The Dakota formation

Free written valuation

What are your Dakota minerals worth?

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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

County

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+

Your check is the single fastest path to a value range. Fill the acres below instead if you do not get checks.

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 Dakota shows up in state oil and gas commission well records as a producing formation or pool in 11 of the counties and parishes we cover, across the San Juan Basin, Piceance Basin, DJ Basin, Sand Wash Basin and Raton Basin. It is not confined to one basin; owners in different basins hold Dakota interests that are valued the same way, on the income the wells actually pay. Across those counties, state records show 41,075 active wells producing, with the heaviest activity in San Juan County, Rio Arriba County, La Plata County. This page is built from the same public well-record data as our county pages, not a USGS geologic assessment, so it does not carry a play-wide resource estimate the way our larger flagship formation pages do.

Counties in the Dakota play

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

What the Dakota 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 Dakota is not confined to one basin: state records show it producing across San Juan Basin , Piceance Basin , DJ Basin , Sand Wash Basin , and Raton Basin . For the basin-wide value bands and the counties we buy in, see each basin's page.

Dakota questions

Which counties does the Dakota produce in?

State commission well records show the Dakota producing in 11 counties we cover: Archuleta County, Gunnison County, Jackson County, La Plata County, McKinley County, Moffat County, Montezuma County, Mora County, Rio Arriba County, San Juan County, Sandoval County. See each county's page for the full local well and operator picture.

How many wells produce from the Dakota?

Across the counties we cover, state oil and gas commission records show about 41,075 active wells tied to the Dakota. That figure is a sum across counties from public well records, not a measure of any one owner's interest.

What is a Dakota mineral interest worth?

A Dakota interest is valued the same way as any producing interest: roughly 36 to 72 times your average monthly royalty check. Where you land in that range depends on your wells' decline, the operator, your royalty rate, and any undeveloped drilling upside. This is an estimate, not an offer.

Sources

• Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission (ECMC, formerly COGCC) oil and gas locations (Colorado DNR ArcGIS public service)
• New Mexico Oil Conservation Division, active wells (NMOCD ArcGIS public service)

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