{
  "state": {
    "name": "Colorado",
    "abbreviation": "CO",
    "slug": "colorado"
  },
  "county": {
    "name": "Weld",
    "slug": "weld",
    "url": "https://www.americanroyaltybuyers.com/mineral-rights/colorado/weld",
    "basinSlug": "niobrarabasin",
    "description": "American Royalty Buyers acquires mineral rights and royalties in Weld County, Colorado. Located in the core of the Denver-Julesburg Basin, we provide comprehensive valuations.",
    "overview": "Weld County is the core of the Denver-Julesburg Basin and the most heavily drilled county in Colorado by a wide margin — roughly 45,800 wells on record, of which about 10,950 are currently active. If you own minerals anywhere in Colorado's oil and gas country, statistically they are most likely here. Development ranges from century-old shallow production around Greeley to modern multi-well horizontal pads, and drilling is ongoing rather than historical.",
    "geology": "Weld County's modern production comes from the Niobrara and Codell formations, frequently developed together from the same pad — roughly 21,300 wells list the Niobrara among their producing reservoirs and about 16,600 list the Codell, frequently as a combined Niobrara-Codell completion. Beneath and around them sit the older Dakota-group J Sand and D Sand horizons that carried the county's legacy vertical production, plus Sussex and Shannon sands in parts of the county.",
    "activity": "Drilling is active and current: the most recent spud on file in the county is dated July 2026, with roughly 480 drilled-but-uncompleted wells and about 300 approved permits still outstanding. That backlog matters to a mineral owner — DUCs and permits represent wells that may still be drilled on or near your acreage, which is upside that does not yet appear on a royalty statement.",
    "keyFormations": [
      "Niobrara",
      "Codell",
      "J Sand (Dakota group)",
      "D Sand",
      "Sussex / Shannon"
    ],
    "stats": [
      {
        "label": "Basin",
        "value": "Denver-Julesburg (DJ) — core"
      },
      {
        "label": "Primary Play",
        "value": "Niobrara / Codell"
      },
      {
        "label": "Wells on Record",
        "value": "~45,800 (~10,950 active)"
      },
      {
        "label": "Permits + DUCs Outstanding",
        "value": "~300 permits, ~480 DUCs"
      }
    ],
    "faqs": [
      {
        "q": "What formations produce in Weld County, Colorado?",
        "a": "The Niobrara and Codell are the primary modern targets and are often completed together from the same horizontal pad — roughly 21,300 wells on record list the Niobrara among their producing reservoirs and about 16,600 list the Codell. Older vertical production in the county came largely from the Dakota-group J Sand and D Sand, with Sussex and Shannon sands productive in places. Which of these sits under your specific tract depends on where in the county you are."
      },
      {
        "q": "Is Weld County still being actively drilled?",
        "a": "Yes. The most recent spud on record in the county is dated July 2026, and operators are carrying roughly 480 drilled-but-uncompleted wells and about 300 approved permits. For a mineral owner that pending inventory is meaningful: those are wells that may still be drilled on or near your acreage, and they represent value that has not shown up on a royalty check yet."
      },
      {
        "q": "How do I find out what my Weld County minerals are worth?",
        "a": "There is no single per-acre number — value depends on your net mineral acres, your royalty decimal, whether your tract is already producing, which formations are developed beneath it, how far along the decline curve the existing wells are, and what is still permitted nearby. ARB reviews all of that against your specific acreage and provides a free, written, no-obligation valuation with the reasoning explained."
      }
    ]
  }
}