Abstract This paper describes a comprehensive methodology to rank drilling locations in a very large, unconventional tight-oil area based on both surface and subsurface characteristics. A North American case study is presented. Operators entering new prospect areas with little well control must make decisions on locating limited numbers of exploratory wells. Large prospect areas can be characterized by a variety of different mineral rights, surface-permitting obligations, uncertainties in geologic subsurface characteristics, complexity of topography, a variety of available infrastructures, potential operational issues, and environmental and regulatory challenges. The decision to appraise an acreage position is very complex and has a high level of risk. One solution to rank and risk candidate drilling locations is a procedure that considers the most critical variables needed for appraisal. The variables are used to generate optimized drilling location scenarios under various uncertainties and constraints using a mathematical probabilistic-optimization procedure and a ‘scorecard’ of surface cultural characteristics.