Sell Mineral Rights in Montana
Sell mineral rights in Montana by asking buyers for written offers before you sign anything. Montana produced about 29 million barrels of crude oil and about 44 billion cubic feet of marketed natural gas in 2025, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Most activity centers on the Bakken in the northeast, and we take your interest to buyers at no cost to you.
Request offers Free to ask, with no upfront fee and no obligation to sell.
What shapes an offer for Montana minerals
Buyers price each tract on its own wells and the wells around it, so the Bakken in the Williston Basin in the northeast and the Powder River Basin in the southeast are priced differently.
Well and production records are kept by the Montana Board of Oil and Gas Conservation, and your deed is recorded with the county where the land sits.
Montana rules to know before you sell
No Montana statute was found that ends a severed mineral interest for nonuse; dormant mineral interest bills in 1981, 1985 and 1993 failed. Do Mineral Rights Expire in Montana (opens in a new tab) gives the statute and its conditions.
Montana has a forced pooling statute.
Montana levies a single oil and gas production tax whose rate depends on the interest: royalty and other nonworking interests pay 15.10 percent, while working interests pay 0.80 percent in a well’s first 12 months and mostly 9.30 to 15.10 percent after that (Department of Revenue rates effective January 2024). Royalty owners bear the 15.10 percent rate on their share, which drilling incentives do not reduce, and the operator deducts it from settlements unless the lease says otherwise.
Montana taxes royalty income through its personal income tax. Payers must withhold state income tax from some royalty payments. Oil and Gas Severance Tax by State (opens in a new tab) compares every state.
One request. Buyers compete in writing. You call the shots.
Keep a recent check stub or the lease handy if you have one; it helps buyers price an offer, but you can ask without either. Nothing goes to a buyer until we have talked with you. If a buyer has already written to you, tell us; that letter becomes the number every other offer has to beat.
Free for families. You never pay us a dime.
Asking for an offer costs you nothing, and there is no fee when you sell. Usually we buy the interest ourselves, and the offer says so. We may resell it, and that is how we are paid; it never changes the price you agreed.
Your money moves through a licensed title company, escrow agent or closing attorney, never through our hands. Every written offer names its buyer.
Common questions
How do I sell mineral rights in Montana?
Send the county, your interest, and a recent check stub or lease if you have one. Buyers who are interested send written offers, you choose one or none, and you close through a licensed closing or title company.
Does Montana have a dormant mineral act?
No Montana statute was found that ends a severed mineral interest for nonuse; dormant mineral interest bills in 1981, 1985 and 1993 failed. Read the rule and its sources (opens in a new tab).
Where is oil and gas activity in Montana?
Oil and gas activity in the state centers on the Williston Basin and the Bakken in the northeast.
What is a non-participating royalty interest (NPRI)?
An NPRI carries a share of revenue without the right to lease or collect a bonus. Buyers value it on the income it pays, similar to a producing royalty, and it conveys cleanly.
Do I sign a division order before selling?
Signing a division order confirms your share for payment purposes. It is not a sale, it does not transfer ownership, and you can sign it and still sell later.
Is getting Montana mineral offers free?
Yes. Asking for offers is free, with no upfront fee and no obligation to sell.
What taxes apply when I sell Montana minerals?
A sale is generally treated as the sale of a capital asset, so federal capital gains rules usually apply, while royalty checks are ordinary income. Montana taxes royalty income from Montana property as part of its income tax; how a gain on a sale is taxed depends on where you live and on Montana’s rules for nonresidents. State production taxes, where they apply, usually come off the royalty check, and some producing minerals are also taxed locally.
Inherited minerals usually receive a stepped up basis as of the date of death, which can reduce the gain on a later sale. AMR’s state tax reference (opens in a new tab) has the rules and sources; confirm your own situation with a tax professional.
Does Montana tax oil and gas royalty income?
Yes. Montana’s income tax reaches royalty income from Montana property, including for owners who live in another state. Subject to exceptions, payers must withhold Montana tax from royalty payments.
If you live elsewhere, your home state may tax the same income. Federal tax applies on top.
What is the severance tax on oil and gas in Montana?
Montana levies a single oil and gas production tax whose rate depends on the interest: royalty and other nonworking interests pay 15.10 percent, while working interests pay 0.80 percent in a well’s first 12 months and mostly 9.30 to 15.10 percent after that (Department of Revenue rates effective January 2024). Royalty owners bear the 15.10 percent rate on their share, which drilling incentives do not reduce, and the operator deducts it from settlements unless the lease says otherwise. Rates, exemptions and sources (opens in a new tab).
How do I find out what minerals I own in Montana?
Check the county recorder where the land sits for the deed, the Montana Board of Oil and Gas Conservation for well and production records, and the state unclaimed property program for any unclaimed royalty money. Our unclaimed royalties finder builds the checklist.
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Find out what your Montana soil would bring, before the next letter lands in your mailbox.
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