Thinking about bringing your Wyoming ranch near Gillette to market? If you are like many legacy owners in Campbell County, you want a fair, respectful process that protects your family’s time and the land’s value. This guide gives you a clear plan to prepare documents, confirm access, organize water and grazing records, and showcase your property with photos and video at the right time of year. Let’s dive in.
Verify legal and boundaries
Before you list, make sure the paper trail matches the ground. Unresolved boundary or access questions can stall a deal or reduce offers.
- Assemble recorded deed(s) and a clear chain of title from the Campbell County Clerk/Register of Deeds. Include any covenants or restrictions.
- Pull current parcel and tax records from the Campbell County Assessor so buyers can confirm assessed values and legal descriptions.
- Gather all recorded easements, rights of way, and road maintenance agreements, including utility and pipeline easements common in Campbell County.
A current boundary survey is one of the best investments you can make. Rural legal descriptions can be ambiguous, and fences do not always sit on legal lines. A survey clarifies where improvements sit and reduces objections. If a recent survey is not available, disclose that a survey is pending or schedule a licensed surveyor who knows Public Land Survey System rules in Campbell County.
Confirm access, in writing
Access can be deeded, by recorded easement, or claimed as prescriptive. Deeded access or recorded easements are strongest. If your access crosses a neighbor’s parcel or a private road, buyers will expect written, recorded proof.
- Verify if approach roads are county maintained through Campbell County Road and Bridge or privately maintained. Note any seasonal closures or limitations.
- Prepare a brief access summary for your disclosures that covers directions, gate codes, and road maintenance responsibility.
- Note any energy or utility roads on or near the property, along with any surface use agreements.
Document water and grazing
Water and grazing define ranch value in Wyoming. Clear, complete records reduce risk for buyers and speed underwriting. Wyoming follows the prior appropriation doctrine, which is often described as first in time, first in right.
- Compile water right decrees and filings with right numbers, priority dates, and permitted uses.
- Gather well permits, completion reports, logs, and any affidavits from the State Engineer’s records. Remember that well permits and surface water rights are separate.
- Map irrigation infrastructure, including ditches, pivots, turnouts, and headgates. Include pump specs and maintenance logs.
- Include any stock water or shared well agreements, especially where other users depend on the same source.
If your operation uses federal grazing allotments, have the paperwork ready. Federal grazing permits are administrative authorizations with agency rules about assignment and approval.
- Provide BLM or USFS permit copies, permitted AUMs, season of use, and the authorized permittee name.
- Include recent grazing records and the relevant agency contact information.
- Add FSA maps, program enrollment history, and any NRCS conservation plans or easements that may affect use or improvements.
Prep operations, environment, and minerals
Operational clarity helps buyers see how the ranch works, what is included, and where they may invest next.
- Create an inventory of improvements: residence, barns, corrals, chutes, working pens, miles of fence by pasture, windmills, tanks, troughs, pipelines, and irrigation equipment.
- Add maintenance histories and note any recent capital upgrades.
- If livestock are included or excluded, state that clearly and provide herd records and vaccination logs when relevant.
- Include copies of any leases for equipment or tenants, with terms and termination clauses.
Environmental and energy details matter in Campbell County. The Powder River Basin has extensive oil, gas, and coal activity, and buyers commonly investigate surface impacts.
- Disclose any historical surface disturbance, fuel or oil storage tanks, known spills, or remediation work. Buyers may order a Phase I environmental assessment when energy operations or fuel storage exist.
- Provide septic system documents and recent well potability tests for domestic use, if applicable.
- Outline mineral ownership and any oil, gas, coal, or other mineral leases. Include mineral deeds, lease copies, royalty statements, and surface use agreements.
- Note proximity to active energy sites, truck routes, reclamation areas, or permitted corridors that could affect access or future surface use.
Plan photos and video respectfully
High quality visuals are essential for out of area buyers. For family properties, keep privacy and dignity front and center.
- Use aerial drone photography and video to show scale, water, fencing, access roads, and adjacency to public lands or energy infrastructure. Commercial drone work requires an FAA licensed remote pilot or a licensed vendor.
- Capture clear ground photos of homes, barns, corrals, and working areas. Include interiors of the primary residence and a few honest condition shots.
- Choose the right season for visuals. Summer and late summer show forage and hay productivity. Winter can show wintering capacity, but snow may hide forage condition.
Staging and scheduling are as important as the camera.
- Discuss with your family what is off limits for photos. Remove or secure personal items, sensitive records, and firearms before the shoot.
- Coordinate with neighbors and tenants, especially when access crosses others’ land.
- Plan shoots outside stressful windows like calving or branding unless you want to showcase working operations. Move livestock or stage empty pens to keep animals calm and infrastructure visible.
- Provide labeled maps or captions for each asset so agents can describe scenes accurately.
Time your listing in Campbell County
Weather and operations shape buyer experiences around Gillette. Late spring through early fall is generally the best window for access, visuals, and inspections.
- Spring can be muddy with variable pasture condition. Branding and early turnout may limit access.
- Mid to late summer often shows irrigated ground and pastures at their best and aligns with haying.
- Fall allows buyers to evaluate carry over forage and shipping logistics and may overlap with hunting season.
- Winter works when buyers specifically want to evaluate wintering infrastructure and snow access, but travel and inspections are harder.
Operational cycles also matter. Buyers focused on grazing capacity often prefer visits during the grazing season or just after haying. Buyers who care about wintering will request a winter visit.
Coordinate with nearby energy operations. Plan showings to avoid heavy truck traffic, scheduled work, or road closures that could complicate access.
Aim for 60 to 90 days of preparation before listing. Complex water, mineral, or federal allotment situations can lengthen due diligence and closing, so plan timing accordingly.
Pre listing checklist
Use this simple list to organize your pre listing work.
- Deeds and chain of title, plus any covenants.
- Current parcel and tax records from the county.
- Recorded easements, rights of way, and any road maintenance agreements.
- Title commitment ordered early, and any exceptions reviewed.
- Recent survey or a plan to survey, plus fence line notes.
- Water rights, well permits, logs, and irrigation maps.
- Grazing permits and AUMs, plus agency contacts for BLM or USFS if applicable.
- FSA maps and NRCS agreements or conservation plans.
- Improvement inventory, maintenance logs, and photo set.
- Mineral deeds, oil and gas or coal leases, royalty statements, and surface use agreements.
- Environmental disclosures: tanks, pads, spills, remediation, septic, and water tests.
- Schedule a licensed drone photographer and a surveyor if needed.
- Tidy yards, secure personal items, repair obvious fence issues, and mark gates and trails for safe access.
Local contacts to line up
These offices and organizations are commonly involved in Campbell County ranch sales:
- Campbell County Clerk/Register of Deeds and Assessor
- Campbell County Road and Bridge or County Planning
- Wyoming State Engineer’s Office
- Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service
- Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission
- USDA Farm Service Agency and NRCS
- FAA licensed drone service providers
How NorthStar helps
You deserve a partner who respects your legacy and understands the technical pieces that drive value. NorthStar Realty is a boutique land specialist serving select Wyoming ranch markets, with Accredited Land Consultant expertise, water rights know how, and premium marketing that reaches serious regional and out of area buyers across Colorado, South Dakota, and Wyoming.
Here is how we support you from Gillette to closing:
- Clarify your documents and timeline. We help you assemble deeds, surveys, water and grazing records, and coordinate with title so issues surface early.
- Translate water, minerals, and energy impacts. Our team understands how prior appropriation, split estates, and surface use agreements affect price, due diligence, and marketing.
- Produce premium visuals. We manage licensed drone flights, high resolution photography, and property video that showcase scale, water, improvements, and operations with respect for privacy.
- Orchestrate a smooth process. We schedule around calving, haying, and shipping, coordinate with neighbors and agencies, and package technical attachments buyers need to move with confidence.
When you are ready, we will build a clear plan, right sized for your goals and timeline, then go to market with confidence.
If you want a respectful, well documented path to market for your Campbell County ranch, connect with NorthStar Realty to Schedule a Land Consultation.
FAQs
Will federal grazing permits transfer with a ranch sale in Campbell County?
- Federal permits are administrative authorizations with agency approval requirements, so confirm transfer procedures and timing with BLM or USFS before marketing.
How do Wyoming water rights affect my ranch sale near Gillette?
- Provide decrees with right numbers, priority dates, permitted uses, and well permits, since clarity on ownership and use under prior appropriation drives value and buyer confidence.
What counts as legal access and how do I prove it to buyers?
- Deeded access or recorded easements are strongest, so assemble recorded documents and a written access summary that covers directions, gates, and road maintenance responsibility.
Should I list my ranch in winter or wait for summer conditions?
- Most sellers list between late spring and early fall for better access and visuals, while winter listings suit buyers who want to evaluate wintering infrastructure and snow access.
Do I need a new boundary survey before listing my Campbell County ranch?
- A current survey reduces objections and clarifies fence and improvement locations, so obtain one if your legal description is ambiguous or the last survey is outdated.
How do mineral rights and energy activity impact a sale near Gillette?
- Disclose mineral ownership, leases, surface use agreements, and any energy related surface impacts, since these factors affect operations, due diligence, and pricing.
What drone rules apply when filming my ranch for marketing?
- Commercial flights require an FAA licensed remote pilot or a licensed vendor, and you should plan routes that respect safety and neighbor privacy.
