The Codell formation

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What kind of interest do you own? Not sure Producing — I get monthly or quarterly checks Leased but not producing — bonus paid, no checks yet Not leased / not producing — I just own the minerals I am not sure

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Operator / who sends your checks

Average monthly royalty check (last 3 to 6 months) Prefer not to say $0 (not producing) $1–$100 $100–$500 $500–$2,000 $2,000–$10,000 $10,000+

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Net mineral acres

Royalty fraction Not sure 1/8 (12.5%), historical standard3/16 (18.75%), modern standard1/5 (20%), common in the Permian1/4 (25%), hot plays1/6 (16.67%), federal minimum since 2022

Unit size (acres)

Interest type, if you know it Not sure Royalty interest The minerals themselves Overriding royalty (ORRI) Working interest Non-participating royalty (NPRI)

How did you come to own it? Prefer not to say Inherited it Kept (reserved/severed) when family sold the land Purchased it

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The Codell is the bench that rides with the Niobrara across the DJ Basin. It is a Late Cretaceous sandstone and siltstone, part of the Carlile interval, that lies directly below the Niobrara chalks in the Denver-Julesburg Basin. Operators routinely complete and produce the Codell and the Niobrara together, which is why a single Weld County, Colorado tract often pays royalties from both intervals at once. The Codell is oil-weighted, mirroring the oil core of the DJ Basin that runs from Weld County north into Laramie County, Wyoming. For a mineral owner, a Codell royalty is rarely a standalone story; it is usually one half of a combined Niobrara-Codell income stream, valued on the standard income multiple applied to the checks your wells actually pay.

Codell geology

Age and lithology

Late Cretaceous (Carlile) sandstone and siltstone, a relatively thin but productive clastic bench. Source: USGS Denver Basin Province assessment and Colorado Geological Survey.

Paired with the Niobrara

The Codell sits directly below the Niobrara and is stimulated and produced together with it, so a single DJ Basin tract often produces from both benches.

Where it produces

The DJ Basin oil core: Weld County, Colorado at the center, extending north into Laramie County, Wyoming.

How much oil and gas the Codell holds

The Codell is assessed as part of the USGS Denver Basin Province work alongside the Niobrara Total Petroleum System, with undiscovered, technically recoverable oil and gas reported for the Cretaceous reservoirs of the basin. These are undiscovered play-wide estimates, not proven reserves and not a measure of any individual property.

Source: USGS Denver Basin Province (Niobrara Total Petroleum System) assessment; Colorado Geological Survey.

Counties in the Codell play

These are the counties and parishes we cover where state commission records show the Codell producing. Each links to that county's own Codell well count and operators, not just the general county page.

What the Codell means for your minerals

A resource estimate for a play is not the value of your acreage. Your mineral and royalty interest is valued on the income your wells actually pay, roughly 36 to 72 times your average monthly royalty check, the same as 3 to 6 times your annual royalty. Where you land in that band depends on your wells decline, the operator, your royalty rate, and any undeveloped drilling upside. For the full method and a free on-screen estimate, see what are my mineral rights worth.

The Codell is part of the DJ Basin. For the basin-wide value bands and the counties we buy in, see the DJ Basin page.

Codell questions

What is the Codell formation?

The Codell is a Late Cretaceous sandstone and siltstone bench in the DJ Basin that sits directly below the Niobrara. It is oil-weighted and is produced together with the Niobrara, mainly in Weld County, Colorado and into Laramie County, Wyoming.

Why do my checks show both Codell and Niobrara?

Because operators complete and produce the two intervals together. The Codell sits just below the Niobrara, so a single DJ Basin tract often pays royalties from both benches at the same time.

How are Codell minerals valued?

A Codell interest is valued on the income it pays, roughly 36 to 72 times your average monthly royalty check, usually as part of a combined Niobrara-Codell stream. USGS resource figures describe the whole play, not your property. This is an estimate, subject to verification, not an offer.

Sources

• USGS Denver Basin Province assessment
• Colorado Geological Survey

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