(A)(1) Except as otherwise provided in division (A)(2) of this section and division (E)(1) of section1509.071of the Revised Code, no person shall plug and abandon a well without having a permit to do so issued by the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management. The permit shall be issued by the chief in accordance with this chapter and shall be valid for a period of twenty-four months from the date of issue.
(2)The holder of a valid permit issued under section1509.06of the Revised Code may receive approval from an oil and gas resources inspector to plug and abandon the well associated with that permit, without obtaining the permit required under division (A) of this section, if either of the following apply:
(a)The well was drilled to total depth and the well cannot or wi
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(A)(1) Except as otherwise provided in division (A)(2) of this section and division (E)(1) of section1509.071of the Revised Code, no person shall plug and abandon a well without having a permit to do so issued by the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management. The permit shall be issued by the chief in accordance with this chapter and shall be valid for a period of twenty-four months from the date of issue.
(2) The holder of a valid permit issued under section1509.06of the Revised Code may receive approval from an oil and gas resources inspector to plug and abandon the well associated with that permit, without obtaining the permit required under division (A) of this section, if either of the following apply:
(a) The well was drilled to total depth and the well cannot or will not be completed.
(b) The well is a lost hole or dry hole.
(3) A permit holder plugging a well pursuant to division (A)(2)(a) of this section shall plug the well within thirty days of receipt of approval from the oil and gas resources inspector.
(4) A permit holder plugging a well pursuant to division (A)(2)(b) of this section shall plug the well immediately after determining that the well is a lost hole or dry hole in accordance with rules adopted under this chapter.
(B) The application for a permit to plug and abandon shall be filed as many days in advance as will be necessary for an oil and gas resources inspector or, if the well is located in a coal bearing township, both a deputy mine inspector and an oil and gas resources inspector to be present at the plugging. The application shall be filed with the chief upon a form that the chief prescribes and shall contain the following information:
(1) The name and address of the applicant;
(2) The signature of the applicant or the applicant's authorized agent. When an authorized agent signs an application, it shall be accompanied by a certified copy of the appointment as that agent.
(3) The location of the well identified by section or lot number, city, village, township, and county;
(4) Designation of well by name and number;
(5) The total depth of the well to be plugged;
(6) The date and amount of last production from the well;
(7) Other information that the chief may require.
(C) Unless waived by an oil and gas resources inspector, the owner of a well or the owner's authorized representative shall notify an oil and gas resources inspector at least twenty-four hours prior to the commencement of the plugging of a well. No well shall be plugged and abandoned without an oil and gas resources inspector present unless permission has been granted by the chief. The owner of a well that has produced oil or gas shall give written notice at the same time to the owner of the land upon which the well is located and to all lessors that receive gas from the well pursuant to an agreement. If the well penetrates or passes within one hundred feet of the excavations and workings of a mine, the owner of the well shall give written notice to the owner or lessee of that mine of the intention to abandon the well and of the time when the owner of the well will be prepared to commence plugging it.
(D) An applicant may file a request with the chief for expedited review of an application for a permit to plug and abandon a well. The chief may refuse to accept a request for expedited review if, in the chief's judgment, acceptance of the request will prevent the issuance, within twenty-one days of filing, of permits for which applications filed under section1509.06of the Revised Code are pending. In addition to a complete application for a permit that meets the requirements of this section, a request for expedited review shall be accompanied by a nonrefundable filing fee of five hundred dollars unless the chief has ordered the applicant to plug and abandon the well. When a request for expedited review is filed, the chief shall immediately begin to process the application and shall issue a permit within seven days of the filing of the request unless the chief, by order, denies the application.
(E)(1) Except as otherwise provided in division (E)(2) of this section, any person undertaking the plugging of a well for which a permit has been issued under this section shall obtain insurance for bodily injury coverage and property damage coverage in the amount established under section1509.07of the Revised Code to pay for damages or injury to property or person, including damages caused by the plugging of the well. The person shall electronically submit proof of insurance to the chief upon the chief's request.
(2) Division (E)(1) of this section does not apply to a person already required to maintain an insurance policy under section1509.07of the Revised Code.
(F) This section does not apply to a well plugged or abandoned in compliance with section1571.05of the Revised Code.
Last updated August 1, 2025 at 3:42 PM