North Dakota permits
1,183
+444 vs Apr. (+60.1%)
May source window through May 31, 2026. Treat as permit-stage activity, not production.
State watchlists
ND · Friday update · Quality score 9.5
North Dakota Operator Activity Watchlist
North Dakota Bakken operator activity, production clock context, active-rig signals, and source-backed commercial follow-up.
North Dakota belongs in the major-state program as a Bakken production and operator-activity watchlist rather than a Texas-style permit page.
Formatted app data
What the current source pull shows
These rows are selected proof points from the EnergyNetWatch workflow. They show the signal before asking for access.
Type
Record
Current
Movement
Latest
Buyer read
Operator
RecordCONTINENTAL RESOURCES, INC.
Current99 May permits
Movement+28 vs Apr.
LatestMay 19
Buyer readHighest May permit count; pair with county concentration before outreach.
Operator
RecordDENBURY ONSHORE, LLC
Current98 May permits
Movement+83 vs Apr.
LatestMay 22
Buyer readLargest operator move in the top set; worth source-label and county review.
Operator
RecordHESS BAKKEN INVESTMENTS II, LLC
Current88 May permits
Movement+18 vs Apr.
LatestMay 30
Buyer readFresh late-May evidence makes this a current Bakken follow-up candidate.
County
RecordMcKenzie
Current328 May permits
Movement+113 vs Apr.
LatestMay 29
Buyer readLargest county concentration; core Bakken territory follow-up.
County
RecordWilliams
Current204 May permits
Movement+44 vs Apr.
LatestMay 30
Buyer readHigh volume with fresh records; useful for account and service-territory checks.
County
RecordMountrail
Current193 May permits
Movement+40 vs Apr.
LatestMay 28
Buyer readSustained county activity that belongs in the weekly Bakken view.
Commercial takeaways
What the source records are telling a buyer
North Dakota should focus on Bakken operator and county activity because production data is the strongest public buyer question.
The May permit window rose 60.1% versus April, but the latest loaded week cooled from the prior-week spike.
A Friday watchlist can show who appears active, what source clock is available, and where deeper app workflows add value.
The page should avoid forcing a Texas-style permit structure where North Dakota source behavior is different.
Buyer question
Which state-source records show current activity, and what should my team do next?
This page is designed to be useful before a sales conversation. It shows selected evidence and caveats, then points qualified users to the current EnergyNetWatch table, map, export, alert, or API workflow.
Top-line SEO activity targets
Permits, spuds, production, and county activity
This is the shape of the recurring Friday page. The weekly pull should fill week-over-week and month-over-month deltas before anything is published.
Latest loaded week
98
-311 WoW
May 22-28 records compared with a heavier May 15-21 prior-week window.
County concentration
McKenzie
328 May permits
McKenzie, Williams, Mountrail, Bowman, Dunn, and Divide led the reviewed May county set.
Production source clock
Apr. 2026
separate evidence
Production context should stay separate from permit activity in public copy.
Operator permit activity
North Dakota drilling permits by operator
The weekly version should keep this table style: current permit count, prior-period comparison, latest source date, and a plain commercial read.
Rank
Operator
Current
MoM change
Latest
Read
Rank 1
OperatorCONTINENTAL RESOURCES, INC.
Current99 May permits
MoM change+28 vs Apr.
LatestMay 19
ReadHighest May permit count; pair with county concentration before outreach.
Rank 2
OperatorDENBURY ONSHORE, LLC
Current98 May permits
MoM change+83 vs Apr.
LatestMay 22
ReadLargest operator move in the top set; worth source-label and county review.
Rank 3
OperatorHESS BAKKEN INVESTMENTS II, LLC
Current88 May permits
MoM change+18 vs Apr.
LatestMay 30
ReadFresh late-May evidence makes this a current Bakken follow-up candidate.
Rank 4
OperatorOASIS PETROLEUM NORTH AMERICA LLC
Current78 May permits
MoM change-3 vs Apr.
LatestMay 19
ReadStill high volume despite a modest month-over-month decline.
Rank 5
OperatorDEVON ENERGY WILLISTON, L.L.C
Current73 May permits
MoM change+27 vs Apr.
LatestMay 30
ReadFresh records and positive movement make this a strong operator watchlist row.
County activity movement
North Dakota permit activity by county
This table keeps the public view useful without publishing every row: current permit count, month-over-month movement, latest source date, and the buyer read for the county.
Rank
County
Current
MoM change
Latest
Read
Rank 1
CountyMcKenzie
Current328 May permits
MoM change+113 vs Apr.
LatestMay 29
ReadLargest county concentration; core Bakken territory follow-up.
Rank 2
CountyWilliams
Current204 May permits
MoM change+44 vs Apr.
LatestMay 30
ReadHigh volume with fresh records; useful for account and service-territory checks.
Rank 3
CountyMountrail
Current193 May permits
MoM change+40 vs Apr.
LatestMay 28
ReadSustained county activity that belongs in the weekly Bakken view.
Rank 4
CountyBowman
Current131 May permits
MoM change+110 vs Apr.
LatestMay 28
ReadLarge month-over-month change; source-label QA should precede a named outreach angle.
Rank 5
CountyDunn
Current120 May permits
MoM change+55 vs Apr.
LatestMay 28
ReadPositive county movement with enough volume for buyer follow-up.
Source clocks
Source windows and freshness context
These source clocks keep permit, spud, production, and activity records separated instead of forcing them into one misleading total.
May permit records
1,183
North Dakota permit records in the May 2026 source window; latest loaded permit date May 31, 2026.
April permits
739
April comparison on the same permit-date basis, used for the month-over-month read.
Latest loaded week
98
May 22-28 permit records versus 409 records in the May 15-21 prior-week comparison window.
Production clock
Apr. 2026
Recent operations work verified North Dakota production coverage through April 2026.
Activity signals
Source-backed signals and follow-up actions
The watchlist separates source evidence from commercial interpretation. That keeps permit, production, spud, and infrastructure records from being treated as the same type of activity.
Signal
Source Evidence
Commercial Read
Next Action
Signal
Operator production activity
Source Evidence
North Dakota DMR production records and operator rollups where public source timing supports a clean summary.
Commercial Read
Analysts and commercial teams can compare Bakken operator activity without manually rebuilding monthly records.
Next Action
Request a North Dakota operator activity table.
Signal
County concentration
Source Evidence
County-level production and operator context by source month.
Commercial Read
County signals help territory and basin teams identify where current Bakken attention belongs.
Next Action
Request a county/operator Bakken workflow.
Signal
Active-rig context
Source Evidence
EnergyNetWatch active-rig snapshots and modeled-rig workflow where available.
Commercial Read
Rig context helps separate current activity from production-only lag.
Next Action
Request a Bakken activity and rig context export.
Selected examples
Public examples to anchor the weekly update
These examples are intentionally partial. They prove the workflow without giving away the full current table, map layer, export, alert logic, or API-ready record set.
Bakken counties
North Dakota operator production snapshot
Source record
North Dakota operator production page already published as a public EnergyNetWatch example.
Commercial use
Operator comparison, county focus, and production-source monitoring.
Statewide
Bakken source-clock read
Source record
Production coverage verified through April 2026 in recent operations work.
Commercial use
Source freshness check before building operator or county follow-up.
Source notes
How to read this page
- North Dakota should use DMR and Bakken source language.
- Read-only source pull was reviewed on June 19, 2026. Permit date uses COALESCE(issue_date, filed_date); canceled records are excluded where identifiable.
- Production records are not the same as permit-stage evidence.
- Active-rig context should be labeled separately from production totals.
Caveats
What this public page does not claim
- This watchlist should not claim Texas-style permit depth unless the state source record supports it.
- Public production snapshots are selected summaries; full records and exports require app access.
Current table
Request the current North Dakota operator activity table
Public watchlists show selected examples. EnergyNetWatch access adds exact records, source dates, maps, exports, alerts, saved workflows, and API-ready data where coverage supports it.
Related EnergyNetWatch reads