Sell Mineral Rights in North Dakota
Sell mineral rights in North Dakota by asking buyers for written offers before you sign anything. North Dakota produced about 428 million barrels of crude oil and about 1.2 trillion cubic feet of marketed natural gas in 2025, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Most activity centers on the Bakken and Three Forks in the Williston Basin, 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 North Dakota minerals
Buyers price each tract on its own wells and the wells around it, so the Bakken and the Three Forks beneath it in the Williston Basin are priced differently.
Well and production records are kept by the North Dakota Industrial Commission, Department of Mineral Resources, and your deed is recorded with the county where the land sits.
North Dakota rules to know before you sell
North Dakota deems a severed mineral interest abandoned if it went unused for the 20 years immediately before a surface owner first publishes a notice of lapse, unless a statement of claim was recorded. The owner of record can still record a claim or proof of use within 60 days after first publication. North Dakota Dormant Mineral Act (opens in a new tab) gives the statute and its conditions.
North Dakota has a forced pooling statute.
North Dakota taxes oil at a 5 percent gross production tax plus a 5 percent oil extraction tax on the gross value at the well, and gas at a flat $0.0655 per thousand cubic feet for July 2026 to June 2027. Both taxes apply to the royalty share, and the purchaser deducts them in settlement.
North Dakota 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 North Dakota?
Tell us the county and your interest, add a check stub or lease if you have one, and we ask buyers for written offers. You choose the offer you prefer, or none, and close through a licensed closing or title company.
Can my North Dakota minerals lapse if I do not use them?
North Dakota deems a severed mineral interest abandoned if it went unused for the 20 years immediately before a surface owner first publishes a notice of lapse, unless a statement of claim was recorded. Read the rule and its sources (opens in a new tab).
Where is oil and gas activity in North Dakota?
Oil and gas activity in the state centers on the Williston Basin.
What is a non-participating royalty interest (NPRI)?
A non-participating royalty interest pays a share of production but carries no leasing right and no bonus. It sells like a producing royalty, priced on the income it returns.
Do I sign a division order before selling?
A division order just verifies your decimal share so the operator pays you right. Signing one to get paid does not commit you to a sale and does not surrender ownership.
Is getting North Dakota mineral offers free?
Yes. Asking for offers is free, with no upfront fee and no obligation to sell.
What taxes apply when I sell North Dakota 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. North Dakota taxes royalty income from North Dakota property as part of its income tax; how a gain on a sale is taxed depends on where you live and on North Dakota’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 North Dakota tax oil and gas royalty income?
Yes. North Dakota’s income tax reaches royalty income from North Dakota property, including for owners who live in another state. Payers withhold 1.75 percent from royalty payments to nonresident owners.
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 North Dakota?
North Dakota levies oil at a 5 percent gross production tax plus a 5 percent oil extraction tax on the gross value at the well, and gas at a flat $0.0655 per thousand cubic feet for July 2026 to June 2027. Both taxes apply to the royalty share, and the purchaser deducts them in settlement. Rates, exemptions and sources (opens in a new tab).
How do I find out what minerals I own in North Dakota?
Check the county recorder where the land sits for the deed, the North Dakota Industrial Commission, Department of Mineral Resources 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 North Dakota soil would bring, before the next letter lands in your mailbox.
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