# Sell Mineral Rights in La Plata County, Colorado | Berlin Royalties > Selling mineral rights in La Plata County, Colorado? Berlin buys Fruitland coal, Dakota and Mesaverde royalties around Durango, Bayfield, Ignacio. Free fee versus trust determination. Source: https://www.berlinroyalties.com/colorado/la-plata-county/ Publisher: Berlin Royalties, a veteran-owned oil and gas mineral and royalty buyer in Tulsa, Oklahoma, buying for its own account since 2014. Call or text 918-984-1645. License: free to quote and cite with attribution to Berlin Royalties and a link to the source URL. Where We Buy · Colorado · La Plata County ## Sell your La Plata County mineral rights. Durango, Bayfield, Ignacio: northern San Juan Basin coalbed methane in decline, a Dakota horizontal revival, and the most consequential tribal title question we deal with anywhere. [Get a Free Valuation](https://www.berlinroyalties.com/free-valuation/) or call or text [918-984-1645](tel:9189841645) La Plata County is the northern San Juan Basin, and the first question about any interest here is not what it produces but whether it can be bought at all. The Southern Ute Indian Reservation covers the southern portion of the county in a genuine checkerboard of tribal trust, allotted, fee, and federal minerals. Interests in restricted Indian land are not freely conveyable and require Bureau of Indian Affairs approval, and allotted interests are heavily fractionated by heirship. We make that determination free and we tell you the answer even when it means we cannot buy what you have. The second distinctive issue is the coalbed methane ownership question, and this county is where it was settled. Amoco Production Co. v. Southern Ute Indian Tribe, decided by the United States Supreme Court in 1999, arose from these lands and held that coal reserved under the 1909 and 1910 Coal Lands Acts does not include coalbed methane. Fruitland coalbed methane therefore belongs to the oil and gas estate. Every La Plata chain should be run against that holding. On the asset itself: Fruitland coalbed methane at Ignacio-Blanco has historically been roughly 90 percent of the county's oil and gas value and is in long, documented decline, with most wells drilled around 1990. Against that, a horizontal Dakota revival is underway, and Dakota now leads the county by well count. Red Willow Production, the Southern Ute Indian Tribe's exploration and production arm, is a major operator alongside Catamount, Simcoe, BP America, Enduring, and Logos. Send us a legal description and we will tell you what category you are in. Formations & Plays ## What produces here ### Fruitland coal The core coalbed methane producer at Ignacio-Blanco Field, spaced at 320 acres with optional infill. Most wells were drilled around 1990. ### Dakota Now the county's leading formation by well count, reflecting a horizontal Dakota revival. ### Pictured Cliffs, Mesaverde and Lewis Shale Additional stacked intervals, historically developed as separate wellbores on separate spacing rather than co-developed benches. Counties ## Communities we see in La Plata County title Durango Bayfield Ignacio Hesperus Marvel Fort Lewis Wherever your tract sits in La Plata County, we will research it free and value it with the work shown. Nearby ## Other Colorado counties we buy in [Adams County](https://www.berlinroyalties.com/colorado/adams-county/)[Arapahoe County](https://www.berlinroyalties.com/colorado/arapahoe-county/)[Broomfield](https://www.berlinroyalties.com/colorado/broomfield-county/)[Garfield County](https://www.berlinroyalties.com/colorado/garfield-county/)[Larimer County](https://www.berlinroyalties.com/colorado/larimer-county/)[Las Animas County](https://www.berlinroyalties.com/colorado/las-animas-county/)[Mesa County](https://www.berlinroyalties.com/colorado/mesa-county/)[Morgan County](https://www.berlinroyalties.com/colorado/morgan-county/)[Weld County](https://www.berlinroyalties.com/colorado/weld-county/) We buy in every Colorado county, including ones without a page here. See the [full county index](https://www.berlinroyalties.com/counties/) or the [Colorado overview](https://www.berlinroyalties.com/colorado/). ### The Colorado mineral owner's guide Everything a Colorado owner needs in one place: who owns what under state law, how royalties must be paid and by when, what a buyer can and cannot deduct, the tax treatment of a sale, and the deadlines that quietly cost people their minerals. Free, and no sign-up. [Read the Colorado guide](https://www.berlinroyalties.com/guide/colorado/) [Every oil and gas operator in Colorado](https://www.berlinroyalties.com/operators/colorado/), with contact information, refreshed from the state regulator. Free to search, and useful whether or not you ever sell anything. Questions ## Straight answers for La Plata County owners Are my La Plata County minerals inside the Southern Ute Reservation? This has to be answered before anything else, and we will do it free. The Southern Ute Indian Reservation covers the southern portion of the county and is a genuine checkerboard of tribal trust, allotted, fee, and federal minerals. Interests in restricted Indian land are not freely conveyable and require Bureau of Indian Affairs approval. A private buyer generally cannot purchase trust or allotted interests at all. Establishing which category your interest falls into is the first step and it changes everything that follows. Does my coal owner own the coalbed methane? Under the controlling authority, generally no, and this county is where the question was decided. Amoco Production Co. v. Southern Ute Indian Tribe, decided by the United States Supreme Court in 1999, arose from these very lands and held that coal reserved to the United States under the 1909 and 1910 Coal Lands Acts does not include coalbed methane. So Fruitland coalbed methane belongs to the oil and gas estate rather than the coal owner. Every La Plata coalbed methane chain of title should be run against that holding rather than assumed. Is La Plata County declining or recovering? Both, in different formations. The Fruitland coalbed methane that historically made up roughly 90 percent of the county's oil and gas value is in a long documented decline, with most wells drilled around 1990 chasing Section 29 tax credits. At the same time there is a modest horizontal Dakota revival, with Logos Operating permitting Elway horizontals in December 2025 and Dakota now leading the county by well count. Roughly 2,139 wells produce out of 5,332 drilled. ## Before you sign anything in La Plata County The things owners here most often wish they had read first. All free, none of it gated. - [How mineral rights are valued](https://www.berlinroyalties.com/mineral-rights-value/), including the rule of thumb people quote and why it is usually wrong - [Selling mineral rights](https://www.berlinroyalties.com/sell-mineral-rights/) and [selling oil and gas royalties](https://www.berlinroyalties.com/sell-oil-and-gas-royalties/), with the real process and timeline - [The Pugh clause](https://www.berlinroyalties.com/pugh-clause/), the single most valuable sentence you can negotiate into a lease - [What a farm out is](https://www.berlinroyalties.com/farmout-agreements/), and why your operator suddenly changed - [The rule of capture](https://www.berlinroyalties.com/rule-of-capture/), and why a neighbor's well can legally drain your minerals - [Non-participating royalty interests](https://www.berlinroyalties.com/non-participating-royalty-interest/), if your deed carved one out - [Executive rights](https://www.berlinroyalties.com/executive-rights/), if somebody else signs the lease that binds your minerals - [Surface owner rights](https://www.berlinroyalties.com/surface-owner-rights/), if you own the ground and someone else owns what is under it - [Questions to ask a buyer](https://www.berlinroyalties.com/questions-to-ask/) and [what happens if you want out after signing](https://www.berlinroyalties.com/can-i-back-out-of-a-mineral-rights-sale/) Free Valuation ## Find out what your La Plata County minerals are worth. Free, no obligation, and no pressure. We reply within one business day, usually faster. Prefer the phone? Call or text [918-984-1645](tel:9189841645) and you will get Stephen, the owner, not a call center. If we miss you, we text back the same day. In a hurry? Our [preliminary offer](https://www.berlinroyalties.com/preliminary-offer/) puts a written number in front of you within about two business days and holds it still for 7 while you decide. Your Name Phone Number Email Address Where are your minerals located? OklahomaTexasNew MexicoLouisiana ArkansasKansasNorth DakotaMontana WyomingColoradoUtahCalifornia West VirginiaOhioPennsylvaniaKentucky MichiganMississippiAlabamaAlaska Sand/Gravel/AggregateOther / Not sure County (if known) Interest type Select an option Minerals and Royalties Working Interest Overriding Royalty Interest An Entity (LLC, Partnership, Trust) Not Sure Are you currently receiving royalty checks? Select an option Yes No I Used To But They Stopped Not Sure Have you received offers for your minerals before? Select an option Yes No What best describes your situation? Select an option I'm ready to sell now I'm exploring my options I'm just curious what they're worth When would you like this done? Select an option This month This quarter No timeline, just researching Anything else? (optional) Get My Free Valuation No cost, no obligation, and we never share your information.