3,472 wells across 227 active operators, with 0 drilling permits filed in the last 24 months.
Refreshed monthly from BOGC well-header records. Data current as of 2026-08-23.
Quick answer: The Niobrara Fm formation in Montana has 3,472 wells on record across 227 active operators, with 0 drilling permits filed in the last 24 months (as of 2026-08-23). Its most active operators by well count are Northwestern, Brown J Burns Operating Company, Ocean Energy, Klabzuba Oil & Gas and Devon Energy Production Company. Compiled from Montana Board of Oil and Gas Conservation (BOGC) well-header records, refreshed monthly.
The operators with the most well counts targeting the Niobrara Fm formation in Montana:
| # | Operator | Wells in Niobrara Fm |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northwestern | 1,014 |
| 2 | Brown J Burns Operating Company | 391 |
| 3 | Ocean Energy | 224 |
| 4 | Klabzuba Oil & Gas | 186 |
| 5 | Devon Energy Production Company | 166 |
| 6 | High Crest Oils | 130 |
| 7 | Norfolk Energy | 117 |
| 8 | Citation Oil & Gas | 97 |
| 9 | Montana Power Company | 72 |
| 10 | Lone Wolf Operating Company | 59 |
The Montana counties with the most Niobrara Fm activity:
Hill, Blaine
The Niobrara Fm is one of Montana's active oil and gas plays, with 3,472 wells on file across 227 distinct operators of record. Operators have filed 0 drilling permits targeting the Niobrara Fm in the last 24 months — a measure of how active the play is right now versus its historical baseline.
For mineral owners with interests in Hill, Blaine, knowing whether your tract sits within an active Niobrara Fm footprint is a foundational valuation question. Active formations with consistent permit flow command premium pricing; legacy formations with steady but declining production are valued differently.
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3,472 wells target the Niobrara Fm in Montana, worked by 227 active operators, per BOGC well-header records (as of 2026-08-23).
By well count, the most active Niobrara Fm operators in Montana are Northwestern, Brown J Burns Operating Company, Ocean Energy, Klabzuba Oil & Gas and Devon Energy Production Company. The full ranking is in the table on this page.
Operators filed 0 drilling permits targeting the Niobrara Fm in the last 24 months — a live measure of current activity, per BOGC records.
Operators filed 0 new drilling permits targeting the Niobrara Fm in Montana over the last 24 months. New permits and spuds are the clearest signal of active Niobrara Fm drilling, per BOGC records (as of 2026-08-23).
Niobrara Fm activity in Montana currently spans 3,472 wells on record and 227 active operators, led by Northwestern, Brown J Burns Operating Company, Ocean Energy, Klabzuba Oil & Gas and Devon Energy Production Company, with 0 drilling permits filed in the last 24 months — refreshed monthly from Montana Board of Oil and Gas Conservation (BOGC) well-header records (as of 2026-08-23).
The most active Niobrara Fm counties in Montana are Hill, Blaine.
Value depends on your net mineral acres or royalty decimal, the operator, the remaining drilling locations, and current oil and gas prices. Buckhead Energy checks your tract against current Niobrara Fm well and permit data and puts a free, no-obligation written offer in writing — this page is informational only, not a valuation.
Cite this dataset
Permanently archived and citable via a DOI on Zenodo (CERN), under a CC BY 4.0 license. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.21442884 · View on Zenodo
License & attribution: This data is licensed CC BY 4.0. You are free to share and adapt it, including commercially, provided you credit “Buckhead Energy” and link back to this page or the DOI above.
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Formation: Niobrara Fm
State: Montana
Total wells: 3,472
Active operators: 227
Permits 24mo: 0
Last refresh: 2026-08-23