Sell Your Williams County, North Dakota Mineral Rights for Cash
Selling My Mineral Rights buys mineral rights, oil and gas rights and royalty interests across Williams County, from Williston to Tioga, Ray, Epping, Grenora and Wildrose. Send your legal description or a royalty statement and get a written offer in 3 to 5 business days.
We buy producing Bakken royalties, legacy Nesson Anticline interests, unleased minerals and inherited fractions. No commissions, no fees, and if your check still shows an operator that has since been sold, we trace where the account went.
Call or Text Us: 347-345-4547
MINERAL RIGHTS & ROYALTIES
What could your mineral rights be worth?
Tell us a little about your interest. Get a free, no-obligation review from Selling My Mineral Rights.
Quick answer: We buy Bakken royalties, unleased minerals and inherited interests across Williams County, North Dakota’s second-largest oil county by mid-2026. A written offer usually follows within 3–5 business days, with no fees or commissions.
Free, no-obligation review: Selling My Mineral Rights evaluates producing and non-producing mineral rights, royalty interests, and inherited or fractional interests in Williams County, North Dakota. You can request an offer without paying fees or committing to sell.
North Dakota’s Oil Industry Started in Williams County
North Dakota’s first oil well was drilled in Williams County. Amerada Petroleum’s Clarence Iverson No. 1, about eight miles south of Tioga, was completed on April 4, 1951, and became the discovery well of the Beaver Lodge field on the Nesson Anticline. The formation that later defined the state took its name from another Amerada well in the county, the H.O. Bakken No. 1, where it was described between 9,615 and 9,720 feet.
Williams County produced about 89 million barrels of oil in 2025, about 21% of the state’s total, and it was the only one of the four largest counties to grow that year, by about 8%. By July 2026 it had moved past Dunn County into second place. It is also the state’s second-largest gas county, and it had more new drilling permits approved between July and early October 2026 than any other county.
The operator mix is broad. By July 2026 oil volumes, the largest were ExxonMobil’s XTO at the Hofflund field, Continental at Brooklyn and West Capa, Chord Energy, and Kraken Resources, which acquired Zavanna in March 2026; North Dakota Industrial Commission records still listed Zavanna as operator that July. Chevron, which acquired Hess in 2025, is the main operator in the old Beaver Lodge field, and Hess Midstream, in which Chevron holds about a 38% stake, owns the Tioga gas plant, one of the largest processing plants in the state.
Tracts near Williston carry their own title history. Some land along the Missouri River was conveyed to the United States for the Garrison Dam project in the 1950s with the minerals reserved, and in Wilkinson v. Board of University and School Lands the North Dakota Supreme Court held that the state’s 2017 riverbed law applies retroactively and that minerals above the ordinary high water mark were not the state’s.
What We Check on a Williams County Interest
- Chain of title in the Williams County Recorder’s records in Williston, which are digitized from patent to the present.
- Every spacing unit covering the tract, its wells and their completion dates.
- Operator succession, including accounts that moved from Zavanna to Kraken or from Hess to Chevron.
- Whether the tract lies along the Missouri River, where the ordinary high water mark affects title.
- Lease royalty and deduction language, especially on gas processed at Tioga.
- Abandonment history under Chapter 38-18.1, and your decimal and any suspended royalty.
Where Williams County Mineral Records Are Kept
The Williams County Recorder, on the first floor of the county administration building at 206 East Broadway in Williston, has digitized and indexed its records from patent to the present, searchable online through iDocMarket. The office does not determine mineral ownership itself. Well files, spacing orders and production data are held by the Department of Mineral Resources in Bismarck.
Williams County, North Dakota Mineral Rights FAQs
Can I sell my oil and gas rights in Williams County, North Dakota?
Yes. Whether you want to sell your oil rights, sell your gas rights, or sell your oil and gas royalty rights together, in Williams County they are all mineral or royalty interests, and we buy them for cash. That includes the full mineral estate, royalty and overriding royalty interests, unleased acreage and fractional shares inherited from family. If your interest covers only certain depths or formations, we value exactly what you own.
How much are my mineral rights worth in Williams County?
It depends on the wells in each unit over your tract, whether more are permitted, how old the existing wells are, and your lease and decimal. Williams is one of the most actively drilled counties in the state, which supports value for undeveloped acreage, but a recent statement or legal description is the right starting point.
Where was North Dakota’s first oil well?
In Williams County. The Clarence Iverson No. 1, about eight miles south of Tioga, was completed in April 1951 and opened the Beaver Lodge field. It produced more than 580,000 barrels over its life from the Madison, Duperow and Interlake formations.
Our check still says Zavanna. Who pays us now?
Kraken Resources completed its acquisition of Zavanna in March 2026, but state records can show the old operator name for some time after a sale. Your account should have transferred with the wells; if payments stopped, we can help trace it.
Our minerals near Williston were tied up in the Lake Sakakawea dispute. What changed?
A 2017 state law limited the state’s claim to the historical riverbed below the ordinary high water mark, and the North Dakota Supreme Court applied it retroactively in the Wilkinson case. Under that law, minerals above the high water mark are not the state’s, and royalties held for those tracts must be released to the owners.
Can we search Williams County records ourselves?
Yes. The Recorder’s records are online through iDocMarket for a modest fee, and the county has digitized everything from the original patents forward. We still review the chain ourselves before making an offer.
Nearby North Dakota Mineral Rights Pages
McKenzie County mineral rights
Get a Free, No-Obligation Offer
Send a legal description, a check stub or a division order. We will identify the units and wells affecting the tract, trace the current operator, and provide a written cash offer when the interest is marketable.
Records and Sources We Use
We use records from the Williams County Recorder and well, production and permit records from the North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources, including its county oil production records. Discovery history comes from the North Dakota Geological Survey, and riverbed case law from Wilkinson v. Board of University and School Lands (2020).
Last reviewed October 2026. Sources: NDIC county production data (2025) and July 2026 monthly production report; NDIC daily permit reports (July–October 2026); North Dakota Geological Survey; Hess Midstream 2025 annual report. This page provides general information, not legal or tax advice. A qualified North Dakota attorney or CPA should advise you about your facts.
Header photo: DrReload / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Related North Dakota Mineral Rights Guides
Mineral ownership, title history and drilling patterns often continue across county lines. These related guides provide useful comparisons:
- Sell North Dakota mineral rights — the abandoned-mineral statute, pooling, royalty timing, taxes and the selling process.
- McKenzie County, North Dakota mineral rights — North Dakota’s top oil county, with Fort Berthold and Lake Sakakawea title issues.
- Divide County, North Dakota mineral rights — Fast-growing Bakken output on the Canadian border.
- Mountrail County, North Dakota mineral rights — Parshall and Sanish, where the modern Bakken boom began.
- Four North Dakota Counties, Four Royalty Stories: Williams, Dunn, Divide and Stark
Why Mineral Owners Contact Us
No Fees or Commissions
There is no cost to request an offer, and we cover normal closing costs.
A Simple Process
Share the information you have. We research the interest and explain the offer clearly.
No Obligation
You decide whether selling fits your goals. There is no pressure to accept.
How the Offer Process Works
- Tell us about your mineral rights. Send the owner name, county, and any lease, well, or royalty information you have.
- We review the interest. Our team researches ownership, production, and nearby activity.
- Receive a cash offer. We explain the offer and answer your questions.
- Choose what works for you. If you accept, we coordinate the paperwork and closing.
Get Your Free Williams County Offer
Tell us a little about your interest. We’ll get back to you within 1–2 business days with a free, no-obligation review.
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