Regulatory Signal Search

Search NDIC filings and inspect coverage across permits, orders, and cases — without opening every PDF first.
Earliest Signals
Regulatory Trends
Wellfile Signals
Coverage & Context
Methodology
Use this page for advanced search and coverage checks

Start with Earliest Signals to catch dockets before a signed order, use Wellfile Signals to inspect operator-level document intelligence, and open Methodology only when you want sourcing and extraction detail.

Top Operators by Oil Production MBbl = thousands of barrels. Signal Wells = wells with extracted permit intelligence.
# Operator Oil (MBbl) Gas (MMcf) Producing Wells Signal Wells
The production table shows which operators already have structured well-level intelligence in the system. The casefile table shows which of those operators also have active regulatory cases, connecting upstream filings to current production context.
Coverage Across Operators NDIC regulatory docket — Spacing, Pooling, Enhanced Recovery cases (non-dismissed).
Reading these signals

Spacing New well pattern approved — operator is locking in acreage ahead of a drilling program. Typically leads to a pad of 2–6 wells within 6–18 months.
Pooling Mineral rights consolidated across multiple owners — regulatory prerequisite before spud. Well spud likely within 3–12 months of order.
Enhanced Recovery Secondary/tertiary injection program approved — signals field expansion or pressure maintenance on existing production.
Pending Case not yet decided — hearing is scheduled. Imminent decision. Highest urgency.
Next Hearing — the most recent upcoming (or most recently passed) NDIC hearing date for any pending case by this operator. A hearing date in the past means the case was recently heard and an order is likely imminent.
Coverage — Both means this operator also has individual well permit files (wellfile intelligence) in our signal database — you can see those filings under Wellfile Updates. Casefile only means we have regulatory case data but no processed wellfile permits yet for this operator.

OperatorRegulatory CasesPending SpacingPoolingER Next HearingCoverage
Operator Disagreements — Classified by Type
Well Type Claude (Cortex) Grok Haiku
Not all disagreements are equal

The raw count overstates the signal. Disagreements fall into three types — only one is actionable.


Acquisition Different companies — the document names the original filer; the acquiring company now operates the well. Worth investigating.
Acquisition Examples: Devon / Grayson Mill (2024), Chord / Whiting (2022), ExxonMobil / XTO (2010)


Formatting Same company, different punctuation — LLC vs L.L.C., all-caps OCR vs title case. Not meaningful.


Name variant One model abbreviated — Claude returned "KODA Resources" while Grok returned "KODA Resources Operating, LLC." Same entity, Claude just truncated. Not meaningful.

Bottom line
  • Only Acquisition rows warrant a closer look
  • If Grok + Haiku agree and Claude differs, Claude likely applied current-entity knowledge
  • Formatting and name variant rows are model noise, not data errors
Avg Sentiment by Document Category
Document Category Mix
Regulatory Documents
Most Contentious (negative sentiment — penalties, contested hearings)

Most Routine / Positive (positive sentiment — routine approvals, standard orders)

Documents with scores between −0.2 and 0 (neutral or mixed tone) are not shown in either section.

Wellfile Signals — Sorted by Last Seen
WellOperatorCountyHazard Signals Flags Last Seen
Regulatory Signal Search
📄 Showing pre-computed example results. Live search connecting…
Search NDIC filings by operator, activity, or topic to surface the right filing before opening the source PDF — e.g. "Hess pooling order" or "Devon completion Williams County."
Filings indexed and analyzed daily.
Docket filings are the earliest upstream signal in the regulatory pipeline — a spacing application appears here 4–8 weeks before the NDIC hearing, and months before a signed order authorizes drilling. All counts below are bucketed by when each case first appeared on a docket, so continued cases are not double-counted as recent activity.
Upcoming & Active Spacing Cases — First Filed Last 60 Days Includes scheduled and active continued cases — earliest available signal before a signed order · Click any row to expand
Active Counties
New Filings — Last 90 Days Operators with high-relevance spacing applications, bucketed by first docket appearance
Three Forks Average Depth by County — Williston Basin (32K wells)

🟢 Green = shallower (<9,000 ft) — cheaper to drill  |  🟡 Yellow = mid-depth (9,000–10,000 ft)  |  🔴 Red = deep (>10,000 ft, Bakken core) — highest cost, highest production potential

Why you can trust the data
Source filings
Everything on this page starts with NDIC public filings — well permits, commission orders, and case files. New filings are pulled and indexed daily.
Structured extraction
Each filing is parsed into operator, county, formation, permit type, flags, and outcome fields so you can search and compare filings without manually rereading the document.
Summaries with source context
The system produces plain-English summaries and keeps the filing link attached, so you can decide whether a document matters before opening the source PDF.
Priority cues
Signals such as filing type, tone, hazards, and pending status help separate routine approvals from filings that deserve faster attention.
What this tool does

Use this page when you want to search filings directly, inspect the earliest hearing signals, or validate coverage across operators and counties. For day-to-day workflows, start with Ask, Signed Orders, or Wellfile Updates and come here when you want more depth.

🔍 Regulatory Signals — how to search
Search by operator name
Enter an operator name to see all recent filings associated with that company — permits, orders, and case outcomes.
"Hess" returns pooling orders, completion permits, and any regulatory actions involving Hess Corporation in North Dakota.
Search by activity type
Use operational terms to find filings by what's happening — not just who filed them.
"disposal well approval" returns filings where an injection or disposal well was approved. "stimulation plan" returns completion-stage permits. "fracking contractor" returns filings that name specific service companies.
Search by regulatory topic
Find filings by the regulatory issue involved — useful for tracking enforcement patterns or spotting operators with compliance problems.
"pooling order Mountrail" narrows to mineral pooling cases in that county. "penalty" or "violation" surfaces enforcement actions. "spacing exception" finds wells requesting non-standard unit configurations.
Reading a result card
Each result shows the filing type, operator, county, and an auto-generated summary of what the filing covers. Click the filename link to open the original NDIC document.
The summary tells you the outcome in 2–3 sentences. You don't need to open the PDF unless you need the detail — use the summary to decide if it's worth your time.
📋 Regulatory Intelligence — what you're seeing
Tone score (contentious vs routine)
Each filing is scored on language tone from −1.0 (adversarial) to +1.0 (routine approval). Negative scores flag contested hearings, penalties, and denied applications.
Score below −0.2 = something was disputed or penalised. Use the negative-sentiment list to quickly find operators in regulatory trouble or filings that didn't go smoothly.
Filing categories
Filings are classified into types: field rule amendments, spacing exceptions, pooling orders, notices of hearing, penalties, and setback variances. Use this to filter for the activity type relevant to you.
If you sell completion services, focus on spacing exceptions and pooling orders — those precede drilling decisions. If you're tracking compliance risk, focus on penalties and notices of hearing.
Operator risk signals
Operators appearing repeatedly in negative-tone filings — penalties, withdrawn applications, contested hearings — carry higher regulatory risk. This affects their permitting speed and operational predictability.
An operator with three penalty filings in 90 days may face permit delays or increased scrutiny. That affects your timeline if you're planning to work with them.
Well Signals — reading the flags
Signal Count
Each permit is analyzed for non-routine items. A higher count means more regulatory conditions, contractor requirements, or complications.
1–2 = standard permit (grey). 3–4 = elevated complexity (orange). 5+ = complex well with multiple conditions (red). Complex wells take longer to approve and have more service touchpoints.
Hazard Level — HIGH / MOD / STD
An overall hazard classification assigned by the Snowflake Cortex intelligence model based on all signals found in the well's documents. HIGH = multiple serious conditions. MOD = one or more notable items. STD = no ML intelligence report has been run yet — the well has regulatory signals but hasn't been analyzed by the model.
HIGH typically indicates H₂S presence, contested setbacks, or enforcement history. MOD indicates items worth attention but not critical. STD means the well is in the signal database but its permits haven't been processed through the intelligence pipeline yet.
H₂S — Hydrogen sulfide detected
The formation contains toxic gas. Requires specialized safety equipment, certified personnel, and stricter site setbacks. Raises operational cost for all on-site services.
H₂S-flagged wells require additional certifications and equipment. Factor into quotes and mobilisation plans for any field service work.
FLARE — Gas capture not yet in place
Natural gas will be flared because gathering infrastructure is not yet connected. A gap — and a service opportunity for midstream providers and pipeline contractors.
A newly permitted well with a flaring plan has no gas sales infrastructure. That operator will need gathering connections within 12–18 months or face regulatory action.
SETBK — Setback variance required
The well location is closer than standard minimums to a road, building, or property boundary. Requires Commission approval and is sometimes contested. Expect permit delays.
WATER — Non-standard water sourcing
The permit references a surface water application, injection well, or water recycling plan. Signals the operator is actively managing water logistics.
Relevant for water haulers, disposal well operators, and recycling service providers.
Permit Cycle Signals
Specific items extracted from the permit text, each tagged by date and type. Expand any well row to see them.
Time-Sensitive = a deadline or approval window mentioned in the permit. Structural = a specific infrastructure, equipment, or design condition that must be met.
Practical use of the signals table
  • Filter by operator to see all their active permits and what conditions are attached
  • FLARE flag = operator needs gathering infrastructure — contact before construction starts
  • H₂S flag = specialist services required — safety equipment, certified crews, H₂S monitoring
  • HIGH hazard = complex well, longer timeline, more contractor touchpoints and regulatory scrutiny
  • Click a well row to expand its full signal detail, permit cycle signals, and link to the source filing