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🛢️ DAYTONA 6-5-4 1H
Devon Energy Williston, LLC · Williams County, North Dakota County, ND · File #42686 · Generated 2026-02-13 12:33
- API
- 3310506791
- Target Formation
- Bakken Formation (Painted Woods-Bakken Pool)
- Permit Explained
- Partially
📋 Permit Cycle Assessment
The permit approval (07/05/2026, Order No. 34514) is directly explained by two structural conditions: (1) the setback stipulation (500' N/S, 150' E/W) mandated for this 1920-acre spacing unit, and (2) the specific justification for the reduced east setback via wet shoe design with frac-out capability. These constraints condition the well geometry shown in the technical plan set (SHL, ITP, BHL coordinates; casing design with wet shoe sub; landing collar at 680' FNL, 150' FEL). Routine permit conditions (closed mud system, remote shutoff devices, pool definition, CPF director authority) are standard boilerplate. However, one significant permit-cycle signal is incompletely documented: the backbuild order waiver request (NDIC Order 31973) dated 2026-01-28 explicitly states that all four wells on this pad enter the Bakken Formation outside their target spacing unit. Devon's letter requests an implicit waiver of third-party notification based on self-operator status. **No contemporaneous NDIC response, approval letter, or waiver grant is present in the file.** This creates ambiguity about whether the permit approval assumes waiver approval or whether the waiver decision was issued separately and not included in the file.
🔍 Permit Cycle Signals (5)
📄 Permit page 1, STIPULATIONS section, 'NDIC Field Order Info'
📅 2026-07-05 (Exact confidence)
This is the direct regulator-issued order conditioning the permit approval. The setback configuration is not routine — the east setback (150') is explicitly justified by a production liner cemented in the lateral with a wet shoe and ability to frac out the shoe, indicating non-standard well geometry requiring regulatory condition.
📄 Permit page 1, STIPULATIONS section, 'Bakken Setback Summary Statement'
📅 2026-07-05 (Exact confidence)
This stipulation directly explains the non-routine east setback condition (150' vs. standard 300'+ typical Bakken practice). Wet shoe design with frac-out capability is the technical justification for reduced setback, tying well design to permit constraint.
📄 Permit page 1, STIPULATIONS section, 'NDIC Field Order Info'
📅 2026-07-05 (Exact confidence)
Establishes the legal formation boundary and pool jurisdiction for this permit. Required for permitting but not differentiating.
📄 Permit page 1, STIPULATIONS section, 'Construction Commencement Notification'
📅 2026-07-05 (Exact confidence)
Regulatory requirement tied to permit approval with specific inspector assignment and contact protocol, indicating operator-regulator coordination mechanism for this well.
📄 Letter dated 2026-01-28 from Yani Durden (Devon) to Todd Holweger (NDIC Permit Manager), subject line 'Backbuild Order Waiver'; describes well trajectories entering Bakken outside target spacing unit.
📅 2026-01-28 (Exact confidence)
This letter explicitly addresses NDIC Order 31973 requirements for horizontal wells that traverse adjacent spacing units. Devon discloses that all four wells on the pad (Daytona 6-5-4-1H through 4H) enter the Bakken outside their target spacing unit, requiring backbuild notification. Devon asserts self-operator status negates third-party notification need. No regulator response document is present in the file; approval status of this waiver request is **not contemporaneously documented**.
📖 Historical Context (1)
Filter Socks and Filter Media Requirement (NDIC letter dated 2025-05-30) — Leak-proof, covered, placard container required on-site during spud through completion/flow-back operations. Effective June 1, 2014.
📄 Letter from Mark F. Bohrer (Assistant Director, Oil and Gas Division) to Operators, dated 2025-05-30, subject 'Filter Socks and Other Filter Media—Leak Proof Container Required' · 📅 Unknown
This is a standing operational requirement affecting waste management during drilling, completion, and flow-back. It does not explain the permit but persists as an ongoing compliance obligation for any well spudded after June 1, 2014. Applicable to the Daytona 6-5-4-1H.
🔧 Operator Pattern
Devon Energy Williston, LLC demonstrates regulatory sophistication and proactive compliance posture. The operator self-identifies as operator of adjacent spacing units, discloses backbuild trajectory risks, and voluntarily provides notification to the regulator under NDIC Order 31973 even when claiming self-operator waiver status.
Letter dated 2026-01-28 explicitly cites Order 31973, provides detailed directional and completion plan references, states intent to comply with all pertinent regulatory requirements, and commits to acting as a good neighbor. This proactive disclosure contrasts with passive waiver requests and indicates an operator engaged with regulatory expectations.
Confidence: Medium
High confidence in identification of direct permit-cycle signals tied to Order No. 34514 and the setback stipulations. High confidence in location, dating, and interpretation of the backbuild waiver request (2026-01-28). However, **medium confidence overall because the file does not include an NDIC response to the backbuild waiver request, leaving the actual approval status of that waiver ambiguous.** The permit was issued 07/05/2026, but no evidence appears in the file that NDIC formally approved the Order 31973 waiver before or concurrent with permit issuance. This gap does not invalidate the permit explanation (which rests on Order 34514 setbacks), but it suggests incomplete file documentation regarding one material regulatory decision.