Fort Collins, Loveland, Berthoud: the northwest margin of the DJ, where the real story is an operator shutdown and fifty wells being plugged with state money.
Larimer County sits on the northwest margin of the DJ Basin, and the honest summary is that it is mature, contracting, and carrying an active plugging problem.
The headline issue is operator failure. Prospect Energy, which operated the Fort Collins Field with 49 Larimer wells including 10 inside Fort Collins, had its right to do business in Colorado cancelled by the Energy and Carbon Management Commission in August 2024 following illegal flaring, spills, and failed integrity tests. Fines of $1.7 million were waived to fund cleanup, all its wells are to be shut in, and the Attorney General sued to enforce. Roughly 50 Larimer wells are being plugged with $5.2 million in state funds.
That matters directly to an owner: there is a real probability that a Larimer County interest described as producing is attached to a well that is headed for plugging. We verify well status before assigning any value to current production, and we tell you what we find. A buyer who does not check that is either not looking or is counting on you not to.
What remains is legacy conventional oil at the Fort Collins, Wellington, Loveland, and Berthoud fields, some producing since 1928, plus limited Niobrara and Codell potential in the southeast corner. Roughly 107 wells produce out of 799 total. Bison IV, Magpie Operating, and Blackrock Energy are among the operators.
Local restriction is also real. Larimer adopted new regulations in April 2020 and Berthoud's moratorium has persisted since 2019, and under SB 19-181 local siting authority can be stricter than the state's.
Send us a statement and we will verify the wells before quoting anything.
Limited horizontal potential in the southeast corner toward Johnstown, Berthoud, and Windsor. The rest of the county is not prospective.
The Fort Collins, Wellington, Loveland, and Berthoud fields, some producing since 1928. Single zone rather than stacked.
Wherever your tract sits in Larimer County, we will research it free and value it with the work shown.
Free, no obligation, and no pressure. We reply within one business day, usually faster.
Prefer the phone? Call or text 918-984-1645 and you will get Stephen, the owner, not a call center. If we miss you, we text back the same day.