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North Dakota Oil & Gas Industry Snapshot 2026

The complete live dashboard of the North Dakota oil and gas industry — top operators, hottest counties, most-active formations, current permit pipeline, DUC stack, recent rig activity, and newly producing wells. Refreshed daily from North Dakota Industrial Commission records.

Data as of September 17, 2026 Source: North Dakota Industrial Commission · refreshed daily

Original Data As of September 17, 2026

As of September 17, 2026, North Dakota had 100 active oil & gas operators across 42 counties and 3 formations, led by Continental Resources with 3,580 wells, with 1,091 drilling permits filed in the last 24 months and 844 drilled-but-uncompleted (DUC) wells in inventory, per North Dakota Industrial Commission records.

100
Active operators
42
Producing counties
1,091
Permits filed (last 24 mo)
844
DUC wells in inventory
Source: North Dakota Industrial Commission (NDIC) well and permit records
Methodology: Aggregated from North Dakota Industrial Commission records: operators ranked by well count; counties and formations by activity; drilling permits over a trailing 24-month window; and current DUC (drilled-but-uncompleted) inventory.
Updated: Refreshed daily — data current as of September 17, 2026
Total Wells (Top 100 Operators)
35,816
Recent Permits
1,091
last 24 months
DUC Inventory
844
drilled, uncompleted
Recent Spuds
170
last 90 days
New Producers
99
first prod in last 6 months
Active Counties
42
Active Formations
3
Operators Tracked
100

Top 10 North Dakota Operators

The 10 largest operators of record in North Dakota, by total well count. See the full top-100 leaderboard →

#OperatorWellsPermits 24moDUCsTop FormationTop County
1 Continental Resources 3,580 116 137 Bakken Williams
2 Hess Bakken Investments Ii 2,903 235 178 Bakken Mountrail
3 Whiting Petroleum CORP 2,548 54 71 Bakken Mountrail
4 Devon Energy Williston,LLC 2,344 183 119 Bakken Mc Kenzie
5 Oasis Petroleum North America 2,212 150 131 Bakken Mc Kenzie
6 Burlington Resources Oil & Gas Company 1,528 128 86 Bakken Mc Kenzie
7 Xto Energy 1,409 146 78 Bakken Mc Kenzie
8 Enerplus Resources 1,357 108 52 Bakken Dunn
9 Marathon Oil Company 1,328 27 60 Bakken Dunn
10 Eog Resources 1,312 60 72 Bakken Mountrail

Top 10 North Dakota Counties (by Drilling Activity)

The 10 most-active oil and gas counties in North Dakota. See the full county rankings →

CountyTotal WellsPermits 24moSpuds 90dDUCsTop OperatorTop Formation
Mc Kenzie 10,991 508 57 1,008 Oasis Petroleum North America Bakken
Williams 6,941 559 41 795 Hess Bakken Investments Ii Bakken
Mountrail 5,749 320 26 466 Hess Bakken Investments Ii Bakken
Dunn 5,246 268 3 391 Enerplus Resources Bakken
Bottineau 2,538 7 1 1,099 Cobra Oil & Gas Bakken
Burke 2,106 141 8 560 Formentera Operations LLC Bakken
Billings 1,988 14 7 398 Scout Energy Management Bakken
Divide 1,898 284 26 380 Formentera Operations LLC Bakken
Bowman 1,579 5 0 227 Continental Resources Judith River- Eagle
Renville 1,507 2 1 795 Cobra Oil & Gas Bakken

Top 10 North Dakota Formations & Plays

The 10 most-active formations and plays in North Dakota. See all active North Dakota formations →

FormationWellsActive OperatorsPermits 24mo
Bakken 35,128 1,289 33
Williston Basin 7,387 432 2,102
Judith River- Eagle 1,442 87 0

Latest 10 Drilling Permits

Permit DateWellAPICountyFormationOperator
2026-09-08 Roughneck 12-11-10 #7h 33105068740000 Williams Kraken Operating
2026-09-08 Campbell Lw 5800-7-30 #3h 33105068780000 Williams Kraken Operating
2026-09-08 Campbell Lw 5800-7-30 #10h 33105068760000 Williams Kraken Operating
2026-09-08 Campbell Lw 5800-7-30 #2h 33105068770000 Williams Kraken Operating
2026-09-08 Roughneck 12-11-10 #8h 33105068750000 Williams Kraken Operating
2026-09-02 Nashville 8-21h 33105068730000 Williams Williston Basin Continental
2026-09-02 Nashville 6-21h 33105068710000 Williams Williston Basin Continental
2026-09-02 Maryland Fiu 8-16h 33105068700000 Williams Williston Basin Continental
2026-09-02 Nashville 7-21h 33105068720000 Williams Williston Basin Continental
2026-09-02 Maryland Fiu 7-16h 33105068690000 Williams Williston Basin Continental
View all recent North Dakota permits →

Latest 10 Spudded Wells

Spud DateDays AgoWellOperatorCountyFormation
2026-09-02 13 An-Double Bar V- 152-95-0106h-6u Hess Bakken Investments Ii Mc Kenzie Williston Basin
2026-09-01 14 Gina Ferrari 13-12-1 4h Phoenix Operating Company Divide Williston Basin
2026-08-31 15 Gina Ferrari 13-12-1 5h Phoenix Operating Company Divide Williston Basin
2026-08-30 16 Kinzel 1-32h Murfin Drilling Dunn Williston Basin
2026-08-29 17 Kinzel 1-6h Murfin Drilling Dunn Williston Basin
2026-08-29 17 Bw-Braaten- 149-100-1906h-2 Hess Bakken Investments Ii Mc Kenzie Williston Basin
2026-08-28 18 Kinzel 1-33h Murfin Drilling Dunn Williston Basin
2026-08-28 18 Bw-Braaten- 149-100-1906h-3 Hess Bakken Investments Ii Mc Kenzie Williston Basin
2026-08-27 19 Bw-Braaten- 149-100-1906h-4 Hess Bakken Investments Ii Mc Kenzie Williston Basin
2026-08-27 19 Gina Ferrari 1 Swd Phoenix Operating Company Divide Williston Basin
View all recently spudded North Dakota wells →

Latest 10 Newly Producing Wells

First ProdDays ProducingWellOperatorCountyFormation
2026-07-01 76 State 159-92-36c-24-1h Petrohunt Mountrail Williston Basin
2026-07-01 76 Rebel Federal 2-32-17h Slawson Exploration Company Mountrail Williston Basin
2026-07-01 76 Rolla 6i Burlington Resources Oil & Gas Company Mc Kenzie Williston Basin
2026-07-01 76 Texas E 158-92-8-20-3mbhx Silver Hill Energy Partners Mountrail Williston Basin
2026-07-01 76 Bregman Le 6-7-18 #1h Kraken Operating Williams Williston Basin
2026-07-01 76 Cannonball Federal 5-27-34h Slawson Exploration Company Mountrail Williston Basin
2026-07-01 76 Bull Mountain-31-18-Div S513hf Formentera Operations LLC Divide Williston Basin
2026-07-01 76 Rebel Federal 5-32-17tfh Slawson Exploration Company Mountrail Williston Basin
2026-07-01 76 Rebel Federal 3-32-17h Slawson Exploration Company Mountrail Williston Basin
2026-07-01 76 Bull Mountain-31-18-Div S617hf Formentera Operations LLC Divide Williston Basin
View all newly producing North Dakota wells →

10 Most-Recent North Dakota DUCs

Spud DateDays Since SpudWellOperatorCountyFormation
2026-09-02 13 An-Double Bar V- 152-95-0106h-6u Hess Bakken Investments Ii Mc Kenzie Williston Basin
2026-09-01 14 Gina Ferrari 13-12-1 4h Phoenix Operating Company Divide Williston Basin
2026-08-31 15 Gina Ferrari 13-12-1 5h Phoenix Operating Company Divide Williston Basin
2026-08-30 16 Kinzel 1-32h Murfin Drilling Dunn Williston Basin
2026-08-29 17 Bw-Braaten- 149-100-1906h-2 Hess Bakken Investments Ii Mc Kenzie Williston Basin
2026-08-29 17 Kinzel 1-6h Murfin Drilling Dunn Williston Basin
2026-08-28 18 Bw-Braaten- 149-100-1906h-3 Hess Bakken Investments Ii Mc Kenzie Williston Basin
2026-08-28 18 Kinzel 1-33h Murfin Drilling Dunn Williston Basin
2026-08-27 19 Candy Ferrari 1 Swd Phoenix Operating Company Divide Williston Basin
2026-08-27 19 Gina Ferrari 1 Swd Phoenix Operating Company Divide Williston Basin
View the full North Dakota DUC inventory →

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About This Dashboard

Source: North Dakota Industrial Commission well-header and production filings.

Refresh cadence: Daily. Data current as of September 17, 2026.

What's tracked: Permits filed in the last 24 months, wells spudded in the last 90 days, wells with first production in the last 6 months, drilled-uncompleted (DUC) wells, top operators by total well count, top counties by activity, and active formations/plays.

Disclaimer: Data is provided as a public-service reference. Buckhead Energy is not affiliated with the operators listed unless explicitly stated.

North Dakota Oil & Gas Snapshot FAQ

Who are the largest oil and gas operators in North Dakota?

As of September 17, 2026, this dashboard tracks 100 active North Dakota operators ranked by well count, led by Continental Resources, Hess Bakken Investments Ii, Whiting Petroleum CORP. See the Top North Dakota Operators leaderboard for the full ranking.

How many drilling permits have been filed in North Dakota recently?

About 1,091 North Dakota drilling permits were filed in the trailing 24 months, per North Dakota Industrial Commission records (as of September 17, 2026).

What is a DUC well, and how many are there in North Dakota?

A DUC is a "drilled but uncompleted" well — drilled but not yet hydraulically fractured or put on production. As of September 17, 2026, North Dakota had about 844 DUC wells in inventory. DUCs are a leading indicator of near-term completion and production activity.

Which plays and formations drive North Dakota oil and gas activity?

North Dakota activity centers on the Bakken and Three Forks formations of the Williston Basin, among roughly 3 active formations across 42 counties, aggregated from North Dakota Industrial Commission records.

How often is this North Dakota oil and gas snapshot updated?

It is refreshed daily from North Dakota Industrial Commission well and permit records. The current data is as of September 17, 2026.

I own North Dakota mineral rights — how do I find my operator and what they are worth?

Look up your operator in the operator directory to see their activity, then request a free written offer based on your specific tract, operator, formation, and decimal interest.

Quick Stats

State: North Dakota

Operators: 100

Counties: 42

Formations: 3

Permits 24mo: 1,091

DUCs: 844

Data as of: September 17, 2026

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