Trust Lands

We provide major funding support for North Dakota public schools

Welcome to the North Dakota Department of Trust Lands

Search for your unclaimed property for free at unclaimedproperty.nd.gov

WELCOME TO THE NORTH DAKOTA DEPARTMENT OF TRUST LANDS

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT IN FUNDING K-12 EDUCATION IN NORTH DAKOTA

 

UPCOMING EVENTS

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Events Page
Thursday, April 30, 2026 at 09:00 am - 11:00 pm
Categories: Land Board

The Board of University & School Lands will meet for its next regular meeting on Thursday, April 30th at 9:00 AM in the Governor's Conference Room and online with Microsoft Teams.

Members of the public are welcome to attend in person or online.

Agenda materials will be published upon availability.

Microsoft Teams Need help? 

Join the meeting now 


Dial in by phone 

+1 701-328-0950,,55286962# United States, Bismarck 

RECENT NEWS

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Recent News

Spring 2026 Auction Results

The tracts listed in the pdf below are available to lease with the Department of Trust Lands on a first come first serve basis for minimum rent. The tracts listed were offered in the Spring of 2026 at public auction and were not leased. To lease any of the available tracts please contact the Department at 701-328-2800 or email dtlsurface@nd.gov.

Unleased Tracts Available for Lease

The Most Recent Survey - 2026 County Rents and Prices Survey

Last Year's Survey - 2025 County Rents and Prices Survey

Past Surveys can be found under the Resources tab.

The most recent Department of Trust Lands' Biennial Report is now available! - 2023-25 Biennial Report

To view the Department's historical reports please visit Resources - Biennial Reports.

The 69th Legislative Assembly passed new legislation to empower the North Dakota Department of Trust Lands, Unclaimed Property Division to automatically return unclaimed property to the rightful owner, eliminating the necessity for certain owners to file a claim.
Under the new program, the Unclaimed Property Division can automatically return single-owner property with a value up to $1000.  This innovative initiative compares the state’s unclaimed property database with verified automated tools to secure updated address information.  Upon strict verification, the Unclaimed Property Division simply mails a check for the qualified matching property.  No additional action is required by the owner, except of course, cashing the check!
Unclaimed Property may include various types of assets such as inactive bank accounts, uncashed checks, refunds, securities, unpaid wages, and insurance policy proceeds.  This newly launched program is designed to simplify the process of returning unclaimed funds to owners while reducing paperwork, free of charge.
If you receive a letter, there is no action required, other than expecting a check in approximately 45 days.  If you do not receive a letter, visit our website https://unclaimedproperty.nd.gov to see if we may holding any funds that may belong to you.  If you lived in any other states, visit www.missingmoney.com to search every state’s database at once.

Full Press Release

Bismarck, ND – On behalf of the Board of University & School Lands (Land Board), the North Dakota Department of Trust Lands (Department) is pleased to announce that its online October 2025 oil & gas lease auction grossed

$49.5 million, which was its highest since the February 2012 auction that generated $85 million. The October 2025 auction involved 708 tracts totaling over 64,000 acres, with 578 tracts receiving bids from 51 bidders.

...

View November 5, 2026 Full Press Release