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Oil & Gas Well Permitting & Drilling Information

Oil and gas well drilling require permits from state agencies in which drilling will occur. In some states well permitting is conducted through oil and gas commissions, like Colorado and Oklahoma. The State of New York delegates permitting to the Department of Environmental Conservation. Regardless of the type of government body overseeing permits, all applications must contain information necessary to ensure drilling is conducted in a safe and responsible manner.

  1. Permit Applications

    • Before preparing land to drill, a permit application is filed with the proper state agency. Agencies post necessary permit forms on the Internet. Permits are approved for a specific time period within which wells must be drilled, generally 180 days from approval. Site specifics and planning information are necessary components of an application. Fees can be flat-rate or calculated based upon proposed depth of the well.

    Well Location Information

    • The permit application must specify the county and town in which the well will be located. A 71/2 topographic map is usually required to depict the well location and the number of acres that will be used for drilling operation. Other schematics may be necessary to depict the proposed target formation, i.e., sand or rock, the proposed total depth of the well, the surface elevation and location relationship to groundwater and municipal water supplies, if applicable.

    Types of Wells

    • All drilling of wells requires permits, whether new or existing wells that may require deeper drilling depths. Some wells are used for injecting fluids into oil and gas reservoirs to force hydrocarbons to the surface, and different types of wells plug reservoirs where extraction is no longer occurring. Depending on the issuing agency, different permit applications may be necessary or the same form may be used for each type of well.

    Method of Drilling

    • Technological innovations have improved extraction of hard to reach but profitable deposits. Permit applications reflect necessary oversight of different methods of drilling. A vertical well is fairly simple to drill. Directional and horizontal wells require more expertise and more detailed information on formations and groundwater supplies because these types of wells drill to set tubulars at sloped lines or along horizontal planes. Permit applications need to include the method of drilling proposed and the name of the drilling contractor. The State of New York requires well owners to use drilling contractors from a pre-approved list.

    Other Information

    • Permit applications require information on the type of drilling fluid that will be used, the method of disposal for any waste produced during drilling and detailed information on the casing system. The casing system encases the well tubulars, often with cement, to provide support and structure against failure from the surrounding formation. Sandy formations may shift and make the well unstable, which can lead to catastrophic releases into groundwater supplies. Well head protection is required to ensure that surface areas are protected from accidental releases during drilling.

    Environmental Safety

    • Oil and gas well permitting is designed to ensure that drilling occurs under regulatory oversight. Agencies use permit information to ensure wells are located properly so as not to affect water supplies and that safety precautions are in place. Permit compliance is monitored with site visits. Violations incur financial penalties.

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