas development and completion activities. Addressed in the brochure are issues such as "chain-of-custody” testing to ensure unbiased, accurate sampling and test results, what constituents to test, what to do if one’s water quality changes, and where to get more information. The brochure is not intended to provide guidance for regulation. It is merely designed to provide generalized information to landowners. The information it contains has not been designed to cover every unique circumstance of local geology or geochemistry. Therefore, it should be used only as guidance for landowners

The best way is to use the GIS Map Server.

Once the map server window has loaded, click on "Find Section" tab on the lower left side of the screen and put in your legal description. Click zoom to section and view your area of interest. There are several layers and tools you can use to further investigate your area of interest.

You can also conduct a "Well Search" in our data center by entering the Section - Township - Range or other identifiers to find more information about wells with a matching surface location.

Give our office a call or visit our help videos at the Department of Mineral Resources YouTube channel for more information

All oil and gas hearings are open to the public.

If you wish to submit something on the record you must attend the hearing and sign the witness register, state your name, address, interest in the matter, qualifications, and the reason you want to appear.
 

The upcoming hearing dockets, as well as live hearing audio (when hearings are in progress) can be obtained here.

You can find oil and gas attorney information on the ND State Bar Association website or in the phone book Yellow Pages.

You can find ND state oil and gas tax FAQ's on the North Dakota Oil and Gas Tax FAQ page.

When an operator requests and is granted confidential (tight hole) status for a well, it restricts our ability to release information about the well. Section 43-02-03-31 of the North Dakota Administrative Code states in part:

All information furnished to the director on permits, except the operator name, well name, location, permit date, confidentiality period, spacing or drilling unit description, spud date, rig contractor, central tank battery number, any production runs, or volumes injected into an injection well, shall be kept confidential for not more than six months if requested by the operator in writing. The six-month period shall commence on the date the well is completed or the date the written request is received, whichever is earlier. If the written request accompanies the application for permit to drill or is filed after permitting but prior to spudding, the six-month period shall commence on the date the well is spudded.

All information furnished to the director on recompletions or reentries, except the operator name, well name, location, permit date, confidentiality period, spacing or drilling unit description, spud date, rig contractor, any production runs, or volumes injected into an injection well, shall be kept confidential for not more than six months if requested by the operator in writing. The six-month period shall commence on the date the well is completed or the date the well was approved for recompletion or reentry, whichever is earlier. Any information furnished to the director prior to approval of the recompletion or reentry shall remain public.

This means that the only information the agency may release during the confidential period is:

• the operator name,
• well name,
• location,
• permit date,
• confidentiality period,
• spacing or drilling unit description,
• spud date (when they commenced drilling),
• rig contractor,
• central tank battery number,
• any production runs (oil sold), or
• volumes injected into an injection well.

The date when information can be released for a well may be found in the confidential well list once the well has been spud.