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Permits

Oil & Gas Permitting

The following activities require a permit from the Division

  • Drilling, deepening, operating, or converting a well for oil and gas purposes
  • Transferring a permit to operate a well for oil and gas purposes
  • Drilling a test hole for fluid disposal investigation, engineering project investigation, or geologic investigation
  • Temporarily abandoning a well

The following general requirements apply to all applications

  • If the operator is going to conduct business as a corporation, limited partnership, or limited liability company registration with the office of the Indiana Secretary of State is required. Registration information can be obtained online or by calling 317-232-6576.
  • All operators must have an Organizational Report on file with the division prior to receiving permits. The person who signs the application must appear as a signatory in Parts V or VI of the Organizational Report.
  • All applications must contain original signatures
  • The operator, or an officer, partner, or director of the operator may not have had a permit revoked and may not be in violation at the time of receiving a permit except as specified in 312 IAC 29-4-7.
  • The survey for Class II wells must show all existing and plugged wells within 1/4 mile of the proposed injection well.
  • Proposed well construction must meet the requirements of 312 IAC 29-20.
  • Permit transfers require original signatures of both the current and new operator
  • Cash bonds must be in the form of a Certified or Cashiers check made out to the Department of Natural Resources

The following grid shows the application requirements for each type of permit.

Application Requirements

Type of PermitApplicationBondSurveyFluid AnalysisFeePublic NoticeFacility DiagramMechanical Integrity Test
Oil, Gas, Gas Storage, Structure Test, and Water Supply permits

Application for
Well Permit

See Bonding Surety, Blanket, with Acknowledgment Cash or CD with VerificationYes unless on fileNoYes $250 (Add $500 for expedited permitting);NoNoNo
Class II permitsApplication for
Well Permit
See Bonding Surety, Blanket, with Acknowledgment Cash or CD with VerificationYesYesYes $250YesYesYes after construction
Noncommercial Gas permitsApplication for
Well Permit
See Bonding Personal SuretyYes unless on fileNoYes $250YesNoNo
Permit TransferApplication for
Permit Transfer
See Bonding Surety, Blanket, with Acknowledgment Cash or CD with VerificationNoNoYes ($15 ea. for up to 50 transfers and $10 ea. for each transfer over 50)NoNoNo
Individual Test Hole permitsApplication for
Test Hole Permit
Yes

Individual Test Hole Bond with Acknowledgment

YesNoYes ($100)NoNoNo
County Test Hole permitsApplication for
Test Hole Permit
Yes County Test Hole Bond with AcknowledgmentNoNoYes ($100)NoNoNo
Temporary Abandonment permitsApplication for Temporary AbandonmentNoNoNoNoNoNoYes for wells older than 2 years
Fluid Storage Facility permitsApplication for
Fluid Storage
Facility
NoNoNoNoNoYesNo

All of the forms listed in this chart can also be obtained from the Forms page.

Bonding Requirements

The last Indiana General Assembly passed changes to the bonding provisions of IC 14-37-6 as follows:

  1. Individual bond amount changed from $2,000 to $2,500
  2. Blanket bond amount changed from $30,000 to $45,000
  3. Bonding is required for wells where:
    • The applicant does not have a 2-year history of operation with the division; or
    • The applicant has had a permit revoked; or
    • The applicant has not paid their annual well fee from a previous assessment
    • The applicant has any unpaid civil penalty assessments

Applicants for permits or permit transfers required to submit or maintain a bond under Item 3 above must submit the bond to the division with the application.

Questions regarding the bonding requirements should be forwarded to Jim AmRhein at 317-232-6961 or jamrhein@dnr.IN.gov

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