Chapter 1509 | Division Of Oil And Gas Resources Management - Oil And Gas

Section 1509.01 | Division of oil and gas resources management - oil and gas definitions.

• Effective: October 3, 2023
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 33 - 135th General Assembly

As used in this chapter:

(A) "Well" means any borehole, whether drilled or bored, within the state for production, extraction, or injection of any gas or liquid mineral, excluding potable water to be used as such, but including natural or artificial brines and oil field waters. "Well" includes a stratigraphic well.

(B) "Oil" means crude petroleum oil and all other hydrocarbons, regardless of gravity, that are produced in liquid form by ordinary production methods, but does not include hydrocarbons that were originally in a gaseous phase in the reservoir.

(C) "Gas" means all natural gas and all other fluid hydrocarbons that are not oil, including condensate.

(D) "Condensate" means liquid hydrocarbons separated at or near the well pad or along the gas production or gathering system prior to gas processing.

(E) "Pool" means an underground reservoir containing a common accumulation of oil or gas, or both, but does not include a gas storage reservoir. Each zone of a geological structure that is completely separated from any other zone in the same structure may contain a separate pool.

(F) "Field" means the general area underlaid by one or more pools.

(G) "Drilling unit" means the minimum acreage on which one well may be drilled, but does not apply to a well for injecting gas into or removing gas from a gas storage reservoir and does not apply to a stratigraphic well.

(H) "Waste" includes all of the following:

(1) Physical waste, as that term generally is understood in the oil and gas industry;

(2) Inefficient, excessive, or improper use, or the unnecessary dissipation, of reservoir energy;

(3) Inefficient storing of oil or gas;

(4) Locating, drilling, equipping, operating, or producing an oil or gas well in a manner that reduces or tends to reduce the quantity of oil or gas ultimately recoverable under prudent and proper operations from the pool into which it is drilled or that causes or tends to cause unnecessary or excessive surface loss or destruction of oil or gas;

(5) Other underground or surface waste in the production or storage of oil, gas, or condensate, however caused.

(I) "Correlative rights" means the reasonable opportunity to every person entitled thereto to recover and receive the oil and gas in and under the person's tract or tracts, or the equivalent thereof, without having to drill unnecessary wells or incur other unnecessary expense.

(J) "Tract" means a single, individual parcel of land or a portion of a single, individual parcel of land.

(K) "Owner," unless referring to a mine, means the person who has the right to drill on a tract or drilling unit, to drill into and produce from a pool, and to appropriate the oil or gas produced therefrom either for the person or for others, except that a person ceases to be an owner with respect to a well when the well has been plugged in accordance with applicable rules adopted and orders issued under this chapter. "Owner" does not include a person who obtains a lease of the mineral rights for oil and gas on a parcel of land if the person does not attempt to produce or produce oil or gas from a well or obtain a permit under this chapter for a well or if the entire interest of a well is transferred to the person in accordance with division (B) of section 1509.31 of the Revised Code.

(L) "Royalty interest" means the fee holder's share in the production from a well, except a stratigraphic well.

(M) "Discovery well" means the first well, except a stratigraphic well, capable of producing oil or gas in commercial quantities from a pool.

(N) "Prepared clay" means a clay that is plastic and is thoroughly saturated with fresh water to a weight and consistency great enough to settle through saltwater in the well in which it is to be used, except as otherwise approved by the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management.

(O) "Rock sediment" means the combined cutting and residue from drilling sedimentary rocks and formation.

(P) "Excavations and workings," "mine," and "pillar" have the same meanings as in section 1561.01 of the Revised Code.

(Q) "Coal bearing township" means a township designated as such by the chief of the division of mineral resources management under section 1561.06 of the Revised Code.

(R) "Gas storage reservoir" means a continuous area of a subterranean porous sand or rock stratum or strata into which gas is or may be injected for the purpose of storing it therein and removing it therefrom and includes a gas storage reservoir as defined in section 1571.01 of the Revised Code.

(S) "Safe Drinking Water Act" means the "Safe Drinking Water Act," 88 Stat. 1661 (1974), 42 U.S.C.A. 300(f), as amended by the "Safe Drinking Water Amendments of 1977," 91 Stat. 1393, 42 U.S.C.A. 300(f), the "Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments of 1986," 100 Stat. 642, 42 U.S.C.A. 300(f), and the "Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments of 1996," 110 Stat. 1613, 42 U.S.C.A. 300(f), and regulations adopted under those acts.

(T) "Person" includes any political subdivision, department, agency, or instrumentality of this state; the United States and any department, agency, or instrumentality thereof; any legal entity defined as a person under section 1.59 of the Revised Code; and any other form of business organization or entity recognized by the laws of this state.

(U) "Brine" means all saline geological formation water resulting from, obtained from, or produced in connection with exploration, drilling, well stimulation, production of oil or gas, or plugging of a well.

(V) "Waters of the state" means all streams, lakes, ponds, marshes, watercourses, waterways, springs, irrigation systems, drainage systems, and other bodies of water, surface or underground, natural or artificial, that are situated wholly or partially within this state or within its jurisdiction, except those private waters that do not combine or effect a junction with natural surface or underground waters.

(W) "Exempt Mississippian well" means a well that meets all of the following criteria:

(1) Was drilled and completed before January 1, 1980;

(2) Is located in an unglaciated part of the state;

(3) Was completed in a reservoir no deeper than the Mississippian Big Injun sandstone in areas underlain by Pennsylvanian or Permian stratigraphy, or the Mississippian Berea sandstone in areas directly underlain by Permian stratigraphy;

(4) Is used primarily to provide oil or gas for domestic use.

(X) "Exempt domestic well" means a well that meets all of the following criteria:

(1) Is owned by the owner of the surface estate of the tract on which the well is located;

(2) Is used primarily to provide gas for the owner's domestic use;

(3) Is located more than two hundred feet horizontal distance from any inhabited private dwelling house other than an inhabited private dwelling house located on the tract on which the well is located;

(4) Is located more than two hundred feet horizontal distance from any public building that may be used as a place of resort, assembly, education, entertainment, lodging, trade, manufacture, repair, storage, traffic, or occupancy by the public.

(Y) "Urbanized area" means an area where a well or production facilities of a well are located within a municipal corporation or within a township that has an unincorporated population of more than five thousand in the most recent federal decennial census prior to the issuance of the permit for the well or production facilities.

(Z) "Well stimulation" or "stimulation of a well" means the process of enhancing well productivity, including hydraulic fracturing operations.

(AA) "Production operation" means all operations and activities and all related equipment, facilities, and other structures that may be used in or associated with the exploration and production of oil, gas, or other mineral resources that are regulated under this chapter, including operations and activities associated with site preparation, site construction, access road construction, well drilling, well completion, well stimulation, well site activities, reclamation, and plugging. "Production operation" also includes all of the following:

(1) The piping, equipment, and facilities used for the production and preparation of hydrocarbon gas or liquids for transportation or delivery;

(2) The processes of extraction and recovery, lifting, stabilization, treatment, separation, production processing, storage, waste disposal, and measurement of hydrocarbon gas and liquids, including related equipment and facilities;

(3) The processes and related equipment and facilities associated with production compression, gas lift, gas injection, fuel gas supply, well drilling, well stimulation, and well completion activities, including dikes, pits, and earthen and other impoundments used for the temporary storage of fluids and waste substances associated with well drilling, well stimulation, and well completion activities;

(4) Equipment and facilities at a wellpad or other location that are used for the transportation, handling, recycling, temporary storage, management, processing, or treatment of any equipment, material, and by-products or other substances from an operation at a wellpad that may be used or reused at the same or another operation at a wellpad or that will be disposed of in accordance with applicable laws and rules adopted under them.

(BB) "Annular overpressurization" means the accumulation of fluids within an annulus with sufficient pressure to allow migration of annular fluids into underground sources of drinking water.

(CC) "Orphaned well" means a well that has not been properly plugged or its land surface restored in accordance with this chapter and the rules adopted under it to which either of the following apply:

(1) The owner of the well is unknown, deceased, or cannot be located and the well is abandoned.

(2) The owner of the well has abandoned the well and there is no money available to plug the well in accordance with this chapter and the rules adopted under it.

(DD) "Temporarily inactive well" means a well that has been granted temporary inactive status under section 1509.062 of the Revised Code.

(EE) "Material and substantial violation" means any of the following:

(1) Failure to obtain a permit to drill, reopen, convert, plugback, or plug a well under this chapter;

(2) Failure to obtain, maintain, update, or submit proof of insurance coverage that is required under this chapter;

(3) Failure to obtain, maintain, update, or submit proof of a surety bond that is required under this chapter;

(4) Failure to restore a disturbed land surface as required by section 1509.072 of the Revised Code;

(5) Failure to reimburse the oil and gas well fund pursuant to a final order issued under section 1509.071 of the Revised Code;

(6) Failure to comply with a final nonappealable order of the chief issued under section 1509.04 of the Revised Code;

(7) Failure to submit a report, test result, fee, or document that is required in this chapter or rules adopted under it.

(FF) "Severer" has the same meaning as in section 5749.01 of the Revised Code.

(GG) "Horizontal well" means a well that is drilled for the production of oil or gas in which the wellbore reaches a horizontal or near horizontal position in the Point Pleasant, Utica, or Marcellus formation and the well is stimulated. "Horizontal well" does not include a stratigraphic well.

(HH) "Well pad" means the area that is cleared or prepared for the drilling of one or more horizontal wells.

(II) "Stratigraphic well" means a borehole that is drilled within the state on a tract solely to conduct research or testing of the subsurface geology, including porosity and permeability. "Stratigraphic well" does not include geotechnical or soil borings or a borehole drilled for seismic shot or mining of industrial minerals or coal.

Last updated September 11, 2023 at 2:50 PM

Section 1509.02 | Division of oil and gas resources management; chief; oil and gas well fund.

• Effective: September 29, 2017
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 49 - 132nd General Assembly

There is hereby created in the department of natural resources the division of oil and gas resources management, which shall be administered by the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management. The division has sole and exclusive authority to regulate the permitting, location, and spacing of oil and gas wells and production operations within the state, excepting only those activities regulated under federal laws for which oversight has been delegated to the environmental protection agency and activities regulated under sections 6111.02 to 6111.028 of the Revised Code. The regulation of oil and gas activities is a matter of general statewide interest that requires uniform statewide regulation, and this chapter and rules adopted under it constitute a comprehensive plan with respect to all aspects of the locating, drilling, well stimulation, completing, and operating of oil and gas wells within this state, including site construction and restoration, permitting related to those activities, and the disposal of wastes from those wells. In order to assist the division in the furtherance of its sole and exclusive authority as established in this section, the chief may enter into cooperative agreements with other state agencies for advice and consultation, including visitations at the surface location of a well on behalf of the division. Such cooperative agreements do not confer on other state agencies any authority to administer or enforce this chapter and rules adopted under it. In addition, such cooperative agreements shall not be construed to dilute or diminish the division's sole and exclusive authority as established in this section. Nothing in this section affects the authority granted to the director of transportation and local authorities in section 723.01 or 4513.34 of the Revised Code, provided that the authority granted under those sections shall not be exercised in a manner that discriminates against, unfairly impedes, or obstructs oil and gas activities and operations regulated under this chapter.

The chief shall not hold any other public office, nor shall the chief be engaged in any occupation or business that might interfere with or be inconsistent with the duties as chief.

Money collected by the chief pursuant to sections 1509.06, 1509.061, 1509.062, 1509.071, 1509.13, 1509.22, 1509.222, 1509.28, 1509.34, 1509.50, and 5749.02 of the Revised Code, all civil penalties paid under section 1509.33 of the Revised Code, and, notwithstanding any section of the Revised Code relating to the distribution or crediting of fines for violations of the Revised Code, all fines imposed under divisions (A) and (B) of section 1509.99 of the Revised Code and fines imposed under divisions (C) and (D) of section 1509.99 of the Revised Code for all violations prosecuted by the attorney general and for violations prosecuted by prosecuting attorneys that do not involve the transportation of brine by vehicle shall be deposited into the state treasury to the credit of the oil and gas well fund, which is hereby created. Fines imposed under divisions (C) and (D) of section 1509.99 of the Revised Code for violations prosecuted by prosecuting attorneys that involve the transportation of brine by vehicle and penalties associated with a compliance agreement entered into pursuant to this chapter shall be paid to the county treasury of the county where the violation occurred.

The fund shall be used solely and exclusively for the purposes enumerated in division (B) of section 1509.071 of the Revised Code, for the expenses of the division associated with the administration of this chapter and Chapter 1571. of the Revised Code and rules adopted under them, and for expenses that are critical and necessary for the protection of human health and safety and the environment related to oil and gas production in this state. The expenses of the division in excess of the moneys available in the fund shall be paid from general revenue fund appropriations to the department.

Section 1509.021 | Surface locations of new wells.

• Effective: September 29, 2011
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 153 - 129th General Assembly

On and after June 30, 2010, all of the following apply:

(A) The surface location of a new well or a tank battery of a well shall not be within one hundred fifty feet of an occupied dwelling that is located in an urbanized area unless the owner of the land on which the occupied dwelling is located consents in writing to the surface location of the well or tank battery of a well less than one hundred fifty feet from the occupied dwelling and the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management approves the written consent of that owner. However, the chief shall not approve the written consent of such an owner when the surface location of a new well or a tank battery of a well will be within one hundred feet of an occupied dwelling that is located in an urbanized area.

(B) The surface location of a new well shall not be within one hundred fifty feet from the property line of a parcel of land that is not in the drilling unit of the well if the parcel of land is located in an urbanized area and directional drilling will be used to drill the new well unless the owner of the parcel of land consents in writing to the surface location of the well less than one hundred fifty feet from the property line of the parcel of land and the chief approves the written consent of that owner. However, the chief shall not approve the written consent of such an owner when the surface location of a new well will be less than one hundred feet from the property line of the owner's parcel of land that is not in the drilling unit of the well if the parcel of land is located in an urbanized area and directional drilling will be used.

(C) The surface location of a new well shall not be within two hundred feet of an occupied dwelling that is located in an urbanized area and that is located on land that has become part of the drilling unit of the well pursuant to a mandatory pooling order issued under section 1509.27 of the Revised Code unless the owner of the land on which the occupied dwelling is located consents in writing to the surface location of the well at a distance that is less than two hundred feet from the occupied dwelling. However, if the owner of the land on which the occupied dwelling is located provides such written consent, the surface location of the well shall not be within one hundred feet of the occupied dwelling.

If an applicant cannot identify an owner of land or if an owner of land is not responsive to attempts by the applicant to contact the owner, the applicant may submit an affidavit to the chief attesting to such an unidentifiable owner or to such unresponsiveness of an owner and attempts by the applicant to contact the owner and include a written request to reduce the distance of the location of the well from the occupied dwelling to less than two hundred feet. If the chief receives such an affidavit and written request, the chief shall reduce the distance of the location of the well from the occupied dwelling to a distance of not less than one hundred feet.

(D) Except as otherwise provided in division (L) of this section, the surface location of a new well shall not be within one hundred fifty feet of the property line of a parcel of land that is located in an urbanized area and that has become part of the drilling unit of the well pursuant to a mandatory pooling order issued under section 1509.27 of the Revised Code unless the owner of the land consents in writing to the surface location of the well at a distance that is less than one hundred fifty feet from the owner's property line. However, if the owner of the land provides such written consent, the surface location of the well shall not be within seventy-five feet of the property line of the owner's parcel of land.

If an applicant cannot identify an owner of land or if an owner of land is not responsive to attempts by the applicant to contact the owner, the applicant may submit an affidavit to the chief attesting to such an unidentifiable owner or to such unresponsiveness of an owner and attempts by the applicant to contact the owner and include a written request to reduce the distance of the location of the well from the property line of the owner's parcel of land to less than one hundred fifty feet. If the chief receives such an affidavit and written request, the chief shall reduce the distance of the location of the well from the property line to a distance of not less than seventy-five feet.

(E) The surface location of a new tank battery of a well shall not be within one hundred fifty feet of an occupied dwelling that is located in an urbanized area and that is located on land that has become part of the drilling unit of the well pursuant to a mandatory pooling order issued under section 1509.27 of the Revised Code unless the owner of the land on which the occupied dwelling is located consents in writing to the location of the tank battery at a distance that is less than one hundred fifty feet from the occupied dwelling. However, if the owner of the land on which the occupied dwelling is located provides such written consent, the location of the tank battery shall not be within one hundred feet of the occupied dwelling.

If an applicant cannot identify an owner of land or if an owner of land is not responsive to attempts by the applicant to contact the owner, the applicant may submit an affidavit to the chief attesting to such an unidentifiable owner or to such unresponsiveness of an owner and attempts by the applicant to contact the owner and include a written request to reduce the distance of the location of the tank battery from the occupied dwelling to less than one hundred fifty feet. If the chief receives such an affidavit and written request, the chief shall reduce the distance of the location of the tank battery from the occupied dwelling to a distance of not less than one hundred feet.

(F) Except as otherwise provided in division (L) of this section, the location of a new tank battery of a well shall not be within seventy-five feet of the property line of a parcel of land that is located in an urbanized area and that has become part of the drilling unit of the well pursuant to a mandatory pooling order issued under section 1509.27 of the Revised Code unless the owner of the land consents in writing to the location of the tank battery at a distance that is less than seventy-five feet from the owner's property line. However, if the owner of the land provides such written consent, the location of the tank battery shall not be within the property line of the owner's parcel of land.

If an applicant cannot identify an owner of land or if an owner of land is not responsive to attempts by the applicant to contact the owner, the applicant may submit an affidavit to the chief attesting to such an unidentifiable owner or to such unresponsiveness of an owner and attempts by the applicant to contact the owner and include a written request to reduce the distance of the location of the tank battery from the property line of the owner's parcel of land to less than seventy-five feet. If the chief receives such an affidavit and written request, the chief shall reduce the distance of the location of the tank battery from the property line, provided that the tank battery shall not be within the property line of the owner's parcel of land.

(G) For purposes of divisions (C) to (F) of this section, written consent of an owner of land may be provided by any of the following:

(1) A copy of an original lease agreement as recorded in the office of the county recorder of the county in which the occupied dwelling or property is located that expressly provides for the reduction of the distance of the location of a well or a tank battery, as applicable, from an occupied dwelling or a property line;

(2) A copy of a deed severing the oil or gas mineral rights, as applicable, from the owner's parcel of land as recorded in the office of the county recorder of the county in which the property is located that expressly provides for the reduction of the distance of the location of a well or a tank battery, as applicable, from an occupied dwelling or a property line;

(3) A written statement that consents to the proposed location of a well or a tank battery, as applicable, and that is approved by the chief. For purposes of division (G)(3) of this section, an applicant shall submit a copy of a written statement to the chief.

(H) For areas that are not urbanized areas, the surface location of a new well shall not be within one hundred feet of an occupied private dwelling or of a public building that may be used as a place of assembly, education, entertainment, lodging, trade, manufacture, repair, storage, or occupancy by the public. This division does not apply to a building or other structure that is incidental to agricultural use of the land on which the building or other structure is located unless the building or other structure is used as an occupied private dwelling or for retail trade.

(I) The surface location of a new well shall not be within one hundred feet of any other well. However, an applicant may submit a written statement to request the chief to authorize a new well to be located at a distance that is less than one hundred feet from another well. If the chief receives such a written statement, the chief may authorize a new well to be located within one hundred feet of another well if the chief determines that the applicant satisfactorily has demonstrated that the location of the new well at a distance that is less than one hundred feet from another well is necessary to reduce impacts to the owner of the land on which the well is to be located or to the surface of the land on which the well is to be located.

(J) For areas that are not urbanized areas, the location of a new tank battery of a well shall not be within one hundred feet of an existing inhabited structure.

(K) The location of a new tank battery of a well shall not be within fifty feet of any other well.

(L) The location of a new well or a new tank battery of a well shall not be within fifty feet of a stream, river, watercourse, water well, pond, lake, or other body of water. However, the chief may authorize a new well or a new tank battery of a well to be located at a distance that is less than fifty feet from a stream, river, watercourse, water well, pond, lake, or other body of water if the chief determines that the reduction in the distance is necessary to reduce impacts to the owner of the land on which the well or tank battery of a well is to be located or to protect public safety or the environment.

(M) The surface location of a new well or a new tank battery of a well shall not be within fifty feet of a railroad track or of the traveled portion of a public street, road, or highway. This division applies regardless of whether the public street, road, or highway has become part of the drilling unit of the well pursuant to a mandatory pooling order issued under section 1509.27 of the Revised Code.

(N) A new oil tank shall not be within three feet of another oil tank.

(O) The surface location of a mechanical separator shall not be within any of the following:

(1) Fifty feet of a well;

(2) Ten feet of an oil tank;

(3) One hundred feet of an existing inhabited structure.

(P) A vessel that is equipped in such a manner that the contents of the vessel may be heated shall not be within any of the following:

(1) Fifty feet of an oil production tank;

(2) Fifty feet of a well;

(3) One hundred feet of an existing inhabited structure;

(4) If the contents of the vessel are heated by a direct fire heater, fifty feet of a mechanical separator.

Section 1509.022 | Location of wells using directional drilling.

• Effective: September 29, 2011
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 153 - 129th General Assembly

Except as provided in section 1509.021 of the Revised Code, the surface location of a new well that will be drilled using directional drilling may be located on a parcel of land that is not in the drilling unit of the well.

Section 1509.03 | Administrative rules.

• Effective: October 3, 2023
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 33 - 135th General Assembly

(A) The chief of the division of oil and gas resources management shall adopt, rescind, and amend, in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, rules for the administration, implementation, and enforcement of this chapter. The rules shall include an identification of the subjects that the chief shall address when attaching terms and conditions to a permit with respect to a well and production facilities of a well that are located within an urbanized area or with respect to a horizontal well and production facilities associated with a horizontal well. The subjects shall include all of the following:

(1) Safety concerning the drilling or operation of a well;

(2) Protection of the public and private water supply, including the amount of water used and the source or sources of the water;

(3) Fencing and screening of surface facilities of a well;

(4) Containment and disposal of drilling and production wastes;

(5) Construction of access roads for purposes of the drilling and operation of a well;

(6) Noise mitigation for purposes of the drilling of a well and the operation of a well, excluding safety and maintenance operations.

No person shall violate any rule of the chief adopted under this chapter.

(B)(1) Any order issuing, denying, or modifying a permit or notices required to be made by the chief pursuant to this chapter shall be made in compliance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, except that personal service may be used in lieu of service by mail. Every order issuing, denying, or modifying a permit under this chapter and described as such shall be considered an adjudication order for purposes of Chapter 119. of the Revised Code. Division (B)(1) of this section does not apply to a permit issued under section 1509.06 of the Revised Code.

(2) Where notice to any person is required by this chapter, the notice shall be given in order to meet the requirements of law.

(C) The chief or the chief's authorized representative may at any time enter upon lands, public or private, for the purpose of administration or enforcement of this chapter, the rules adopted or orders made thereunder, or terms or conditions of permits or registration certificates issued thereunder and may examine and copy records pertaining to the drilling, conversion, or operation of a well for injection of fluids and logs required by division (C) of section 1509.223 of the Revised Code. No person shall prevent or hinder the chief or the chief's authorized representative in the performance of official duties. If entry is prevented or hindered, the chief or the chief's authorized representative may apply for, and the court of common pleas may issue, an appropriate inspection warrant necessary to achieve the purposes of this chapter within the court's territorial jurisdiction.

(D) The chief may issue orders to enforce this chapter, rules adopted thereunder, and terms or conditions of permits issued thereunder. Any such order shall be considered an adjudication order for the purposes of Chapter 119. of the Revised Code. No person shall violate any order of the chief issued under this chapter. No person shall violate a term or condition of a permit or registration certificate issued under this chapter.

(E) Orders of the chief denying, suspending, or revoking a registration certificate; approving or denying approval of an application for revision of a registered transporter's plan for disposal; or to implement, administer, or enforce division (A) of section 1509.224 and sections 1509.22, 1509.222, 1509.223, 1509.225, and 1509.226 of the Revised Code pertaining to the transportation of brine by vehicle and the disposal of brine so transported are not adjudication orders for purposes of Chapter 119. of the Revised Code. The chief shall issue such orders under division (A) or (B) of section 1509.224 of the Revised Code, as appropriate.

Last updated September 12, 2023 at 3:44 PM

Section 1509.031 | Electronic submission of oil and gas documents.

• Effective: October 3, 2023
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 33 - 135th General Assembly

(A) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary and other than a statement of production, the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management may require the electronic submission of any application, report, test result, fee, or document that is required to be submitted under this chapter. The chief shall require the submission of statements of production to be made electronically regardless of well type and the number of wells owned.

(B) For good cause, a person may request to be excluded from any requirement to make an electronic submission under division (A) of this section other than the requirement to submit a statement of production electronically. The chief shall establish the procedure and form by which a person may request such exclusion.

Last updated August 28, 2023 at 4:28 PM

Section 1509.04 | Enforcement - injunction against violation.

• Effective: October 3, 2023
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 33 - 135th General Assembly

(A) The chief of the division of oil and gas resources management, or the chief's authorized representatives, shall enforce this chapter and the rules, terms and conditions of permits and registration certificates, and orders adopted or issued pursuant thereto, except that any peace officer, as defined in section 2935.01 of the Revised Code, may arrest for violations of this chapter involving transportation of brine by vehicle. The enforcement authority of the chief includes the authority to issue compliance notices and to enter into compliance agreements.

(B)(1) The chief or the chief's authorized representative may issue an administrative order to a person that is subject to this chapter or rules adopted under it for a violation of this chapter or rules adopted under it, terms and conditions of a permit issued under it, a registration certificate that is required under this chapter, or orders issued under this chapter.

(2)(a) If a person who is required to submit a report, test result, fee, or document by this chapter or rules adopted under it submits a request for an extension of time to submit the report, test result, fee, or document to the chief prior to the date on which the report, test result, fee, or document is due, the chief may grant an extension of not more than sixty additional days from the original date on which the report, test result, fee, or document is due.

(b) If a person who is required to submit a report, test result, fee, or document by this chapter or rules adopted under it fails to submit the report, test result, fee, or document before or on the date on which it is due and the chief has not granted an extension of time under division (B)(2)(a) of this section, the chief shall make reasonable attempts to notify the person of the failure to submit the report, test result, fee, or document. If a person who receives such a notification fails to submit the report, test result, fee, or document on or before thirty days after the date on which the chief so notified the person, the chief may issue an order under division (B)(3) of this section.

(3) The chief may issue an order finding that a person has committed a material and substantial violation.

(C) The chief, by order, immediately may suspend drilling, operating, or plugging activities that are related to a material and substantial violation and suspend and revoke an unused permit after finding either of the following:

(1) A person has failed to comply with an order issued under division (B)(3) of this section that is final and nonappealable.

(2) A person that has committed a material and substancial violation is causing, engaging in, or maintaining a condition or activity that the chief determines presents an imminent danger to the health or safety of the public or that results in or is likely to result in immediate substantial damage to the natural resources of this state.

(D)(1) The chief may issue an order under division (C) of this section without prior notification if reasonable attempts to notify the person have failed or if the person is currently in material breach of a prior order, but in such an event notification shall be given as soon thereafter as practical.

(2) Not later than five days after the issuance of an order under division (C) of this section, the chief shall provide the person an opportunity to be heard and to present evidence that one of the following applies:

(a) The condition or activity does not present an imminent danger to the public health or safety or is not likely to result in immediate substantial damage to natural resources.

(b) Required records, reports, or logs have been submitted.

(3) If the chief, after considering evidence presented by the person under division (D)(2)(a) of this section, determines that the activities do not present such a threat or that the required records, reports, or logs have been submitted under division (D)(2)(b) of this section, the chief shall revoke the order. The person may appeal an order to the court of common pleas of the county in which the activity that is the subject of the order is located.

(E) The chief may issue a bond forfeiture order pursuant to section 1509.071 of the Revised Code for failure to comply with a final nonappealable order issued or compliance agreement entered into under this section.

(F) The chief may notify drilling contractors, transporters, service companies, or other similar entities of the compliance status of a person that is subject to this chapter or rules adopted under it.

If the person fails to comply with a prior enforcement action of the chief, the chief may issue a suspension order without prior notification, but in such an event the chief shall give notice as soon thereafter as practical. Not later than five calendar days after the issuance of an order, the chief shall provide the person an opportunity to be heard and to present evidence that required records, reports, or logs have been submitted. If the chief, after considering the evidence presented by the person, determines that the requirements have been satisfied, the chief shall revoke the suspension order. The person may appeal a suspension order to the court of common pleas of the county in which the activity that is the subject of the suspension order is located.

(G) The prosecuting attorney of the county or the attorney general, upon the request of the chief, may apply to the court of common pleas in the county in which any of the provisions of this chapter or any rules, terms or conditions of a permit or registration certificate, or orders adopted or issued pursuant to this chapter are being violated for a temporary restraining order, preliminary injunction, or permanent injunction restraining any person from such violation.

Last updated September 12, 2023 at 9:32 AM

Section 1509.041 | Database listing final nonappealable orders issued for violations to be accessible to public.

• Effective: September 29, 2011
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 153 - 129th General Assembly

The chief of the division of oil and gas resources management shall maintain a database on the division of oil and gas resources management's web site that is accessible to the public. The database shall list each final nonappealable order issued for a material and substantial violation under this chapter. The list shall identify the violator, the date on which the violation occurred, and the date on which the violation was corrected.

Section 1509.05 | Permit required to drill, reopen, convert or plug back well.

• Effective: September 29, 2011
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 153 - 129th General Assembly

No person shall drill a new well, drill an existing well any deeper, reopen a well, convert a well to any use other than its original purpose, or plug back a well to a source of supply different from the existing pool, without having a permit to do so issued by the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management, and until the original permit or a photostatic copy thereof is posted or displayed in a conspicuous and easily accessible place at the well site, with the name, current address, and telephone number of the permit holder and the telephone numbers for fire and emergency medical services maintained on the posted permit or copy. The permit or a copy shall be continuously displayed in that manner at all times during the work authorized by the permit.

Section 1509.051 | Stratigraphic wells.

• Effective: October 3, 2023
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 33 - 135th General Assembly

(A) Except as otherwise provided in this section, this chapter and rules adopted under it apply to a stratigraphic well regardless of whether a section in this chapter or in such rules refers to a well for oil and gas production or to an owner.

(B) Notwithstanding section 1509.06 of the Revised Code, an application for a permit to drill a stratigraphic well shall be on a form prescribed by the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management and shall contain the information required under section 1509.06 of the Revised Code that is applicable.

(C) A person shall not submit more than seven applications per year for a permit to drill a stratigraphic well unless otherwise approved by the chief.

(D) All of the following do not apply to a stratigraphic well:

(1) Section 1509.062 of the Revised Code;

(2) Section 1509.11 of the Revised Code;

(3) Section 1509.24 of the Revised Code and the rules adopted under it relative to minimum acreage requirements for a drilling unit;

(4) Ohio Administrative Code 1501:9-2;

(5) Ohio Administrative Code 1501:9-3;

(6) Ohio Administrative Code 1501:9-4;

(7) Ohio Administrative Code 1501:9-5;

(8) Ohio Administrative Code 1501:9-7.

(E) A stratigraphic well may be assigned or otherwise transferred. Notice of any such assignment or transfer shall be provided to the chief on a form prescribed and provided by the chief and signed by both the assignor and assignee or by both the transferor and transferee.

(F) The surface location of a stratigraphic well shall not be within one hundred fifty feet from the property line of the tract on which the well is drilled.

(G)(1) A stratigraphic well shall be plugged not later than one year after drilling commenced on the well, unless either of the following apply:

(a) Subject to division (G)(2) of this section, the owner of the stratigraphic well applies, within that one-year period, for a permit to convert the well to another use subject to regulation under this chapter or Chapter 6111. of the Revised Code;

(b) Subject to division (G)(3) of this section, the owner of the stratigraphic well executes and files with the division, on a form prescribed and provided by the division, financial assurance payable to the state in an amount approved by the chief that is equal to or greater than the estimated cost to plug the well and reclaim the associated well site. The financial assurance shall be in addition to, and not in lieu of, any surety bond or other financial assurance required under law. The financial assurance may be in the form of cash or a surety bond that names the state as obligee and is executed by a surety company authorized to do business in this state.

(2) If an owner of a stratigraphic well applies for a permit to convert the well in accordance with division (G)(1)(a) of this section, but fails to complete the conversion of the well to another use within two years after drilling commenced on the stratigraphic well, the owner shall immediately plug the well or, not later than thirty days after the expiration of that two-year period, execute and file with the division financial assurance in accordance with division (G)(1)(b) of this section.

(3) If an owner of a stratigraphic well executes and files financial assurance with the division in accordance with division (G)(1)(b) of this section, the stratigraphic well shall be plugged not later than five years after drilling commenced on the well, unless the stratigraphic well is lawfully converted to another use subject to regulation under this chapter or Chapter 6111. of the Revised Code within that five-year period.

(4) Except as otherwise provided in section 1509.12 of the Revised Code, a stratigraphic well shall be plugged not later than one year after the issuance of a final nonappealable order denying, or affirming the denial of, an application for a permit to convert the well to another use subject to regulation under this chapter or Chapter 6111. of the Revised Code.

(H)(1) The chief may forfeit by order the total amount of financial assurance executed and filed under division (G)(1)(b) of this section if the chief finds that the owner of that well is not in compliance with this section. The chief shall ensure that the order contains findings of fact supporting the forfeiture and sets forth the violations giving rise to the order. The chief may use the money obtained from such forfeiture to plug the stratigraphic well if the well is not plugged or has not been completely converted in accordance with the times specified in division (G) of this section. A stratigraphic well that has not been plugged and is not completely converted may be plugged using the procedures established under section 1509.071 of the Revised Code pertaining to orphan wells.

(2) If a stratigraphic well owner filed financial assurance in the form of a surety bond with the division and the chief issues an order under division (H)(1) of this section to the owner, the chief also shall issue an order to the bank or surety company informing the bank or company of the option to plug the well in lieu of forfeiture.

(I)(1) Subject to division (I)(2) or (3) of this section, the owner of a stratigraphic well may elect, at its sole discretion, to designate any of the following to be confidential business information not subject to disclosure under any provision of law for a period of five years from the time that drilling commenced on the stratigraphic well:

(a) Data from the research of the subsurface geology obtained from a stratigraphic well;

(b) Any of the following that are otherwise required for submission under this chapter or rules adopted under it, any order of the chief, or any term or condition of a permit issued by the chief:

(i) Reports;

(ii) Documents;

(iii) Records.

(2) The owner of a stratigraphic well, upon request of the chief, shall disclose data from the research of the subsurface geology obtained from a stratigraphic well to the chief as may be necessary to respond to or investigate harm or potential harm to public health or safety or the environment, including potential damage to subsurface formations. However, such data remains confidential business information, shall not be disclosed by the chief, and is not a public record subject to inspection and copying under section 149.43 of the Revised Code until the expiration of the five-year period.

(3) The owner of a stratigraphic well shall submit any reports, documents, or records that are required for submission under this chapter or rules adopted under it, any order of the chief, or any term or condition of a permit issued by the chief. However, such reports, documents, or records so designated as confidential business information remain confidential business information, shall not be disclosed by the chief, and are not a public record subject to inspection and copying under section 149.43 of the Revised Code until the expiration of the five-year period.

(J) The chief may post the surface location of a stratigraphic well on the division's web site.

Last updated September 11, 2023 at 4:43 PM

Section 1509.06 | Application for permit to drill, reopen, convert, or plug back a well.

• Effective: October 3, 2023
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 33 - 135th General Assembly

(A) An application for a permit to drill a new well, drill an existing well deeper, reopen a well, convert a well to any use other than its original purpose, or plug back a well to a different source of supply, including associated production operations, shall be filed with the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management upon such form as the chief prescribes and shall contain each of the following that is applicable:

(1) The name and address of the owner and, if a corporation, the name and address of the statutory agent;

(2) The signature of the owner or the owner's authorized agent. When an authorized agent signs an application, it shall be accompanied by a certified copy of the appointment as such agent.

(3) The names and addresses of all persons holding the royalty interest in the tract upon which the well is located or is to be drilled or within a proposed drilling unit;

(4) The location of the tract or drilling unit on which the well is located or is to be drilled identified by section or lot number, city, village, township, and county;

(5) Designation of the well by name and number;

(6)(a) The geological formation to be tested or used and the proposed total depth of the well;

(b) If the well is for the injection of a liquid, identity of the geological formation to be used as the injection zone and the composition of the liquid to be injected.

(7) The type of drilling equipment to be used;

(8)(a) An identification, to the best of the owner's knowledge, of each proposed source of ground water and surface water that will be used in the production operations of the well. The identification of each proposed source of water shall indicate if the water will be withdrawn from the Lake Erie watershed or the Ohio river watershed. In addition, the owner shall provide, to the best of the owner's knowledge, the proposed estimated rate and volume of the water withdrawal for the production operations. If recycled water will be used in the production operations, the owner shall provide the estimated volume of recycled water to be used. The owner shall submit to the chief an update of any of the information that is required by division (A)(8)(a) of this section if any of that information changes before the chief issues a permit for the application.

(b) Except as provided in division (A)(8)(c) of this section, for an application for a permit to drill a new well within an urbanized area, the results of sampling of water wells within three hundred feet of the proposed well prior to commencement of drilling. In addition, the owner shall include a list that identifies the location of each water well where the owner of the property on which the water well is located denied the owner access to sample the water well. The sampling shall be conducted in accordance with the guidelines established in "Best Management Practices For Pre-drilling Water Sampling" in effect at the time that the application is submitted. The division shall furnish those guidelines upon request and shall make them available on the division's web site. If the chief determines that conditions at the proposed well site warrant a revision, the chief may revise the distance established in this division for purposes of pre-drilling water sampling.

(c) For an application for a permit to drill a new horizontal well, the results of sampling of water wells within one thousand five hundred feet of the proposed horizontal wellhead prior to commencement of drilling. In addition, the owner shall include a list that identifies the location of each water well where the owner of the property on which the water well is located denied the owner access to sample the water well. The sampling shall be conducted in accordance with the guidelines established in "Best Management Practices For Pre-drilling Water Sampling" in effect at the time that the application is submitted. The division shall furnish those guidelines upon request and shall make them available on the division's web site. If the chief determines that conditions at the proposed well site warrant a revision, the chief may revise the distance established in this division for purposes of pre-drilling water sampling.

(9) For an application for a permit to drill a new well within an urbanized area, a sworn statement that the applicant has provided notice by regular mail of the application to the owner of each parcel of real property that is located within five hundred feet of the surface location of the well and to the executive authority of the municipal corporation or the board of township trustees of the township, as applicable, in which the well is to be located. In addition, the notice shall contain a statement that informs an owner of real property who is required to receive the notice under division (A)(9) of this section that within five days of receipt of the notice, the owner is required to provide notice under section 1509.60 of the Revised Code to each residence in an occupied dwelling that is located on the owner's parcel of real property. The notice shall contain a statement that an application has been filed with the division of oil and gas resources management, identify the name of the applicant and the proposed well location, include the name and address of the division, and contain a statement that comments regarding the application may be sent to the division. The notice may be provided by hand delivery or regular mail. The identity of the owners of parcels of real property shall be determined using the tax records of the municipal corporation or county in which a parcel of real property is located as of the date of the notice.

(10) A plan for restoration of the land surface disturbed by drilling operations. The plan shall provide for compliance with the restoration requirements of division (A) of section 1509.072 of the Revised Code and any rules adopted by the chief pertaining to that restoration.

(11)(a) A description by name or number of the county, township, and municipal corporation roads, streets, and highways that the applicant anticipates will be used for access to and egress from the well site;

(b) For an application for a permit for a horizontal well, a copy of an agreement concerning maintenance and safe use of the roads, streets, and highways described in division (A)(11)(a) of this section entered into on reasonable terms with the public official that has the legal authority to enter into such maintenance and use agreements for each county, township, and municipal corporation, as applicable, in which any such road, street, or highway is located or an affidavit on a form prescribed by the chief attesting that the owner attempted in good faith to enter into an agreement under division (A)(11)(b) of this section with the applicable public official of each such county, township, or municipal corporation, but that no agreement was executed.

(12) Such other relevant information as the chief prescribes by rule.

Each application shall be accompanied by a map, on a scale not smaller than four hundred feet to the inch, prepared by an Ohio registered surveyor, showing the location of the well and containing such other data as may be prescribed by the chief. If the well is or is to be located within the excavations and workings of a mine, the map also shall include the location of the mine, the name of the mine, and the name of the person operating the mine.

(B) The chief shall cause a copy of the weekly circular prepared by the division to be provided to the county engineer of each county that contains active or proposed drilling activity. The weekly circular shall contain, in the manner prescribed by the chief, the names of all applicants for permits, the location of each well or proposed well, the information required by division (A)(11) of this section, and any additional information the chief prescribes. In addition, the chief promptly shall transfer an electronic copy, or if that method is not available to a municipal corporation or township, a copy via regular mail, of a drilling permit application to the clerk of the legislative authority of the municipal corporation or to the clerk of the township in which the well or proposed well is or is to be located if the legislative authority of the municipal corporation or the board of township trustees has asked to receive copies of such applications and the appropriate clerk has provided the chief an accurate, current electronic mailing address.

(C)(1) Except as provided in division (C)(2) of this section, the chief shall not issue a permit for at least ten days after the date of filing of the application for the permit unless, upon reasonable cause shown, the chief waives that period or a request for expedited review is filed under this section. However, the chief shall issue a permit within twenty-one days of the filing of the application unless the chief denies the application by order.

(2) If the location of a well or proposed well will be or is within an urbanized area, the chief shall not issue a permit for at least eighteen days after the date of filing of the application for the permit unless, upon reasonable cause shown, the chief waives that period or the chief at the chief's discretion grants a request for an expedited review. However, the chief shall issue a permit for a well or proposed well within an urbanized area within thirty days of the filing of the application unless the chief denies the application by order.

(D) An applicant may file a request with the chief for expedited review of a permit application if the well is not or is not to be located in a gas storage reservoir or reservoir protective area, as "reservoir protective area" is defined in section 1571.01 of the Revised Code. If the well is or is to be located in a coal bearing township, the application shall be accompanied by the affidavit of the landowner prescribed in section 1509.08 of the Revised Code.

In addition to a complete application for a permit that meets the requirements of this section and the permit fee prescribed by this section, a request for expedited review shall be accompanied by a separate nonrefundable filing fee of two hundred fifty dollars. Upon the filing of a request for expedited review, the chief shall cause the county engineer of the county in which the well is or is to be located to be notified of the filing of the permit application and the request for expedited review by telephone or other means that in the judgment of the chief will provide timely notice of the application and request. The chief shall issue a permit within seven days of the filing of the request unless the chief denies the application by order. Notwithstanding the provisions of this section governing expedited review of permit applications, the chief may refuse to accept requests for expedited review if, in the chief's judgment, the acceptance of the requests would prevent the issuance, within twenty-one days of their filing, of permits for which applications are pending.

(E) A well shall be drilled and operated in accordance with the plans, sworn statements, and other information submitted in the approved application.

(F) The chief shall issue an order denying a permit if the chief finds that there is a substantial risk that the operation will result in violations of this chapter or rules adopted under it that will present an imminent danger to public health or safety or damage to the environment, provided that where the chief finds that terms or conditions to the permit can reasonably be expected to prevent such violations, the chief shall issue the permit subject to those terms or conditions, including, if applicable, terms and conditions regarding subjects identified in rules adopted under section 1509.03 of the Revised Code. The issuance of a permit shall not be considered an order of the chief.

The chief shall post notice of each permit that has been approved under this section on the division's web site not later than two business days after the application for a permit has been approved.

(G) Each application for a permit required by section 1509.05 of the Revised Code, except an application for a well drilled or reopened for purposes of section 1509.22 of the Revised Code, also shall be accompanied by a nonrefundable fee as follows:

(1) Five hundred dollars for a permit to conduct activities in a township with a population of fewer than ten thousand;

(2) Seven hundred fifty dollars for a permit to conduct activities in a township with a population of ten thousand or more, but fewer than fifteen thousand;

(3) One thousand dollars for a permit to conduct activities in either of the following:

(a) A township with a population of fifteen thousand or more;

(b) A municipal corporation regardless of population.

(4) If the application is for a permit that requires mandatory pooling, an additional five thousand dollars.

For purposes of calculating fee amounts, populations shall be determined using the most recent federal decennial census.

Each application for the revision or reissuance of a permit shall be accompanied by a nonrefundable fee of two hundred fifty dollars.

(H)(1) Prior to the commencement of well pad construction and prior to the issuance of a permit to drill a proposed horizontal well or a proposed well that is to be located in an urbanized area, the division shall conduct a site review to identify and evaluate any site-specific terms and conditions that may be attached to the permit. At the site review, a representative of the division shall consider fencing, screening, and landscaping requirements, if any, for similar structures in the community in which the well is proposed to be located. The terms and conditions that are attached to the permit shall include the establishment of fencing, screening, and landscaping requirements for the surface facilities of the proposed well, including a tank battery of the well.

(2) Prior to the issuance of a permit to drill a proposed well, the division shall conduct a review to identify and evaluate any site-specific terms and conditions that may be attached to the permit if the proposed well will be located in a one-hundred-year floodplain or within the five-year time of travel associated with a public drinking water supply.

(I) A permit shall be issued by the chief in accordance with this chapter. A permit issued under this section for a well that is or is to be located in an urbanized area shall be valid for twelve months, and all other permits issued under this section shall be valid for twenty-four months.

(J) An applicant or a permittee, as applicable, shall submit to the chief an update of the information that is required under division (A)(8)(a) of this section if any of that information changes prior to commencement of production operations.

(K) A permittee or a permittee's authorized representative shall notify an inspector from the division at least twenty-four hours, or another time period agreed to by the chief's authorized representative, prior to the commencement of well pad construction and of drilling, reopening, converting, well stimulation, or plugback operations.

Last updated August 9, 2023 at 12:16 PM

Section 1509.061 | Request to revise existing tract upon which exists producing or idle well.

• Effective: September 29, 2011
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 153 - 129th General Assembly

An owner of a well who has been issued a permit under section 1509.06 of the Revised Code may submit to the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management, on a form prescribed by the chief, a request to revise an existing tract upon which exists a producing or idle well. The chief shall adopt, and may amend and rescind, rules under section 1509.03 of the Revised Code that are necessary for the administration of this section. The rules at least shall stipulate the information to be included on the request form and shall establish a fee to be paid by the person submitting the request, which fee shall not exceed two hundred fifty dollars.

The chief shall approve a request submitted under this section unless it would result in a violation of this chapter or rules adopted under it, including provisions establishing spacing or minimum acreage requirements.

Section 1509.062 | Temporary inactive well status.

• Effective: September 29, 2013
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 59 - 130th General Assembly

(A)(1) The owner of a well that has not been completed, a well that has not produced within one year after completion, an existing well that is not a horizontal well and that has no reported production for two consecutive reporting periods as reported in accordance with section 1509.11 of the Revised Code, or an existing horizontal well that has no reported production for eight consecutive reporting periods as reported in accordance with section 1509.11 of the Revised Code shall plug the well in accordance with section 1509.12 of the Revised Code, obtain temporary inactive well status for the well in accordance with this section, or perform another activity regarding the well that is approved by the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management.

(2) If a well has a reported annual production that is less than one hundred thousand cubic feet of natural gas or fifteen barrels of crude oil, or a combination thereof, the chief may require the owner of the well to submit an application for temporary inactive well status under this section for the well.

(B) In order for the owner of a well to submit an application for temporary inactive well status for the well under this division, the owner and the well shall be in compliance with this chapter and rules adopted under it, any terms and conditions of the permit for the well, and applicable orders issued by the chief. An application for temporary inactive status for a well shall be submitted to the chief on a form prescribed and provided by the chief and shall contain all of the following:

(1) The owner's name and address and, if the owner is a corporation, the name and address of the corporation's statutory agent;

(2) The signature of the owner or of the owner's authorized agent. When an authorized agent signs an application, the application shall be accompanied by a certified copy of the appointment as such agent.

(3) The permit number assigned to the well. If the well has not been assigned a permit number, the chief shall assign a permit number to the well.

(4) A map, on a scale not smaller than four hundred feet to the inch, that shows the location of the well and the tank battery, that includes the latitude and longitude of the well, and that contains all other data that are required by the chief;

(5) A demonstration that the well is of future utility and that the applicant has a viable plan to utilize the well within a reasonable period of time;

(6) A demonstration that the well poses no threat to the health or safety of persons, property, or the environment;

(7) Any other relevant information that the chief prescribes by rule.

The chief may waive any of the requirements established in divisions (B)(1) to (6) of this section if the division of oil and gas resources management possesses a current copy of the information or document that is required in the applicable division.

(C) Upon receipt of an application for temporary inactive well status, the chief shall review the application and shall either deny the application by issuing an order or approve the application. The chief shall approve the application only if the chief determines that the well that is the subject of the application poses no threat to the health or safety of persons, property, or the environment. If the chief approves the application, the chief shall notify the applicant of the chief's approval. Upon receipt of the chief's approval, the owner shall shut in the well and empty all liquids and gases from all storage tanks, pipelines, and other equipment associated with the well. In addition, the owner shall maintain the well, other equipment associated with the well, and the surface location of the well in a manner that prevents hazards to the health and safety of people and the environment. The owner shall inspect the well at least every six months and submit to the chief within fourteen days after the inspection a record of inspection on a form prescribed and provided by the chief.

(D) Not later than thirty days prior to the expiration of temporary inactive well status or a renewal of temporary inactive well status approved by the chief for a well, the owner of the well may submit to the chief an application for renewal of the temporary inactive well status on a form prescribed and provided by the chief. The application shall include a detailed plan that describes the ultimate disposition of the well, the time frames for that disposition, and any other information that the chief determines is necessary. The chief shall either deny an application by order or approve the application. If the chief approves the application, the chief shall notify the owner of the well of the chief's approval.

(E) An application for temporary inactive well status shall be accompanied by a nonrefundable fee of one hundred dollars. An application for a renewal of temporary inactive well status shall be accompanied by a nonrefundable fee of two hundred fifty dollars for the first renewal and five hundred dollars for each subsequent renewal.

(F) After a third renewal, the chief may require an owner to provide a surety bond in an amount not to exceed ten thousand dollars for each of the owner's wells that has been approved by the chief for temporary inactive well status.

(G) Temporary inactive well status approved by the chief expires one year after the date of approval of the application for temporary inactive well status or production from the well commences, whichever occurs sooner. In addition, a renewal of a temporary inactive well status expires one year after the expiration date of the initial temporary inactive well status or one year after the expiration date of the previous renewal of the temporary inactive well status, as applicable, or production from the well commences, whichever occurs sooner.

(H) The owner of a well that has been approved by the chief for temporary inactive well status may commence production from the well at any time. Not later than sixty days after the commencement of production from such a well, the owner shall notify the chief of the commencement of production.

(I) This chapter and rules adopted under it, any terms and conditions of the permit for a well, and applicable orders issued by the chief apply to a well that has been approved by the chief for temporary inactive well status or renewal of that status.

Section 1509.07 | Liability insurance coverage.

• Effective: October 3, 2023
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 33 - 135th General Assembly

(A)(1)(a) Except as provided in division (A)(1)(b) or (A)(2) of this section, an owner of any well, except an exempt Mississippian well or an exempt domestic well, shall obtain liability insurance coverage from a company authorized or approved to do business in this state in an amount of not less than one million dollars bodily injury coverage and property damage coverage to pay damages for injury to persons or damage to property caused by the drilling, operation, or plugging of all the owner's wells in this state. However, if any well is located within an urbanized area, the owner shall obtain liability insurance coverage in an amount of not less than three million dollars for bodily injury coverage and property damage coverage to pay damages for injury to persons or damage to property caused by the drilling, operation, or plugging of all of the owner's wells in this state.

(b) A board of county commissioners of a county that is an owner of a well or a board of township trustees of a township that is an owner of a well may elect to satisfy the liability coverage requirements specified in division (A)(1)(a) of this section by participating in a joint self-insurance pool in accordance with the requirements established under section 2744.081 of the Revised Code. Nothing in division (A)(1)(b) of this section shall be construed to allow an entity, other than a county or township, to participate in a joint self-insurance pool to satisfy the liability coverage requirements specified in division (A)(1)(a) of this section.

(2) An owner of a horizontal well shall obtain liability insurance coverage from an insurer authorized to write such insurance in this state or from an insurer approved to write such insurance in this state under section 3905.33 of the Revised Code in an amount of not less than five million dollars bodily injury coverage and property damage coverage to pay damages for injury to persons or damage to property caused by the production operations of all the owner's wells in this state. The insurance policy shall include a reasonable level of coverage available for an environmental endorsement.

(3) An owner shall maintain the coverage required under division (A)(1) or (2) of this section until all the owner's wells are plugged and abandoned or are transferred to an owner who has obtained insurance as required under this section and who is not under a notice of material and substantial violation or under a suspension order. The owner shall provide proof of liability insurance coverage to the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management upon request. Upon failure of the owner to provide that proof when requested, the chief may order the suspension of any outstanding permits and operations of the owner until the owner provides proof of the required insurance coverage.

(B)(1) Except as otherwise provided in this section, an owner of any well, before being issued a permit under section 1509.06 of the Revised Code or before operating or producing from a well, shall execute and file with the division of oil and gas resources management a surety bond conditioned on compliance with the restoration requirements of section 1509.072, the plugging requirements of section 1509.12, the permit provisions of section 1509.13 of the Revised Code, and all rules and orders of the chief relating thereto, in an amount set by rule of the chief.

(2) The owner may deposit with the chief, instead of a surety bond, cash in an amount equal to the surety bond as prescribed pursuant to this section or negotiable certificates of deposit or irrevocable letters of credit, issued by any bank organized or transacting business in this state, having a cash value equal to or greater than the amount of the surety bond as prescribed pursuant to this section. Cash or certificates of deposit shall be deposited upon the same terms as those upon which surety bonds may be deposited. If the owner deposits cash, the cash shall be credited to the performance cash bond refunds fund created in section 1501.16 of the Revised Code. If the owner deposits certificates of deposit, the chief shall require the bank that issued any such certificate to pledge securities of a cash value equal to the amount of the certificate that is in excess of the amount insured by the federal deposit insurance corporation. The securities shall be security for the repayment of the certificate of deposit.

Upon a deposit of cash, certificates of deposit, or letters of credit with the chief, the chief shall hold them in trust for the purposes for which they have been deposited.

(3) Instead of a surety bond, the chief may accept proof of financial responsibility consisting of a sworn financial statement showing a net financial worth within this state equal to twice the amount of the bond for which it substitutes and, as may be required by the chief, a list of producing properties of the owner within this state or other evidence showing ability and intent to comply with the law and rules concerning restoration and plugging that may be required by rule of the chief. The owner of an exempt Mississippian well is not required to file scheduled updates of the financial documents, but shall file updates of those documents if requested to do so by the chief. The owner of a nonexempt Mississippian well shall file updates of the financial documents in accordance with a schedule established by rule of the chief. The chief, upon determining that an owner for whom the chief has accepted proof of financial responsibility instead of bond cannot demonstrate financial responsibility, shall order that the owner execute and file a bond or deposit cash, certificates of deposit, or irrevocable letters of credit as required by this section for the wells specified in the order within ten days of receipt of the order. If the order is not complied with, all wells of the owner that are specified in the order and for which no bond is filed or cash, certificates of deposit, or letters of credit are deposited shall be plugged. No owner shall fail or refuse to plug such a well. Each day on which such a well remains unplugged thereafter constitutes a separate offense.

(4) The surety bond provided for in this section shall be executed by a surety company authorized to do business in this state.

The chief shall not approve any bond until it is personally signed and acknowledged by both principal and surety, or as to either by the principal's or surety's attorney in fact, with a certified copy of the power of attorney attached thereto. The chief shall not approve a bond unless there is attached a certificate of the superintendent of insurance that the company is authorized to transact a fidelity and surety business in this state.

All bonds shall be given in a form to be prescribed by the chief and shall run to the state as obligee.

(5) An owner of an exempt Mississippian well or an exempt domestic well, in lieu of filing a surety bond, cash in an amount equal to the surety bond, certificates of deposit, irrevocable letters of credit, or a sworn financial statement, may file a one-time fee of fifty dollars, which shall be deposited in the oil and gas well plugging fund created in section 1509.071 of the Revised Code.

(C) An owner, operator, producer, or other person shall not operate a well or produce from a well at any time if the owner, operator, producer, or other person has not satisfied the requirements established in this section.

Last updated September 6, 2023 at 2:33 PM

Section 1509.071 | Forfeiting bond.

• Effective: September 23, 2022
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 430 - 134th General Assembly

(A) When the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management finds that an owner has failed to comply with a final nonappealable order issued or compliance agreement entered into under section 1509.04, the restoration requirements of section 1509.072, plugging requirements of section 1509.12, or permit provisions of section 1509.13 of the Revised Code, or rules and orders relating thereto, the chief shall make a finding of that fact and declare any surety bond filed to ensure compliance with those sections and rules forfeited in the amount set by rule of the chief. The chief thereupon shall certify the total forfeiture to the attorney general, who shall proceed to collect the amount of the forfeiture. In addition, the chief may require an owner, operator, producer, or other person who forfeited a surety bond to post a new surety bond in the amount of fifteen thousand dollars for a single well, thirty thousand dollars for two wells, or fifty thousand dollars for three or more wells.

In lieu of total forfeiture, the surety or owner, at the surety's or owner's option, may cause the well to be properly plugged and abandoned and the area properly restored or pay to the treasurer of state the cost of plugging and abandonment.

(B)(1) All moneys collected because of forfeitures of bonds as provided in this section shall be deposited in the state treasury to the credit of the oil and gas well fund created in section 1509.02 of the Revised Code.

For purposes of promoting the competent management and conservation of the state's oil and natural gas resources and the proper and lawful plugging of historic oil and gas wells for which there is no known responsible owner, the chief annually shall spend not less than thirty per cent of the revenue credited to the oil and gas well fund during the previous fiscal year for both of the following purposes:

(a) In accordance with division (E) of this section, to plug orphaned wells or to restore the land surface properly as required in section 1509.072 of the Revised Code;

(b) In accordance with division (F) of this section, to correct conditions that the chief reasonably has determined are causing imminent health or safety risks at an orphaned well or associated with a well for which the owner has not initiated a corrective action within a reasonable period of time as determined by the chief after the chief has attempted to notify the owner.

(2) Expenditures from the fund shall be made only for lawful purposes. In addition, expenditures from the fund shall not be made to purchase real property or to remove a structure in order to access a well.

The director of budget and management, in consultation with the chief, shall establish an accounting code for purposes of tracking expenditures made as required under this division.

(C)(1) If a landowner discovers a well on the landowner's real property and the landowner is not the owner of the well, the landowner may report the existence of the well in writing to the chief.

(2) If the chief receives a written report from a landowner of the discovery of a well previously unknown to the division, the chief shall inspect the well not later than thirty days after the date of receipt of the landowner's report.

(3) The chief shall establish a scoring matrix for use in determining the priority of plugging wells or restoring land surfaces at orphaned well sites for purposes of this section. The matrix shall include a classification system that categorizes orphaned wells as high priority, medium priority, and low priority.

(4) The chief shall use the matrix developed under division (C)(3) of this section to prioritize plugging and land restoration projects under this section. The chief may add additional orphaned wells to a project regardless of classification.

(D)(1) After determining that a well is an orphaned well, the chief shall do all of the following:

(a) Make a reasonable attempt to determine from the records in the office of the county recorder of the county in which the well is located the identity of the current owner of the land on which the well is located, the identity of each person owning a right or interest in the oil or gas mineral interests, and the identities of the persons having a lien upon any of the equipment appurtenant to the well. For purposes of division (D)(1)(a) of this section, the chief is not required to review records in the office of the county recorder that are older than forty years from the date on which the chief made the determination that the well is an orphaned well.

(b) Mail notice to each person identified in division (D)(1)(a) of this section;

(c) Include in the notice to each person having a lien upon any equipment appurtenant to the well, a statement informing the person that the well is to be plugged and offering the person the opportunity to remove that equipment from the well site at the person's own expense in order to avoid forfeiture of the equipment to this state;

(d) Publish notice in a newspaper of general circulation in the county where the well is located that the well is to be plugged or post the notice on the department of natural resources web site.

(2) If the current address of a person identified in division (D)(1)(a) of this section cannot be determined, or if a notice provided by mail to a person under division (D)(1)(b) of this section is returned undeliverable, the notice published under division (D)(1)(d) of this section constitutes sufficient notice to the person.

(3) If none of the persons described in division (D)(1)(a) of this section removes equipment from the well within thirty days after the mailing of the notice or publication or posting of notice described in division (D)(1)(d) of this section, whichever is later, all equipment appurtenant to the well is hereby declared to be forfeited to this state without compensation and without the necessity for any action by the state for use to defray the cost of plugging the well and restoring the land surface at the well site.

(E) The chief may expend money from the oil and gas well fund for the purpose of division (B)(1)(a) of this section, and such expenditures shall be made in accordance with either of the following:

(1) The chief may make expenditures pursuant to contracts entered into by either the chief or another agency of the state with persons who agree to furnish the materials, equipment, work, and labor as specified and provided in such a contract for activities associated with the restoration or plugging of an orphaned well as determined by the chief. If another agency of the state enters into the contract, the chief shall prepare the scope of work for the restoration or plugging of the well. The activities may include excavation to uncover a well, methods to locate a well, analyzing the well, stabilizing or other work conducted prior to plugging the well, drilling out or cleanout of wellbores to remove material from a well, plugging operations, installation of vault and vent systems, including associated engineering certifications and permits, removal of associated equipment, restoration of property, replugging of previously plugged orphaned wells or wells for which final restoration was completed under section 1509.072 of the Revised Code and rules adopted under it, and repair of damage to property that is caused by such activities. The chief may make expenditures for salaries, maintenance, equipment, or other administrative purposes, for costs directly attributed to locating, analyzing, stabilizing, designing, plugging, remediating, or restoring an orphaned well, and for determining if a well is an orphaned well.

Agents or employees of persons contracting with the chief to locate, analyze, stabilize, design, plug, remediate, or restore a well may enter upon any land, public or private, on which the well is located, or on adjacent parcels needed for access, for the purpose of performing the work. Prior to such entry, the chief shall give to the following persons written notice of the existence of a contract to locate, analyze, stabilize, design, plug, remediate, or restore a well, the names of the persons with whom the contract is made, and the date that the project will commence: the owner of the well, the owner of the land upon which the well is located, the owner of the land of an adjacent parcel that will be entered upon, and, if the well is located in the same township as or in a township adjacent to the excavations and workings of a mine and the owner or lessee of that mine has provided written notice identifying those townships to the chief at any time during the immediately preceding three years, the owner or lessee of the mine. The chief may include in the notice to the owner or lessee of the mine additional information, such as authorization to plug an orphaned well under section 1509.151 of the Revised Code.

(2)(a) The owner of the land on which at least one orphaned well is located who has received notice under division (D)(1)(b) of this section may plug any such orphaned well and be reimbursed by the division of oil and gas resources management for the reasonable cost of plugging such wells. In order to plug the orphaned wells, the landowner shall submit an application to the chief on a form prescribed by the chief and approved by the technical advisory council on oil and gas created in section 1509.38 of the Revised Code. The application, at a minimum, shall require the landowner to provide the same information as is required to be included in the application for a permit to plug and abandon under section 1509.13 of the Revised Code.

The application shall be accompanied by a copy of a proposed contract to plug and abandon the orphaned wells prepared by a contractor regularly engaged in the business of plugging oil and gas wells. The proposed contract shall require the contractor to furnish all of the materials, equipment, work, and labor necessary to plug the orphaned wells properly and restore the site including the removal of all associated equipment and shall specify the price for doing the work. The contractor shall be insured.

Expenditures made under division (E)(2)(a) of this section shall be consistent with the expenditures for activities described in division (E)(1) of this section. In addition, expenditures made under division (E)(2) of this section are not subject to section 127.16 of the Revised Code. The application constitutes an application for a permit to plug the well for the purposes of section 1509.13 of the Revised Code and the applicant is not required to submit the fee otherwise required under that section.

(b) Within thirty days after receiving an application and accompanying proposed contract under division (E)(2)(a) of this section, the chief shall determine whether the plugging would comply with the applicable requirements of this chapter and applicable rules adopted and orders issued under it and whether the cost of the plugging under the proposed contract is reasonable. If the chief determines that the proposed plugging would comply with those requirements and that the proposed cost of the plugging is reasonable, the chief shall notify the landowner of that determination and issue to the landowner a permit to plug the well under section 1509.13 of the Revised Code. The chief may disapprove an application submitted under division (E)(2)(a) of this section if the chief determines that the proposed plugging would not comply with the applicable requirements of this chapter and applicable rules adopted and orders issued under it, that the cost of the plugging under the proposed contract is unreasonable, or that the proposed contract is not a bona fide, arm's length contract.

(c) After receiving the chief's notice of the approval of the application and permit to plug and abandon a well under division (E)(2)(b) of this section, the landowner may enter into the proposed contract to plug the well.

(d) Upon determining that the plugging has been completed in compliance with the applicable requirements of this chapter and applicable rules adopted and orders issued under it, the chief shall pay the contractor for the cost of the plugging and restoration as set forth in the proposed contract approved by the chief and changes or costs approved by the chief. The payment shall be paid from the oil and gas well fund. The chief shall only make payments for purposes of division (E)(2) of this section pursuant to a proper invoice as defined under section 125.01 of the Revised Code.

(e) If the chief determines that the plugging was not completed in accordance with the applicable requirements, the chief shall not pay the contractor or landowner for the cost of the plugging.

(f) If any equipment was removed from the well during the plugging and sold, the chief shall deduct the sale amount of the equipment from the payment to the contractor.

(g) Changes made to a contract executed under division (E)(2) of this section due to unanticipated conditions may be presented to the chief in the form of a written request for approval of the additional costs prior to completion of the work. The chief shall determine if the changes are necessary to comply with this chapter and rules adopted and orders issued under it and if the cost of the changes are reasonable. The chief shall provide to the contractor a written decision regarding the proposed changes. If the chief determines that the changes are not necessary or that the costs are not reasonable, the chief may either deny the request or establish the amount of the cost that the chief approves. Work completed prior to receipt of written approval from the chief is not eligible for payment, unless waived by the chief.

(3) The chief may establish an annual limit on the number of wells that may be plugged under division (E)(2) of this section or an annual limit on the expenditures to be made under that division. The chief may reject an application submitted under division (E)(2) of this section if the chief determines that the plugging of other wells take priority.

(4) As used in division (E)(2) of this section, "plug" and "plugging" include the plugging of the well, replugging of a previously plugged orphaned well or a well for which final restoration was completed under section 1509.072 of the Revised Code and rules adopted under it, drilling out or cleanout of a well bore to remove material from a well, installation of casings, installation of a vault and vent, restoration, and the restoration of the land surface disturbed by the plugging.

(F)(1) Expenditures from the oil and gas well fund for the purpose of division (B)(1)(b) of this section may be made pursuant to contracts entered into by either the chief or another agency of the state with persons who agree to furnish the materials, equipment, work, and labor as specified and provided in such a contract. The competitive bidding requirements of Chapter 153. of the Revised Code do not apply if the chief reasonably determines that a situation exists requiring immediate action for the correction of the applicable health or safety risk. A contract or purchase of materials for purposes of addressing the emergency situation is not subject to division (B) of section 127.16 of the Revised Code. The chief, designated representatives of the chief, and agents or employees of persons contracting with the chief to locate, analyze, stabilize, design, plug, remediate, or restore a well under this division may enter upon any land, public or private, on which the well is located, or on parcels needed for access, for the purpose of performing the work.

(2) The chief shall issue an order that requires the owner of a well to pay the actual documented costs of a corrective action that is described in division (B)(1)(b) of this section concerning the well. The chief shall transmit the money so recovered to the treasurer of state who shall deposit the money in the state treasury to the credit of the oil and gas well fund.

(G) Contracts entered into by either the chief or another agency of the state under this section are not subject to any of the following:

(1) Chapter 4115. of the Revised Code;

(2) Chapter 153. of the Revised Code;

(3) Section 4733.17 of the Revised Code.

(H) The owner of land on which a well is located who has received notice under division (D)(1)(b) of this section, in lieu of plugging the well in accordance with division (E)(2) of this section, may cause ownership of the well to be transferred in accordance with section 1509.31 of the Revised Code.

If a well is transferred, the owner to whom it is transferred shall comply with this chapter and rules adopted under it and shall take title to and possession of the equipment appurtenant to the well that has been identified by the chief as having been abandoned by the former owner of the well.

(I) The chief may engage in cooperative projects under this section with any agency of this state, another state, or the United States; any other governmental agencies; any state university or college as defined in section 3345.27 of the Revised Code; or a nonprofit corporation that is exempt from federal income taxation under section 501(c)(3) of the "Internal Revenue Code of 1986," 26 U.S.C. 1, as amended. A contract entered into for purposes of a cooperative project is not subject to division (B) of section 127.16 of the Revised Code.

(J)(1) On or before the close of each calendar quarter, the chief shall submit a written report to the technical advisory council established under section 1509.38 of the Revised Code describing the efforts of the division of oil and gas resources management to plug orphaned wells during the immediately preceding calendar quarter. The chief also shall include in the report all of the following information:

(a) The total number of known orphaned wells in the state and the total number in each county of the state;

(b) The total number of newly discovered orphaned wells during the immediately preceding calendar quarter;

(c) The total number of wells plugged in accordance with this section during the immediately preceding calendar quarter;

(d) The total number of wells plugged in accordance with this section and the estimated average and indirect costs of plugging activities conducted under this section prior to the date of the report;

(e) The number of wells approved for plugging in accordance with this section and the estimated average and indirect costs of plugging activities conducted under this section during the immediately preceding calendar quarter.

(2) Not later than the thirty-first day of March of each year, the chief and the technical advisory council shall jointly provide a report containing, at a minimum, the information required to be included in the quarterly reports during the previous one-year period to all of the following:

(a) The speaker of the house of representatives;

(b) The president of the senate;

(c) The chair of the committee of the house of representatives responsible for energy and natural resources issues;

(d) The chair of the committee of the senate responsible for energy and natural resources issues.

Last updated July 7, 2022 at 10:40 AM

Section 1509.072 | Duty to restore disturbed land surface.

• Effective: September 29, 2011
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 153 - 129th General Assembly

No oil or gas well owner or agent of an oil or gas well owner shall fail to restore the land surface within the area disturbed in siting, drilling, completing, and producing the well as required in this section.

(A) Within fourteen days after the date upon which the drilling of a well is completed to total depth in an urbanized area and within two months after the date upon which the drilling of a well is completed in all other areas, the owner or the owner's agent, in accordance with the restoration plan filed under division (A)(10) of section 1509.06 of the Revised Code, shall fill all the pits for containing brine and other waste substances resulting, obtained, or produced in connection with exploration or drilling for oil or gas that are not required by other state or federal law or regulation, and remove all drilling supplies and drilling equipment. Unless the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management approves a longer time period, within three months after the date upon which the surface drilling of a well is commenced in an urbanized area and within six months after the date upon which the surface drilling of a well is commenced in all other areas, the owner or the owner's agent shall grade or terrace and plant, seed, or sod the area disturbed that is not required in production of the well where necessary to bind the soil and prevent substantial erosion and sedimentation. If the chief finds that a pit used for containing brine, other waste substances, or oil is in violation of section 1509.22 of the Revised Code or rules adopted or orders issued under it, the chief may require the pit to be emptied and closed before expiration of the fourteen-day or three-month restoration period.

(B) Within three months after a well that has produced oil or gas is plugged in an urbanized area and within six months after a well that has produced oil or gas is plugged in all other areas, or after the plugging of a dry hole, unless the chief approves a longer time period, the owner or the owner's agent shall remove all production and storage structures, supplies, and equipment, and any oil, salt water, and debris, and fill any remaining excavations. Within that period the owner or the owner's agent shall grade or terrace and plant, seed, or sod the area disturbed where necessary to bind the soil and prevent substantial erosion and sedimentation.

The owner shall be released from responsibility to perform any or all restoration requirements of this section on any part or all of the area disturbed upon the filing of a request for a waiver with and obtaining the written approval of the chief, which request shall be signed by the surface owner to certify the approval of the surface owner of the release sought. The chief shall approve the request unless the chief finds upon inspection that the waiver would be likely to result in substantial damage to adjoining property, substantial contamination of surface or underground water, or substantial erosion or sedimentation.

The chief, by order, may shorten the time periods provided for under division (A) or (B) of this section if failure to shorten the periods would be likely to result in damage to public health or the waters or natural resources of the state.

The chief, upon written application by an owner or an owner's agent showing reasonable cause, may extend the period within which restoration shall be completed under divisions (A) and (B) of this section, but not to exceed a further six-month period, except under extraordinarily adverse weather conditions or when essential equipment, fuel, or labor is unavailable to the owner or the owner's agent.

If the chief refuses to approve a request for waiver or extension, the chief shall do so by order.

Section 1509.073 | Fluid drilling requirements.

• Effective: September 29, 2011
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 153 - 129th General Assembly

A person that is issued a permit under this chapter to drill a new well or drill an existing well deeper in an urbanized area shall establish fluid drilling conditions prior to penetration of the Onondaga limestone and continue to use fluid drilling until total depth of the well is achieved unless the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management authorizes such drilling without using fluid.

Section 1509.074 | Analysis and disposition of material resulting from construction, operation, or plugging of a horizontal well.

• Effective: September 29, 2013
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 59 - 130th General Assembly

(A) With regard to material that results from the construction, operation, or plugging of a horizontal well, all of the following apply:

(1) Except as provided in division (A)(2) of this section, the owner shall determine the concentration of radium-226 and of radium-228 in representative samples of the material if the material is technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive material. The owner shall provide for the collection and analysis of the representative samples of the material. The collection and analysis of the representative samples shall be performed in accordance with requirements approved by the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management. The owner shall not remove the material from the location associated with the production operation of the horizontal well until the analysis is complete and the results are available. However, the owner may do one of the following:

(a) Temporarily store the material in an area adjacent to the location associated with the production operation of the well while the results from the analysis of the representative samples are pending if the material is located in an area that is designated by the division of oil and gas resources management and the owner complies with all conditions imposed by the chief;

(b) Prior to the collection of representative samples under division (A)(1) of this section, transport the material to a location for which a permit or order has been issued under division (C) of section 1509.22 of the Revised Code. The owner shall provide for the collection of representative samples of the material at that location in accordance with that division and shall temporarily store the material at that location while the results from the analysis are pending.

(2) The owner is not required to determine the concentration of radium-226 and of radium-228 of the material that is technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive material if any of the following applies:

(a) The material is reused in the horizontal well from where it originated or is transferred to another site for reuse in a horizontal well. For purposes of division (A)(2)(a) of this section, a material is reused if the material is used in a substantially similar manner as it was originally used.

(b) The owner disposes of the material at an injection well for which a permit has been issued under section 1509.22 of the Revised Code.

(c) The owner uses the material in association with a method of enhanced recovery for which a permit has been issued under section 1509.21 of the Revised Code.

(d) The material is transported out of the state for lawful disposal. The owner shall retain records that substantiate the lawful disposal and provide them to the chief upon request.

(3) Except as provided in division (A)(2) of this section, the owner shall transport and dispose of material that is technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive material in accordance with all applicable laws.

(4) If the material is not technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive material and the material has come in contact with a refined oil-based substance, the owner shall do one of the following:

(a) If the material is removed from the location associated with the production operation of the well or from a location specified in a permit or order issued under division (C) of section 1509.22 of the Revised Code, dispose of the material at a solid waste facility that is authorized to accept the material in accordance with Chapter 3734. of the Revised Code and rules adopted under it;

(b) If the material is removed from the location associated with the production operation of the well or from a location specified in a permit or order issued under division (C) of section 1509.22 of the Revised Code, beneficially use the material in accordance with rules adopted by the director of environmental protection under section 3734.125 of the Revised Code;

(c) If the material is not removed from the location associated with the production operation of the well, recycle or reuse the material with the approval of the chief.

(5) If the material is not technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive material and the material has not come in contact with a refined oil-based substance, the material may be used at the location associated with the production operation of the horizontal well or at another location associated with a production operation.

(B) An owner who has obtained results under division (A)(1) of this section shall keep and maintain the results for a period of three years. In addition, the owner shall provide a copy of the results to the chief upon request.

(C) As used in this section:

(1) "Technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive material" has the same meaning as in section 3748.01 of the Revised Code.

(2) "Owner" includes a person that is an authorized agent of an owner.

Section 1509.08 | Determinations if well in coal bearing township.

• Effective: September 29, 2011
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 153 - 129th General Assembly

Upon receipt of an application for a permit required by section 1509.05 of the Revised Code, or upon receipt of an application for a permit to plug and abandon under section 1509.13 of the Revised Code, the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management shall determine whether the well is or is to be located in a coal bearing township.

Whether or not the well is or is to be located in a coal bearing township, the chief, by order, may refuse to issue a permit required by section 1509.05 of the Revised Code to any applicant who at the time of applying for the permit is in material or substantial violation of this chapter or rules adopted or orders issued under it. The chief shall refuse to issue a permit to any applicant who at the time of applying for the permit has been found liable by a final nonappealable order of a court of competent jurisdiction for damage to streets, roads, highways, bridges, culverts, or drainways pursuant to section 4513.34 or 5577.12 of the Revised Code until the applicant provides the chief with evidence of compliance with the order. No applicant shall attempt to circumvent this provision by applying for a permit under a different name or business organization name, by transferring responsibility to another person or entity, by abandoning the well or lease, or by any other similar act.

If the well is not or is not to be located in a coal bearing township, or if it is to be located in a coal bearing township, but the landowner submits an affidavit attesting to ownership of the property in fee simple, including the coal, and has no objection to the well, the chief shall issue the permit.

If the application to drill, reopen, or convert concerns a well that is or is to be located in a coal bearing township, the chief shall transmit to the chief of the division of mineral resources management two copies of the application and three copies of the map required in section 1509.06 of the Revised Code, except that, when the affidavit with the waiver of objection described above is submitted, the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management shall not transmit the copies.

The chief of the division of mineral resources management immediately shall notify the owner or lessee of any affected mine that the application has been filed and send to the owner or lessee two copies of the map accompanying the application setting forth the location of the well.

If the owner or lessee objects to the location of the well or objects to any location within fifty feet of the original location as a possible site for relocation of the well, the owner or lessee shall notify the chief of the division of mineral resources management of the objection, giving the reasons for the objection and, if applicable, indicating on a copy of the map the particular location or locations within fifty feet of the original location to which the owner or lessee objects as a site for possible relocation of the well, within six days after the receipt of the notice. If the chief receives no objections from the owner or lessee of the mine within ten days after the receipt of the notice by the owner or lessee, or if in the opinion of the chief the objections offered by the owner or lessee are not sufficiently well founded, the chief immediately shall notify the owner or lessee of those findings. The owner or lessee may appeal the decision of the chief to the reclamation commission under section 1513.13 of the Revised Code. The appeal shall be filed within fifteen days, notwithstanding provisions in divisions (A)(1) of section 1513.13 of the Revised Code to the contrary, from the date on which the owner or lessee receives the notice. If the appeal is not filed within that time, the chief immediately shall approve the application, retain a copy of the application and map, and return a copy of the application to the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management with the approval noted on it. The chief of the division of oil and gas resources management then shall issue the permit if the provisions of this chapter pertaining to the issuance of such a permit have been complied with.

If the chief of the division of mineral resources management receives an objection from the owner or lessee of the mine as to the location of the well within ten days after receipt of the notice by the owner or lessee, and if in the opinion of the chief the objection is well founded, the chief shall disapprove the application and immediately return it to the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management together with the reasons for disapproval and a suggestion for a new location for the well, provided that the suggested new location shall not be a location within fifty feet of the original location to which the owner or lessee has objected as a site for possible relocation of the well if the chief of the division of mineral resources management has determined that the objection is well founded. The chief of the division of oil and gas resources management immediately shall notify the applicant for the permit of the disapproval and any suggestion made by the chief of the division of mineral resources management as to a new location for the well. The applicant may withdraw the application or amend the application to drill the well at the location suggested by the chief, or the applicant may appeal the disapproval of the application by the chief to the reclamation commission.

If the chief of the division of mineral resources management receives no objection from the owner or lessee of a mine as to the location of the well, but does receive an objection from the owner or lessee as to one or more locations within fifty feet of the original location as possible sites for relocation of the well within ten days after receipt of the notice by the owner or lessee, and if in the opinion of the chief the objection is well founded, the chief nevertheless shall approve the application and shall return it immediately to the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management together with the reasons for disapproving any of the locations to which the owner or lessee objects as possible sites for the relocation of the well. The chief of the division of oil and gas resources management then shall issue a permit if the provisions of this chapter pertaining to the issuance of such a permit have been complied with, incorporating as a term or condition of the permit that the applicant is prohibited from commencing drilling at any location within fifty feet of the original location that has been disapproved by the chief of the division of mineral resources management. The applicant may appeal to the reclamation commission the terms and conditions of the permit prohibiting the commencement of drilling at any such location disapproved by the chief of the division of mineral resources management.

Any such appeal shall be filed within fifteen days, notwithstanding provisions in division (A)(1) of section 1513.13 of the Revised Code to the contrary, from the date the applicant receives notice of the disapproval of the application, any other location within fifty feet of the original location, or terms or conditions of the permit, or the owner or lessee receives notice of the chief's decision. No approval or disapproval of an application shall be delayed by the chief of the division of mineral resources management for more than fifteen days from the date of sending the notice of the application to the mine owner or lessee as required by this section.

All appeals provided for in this section shall be treated as expedited appeals. The reclamation commission shall hear any such appeal in accordance with section 1513.13 of the Revised Code and issue a decision within thirty days of the filing of the notice of appeal.

The chief of the division of oil and gas resources management shall not issue a permit to drill a new well or reopen a well that is or is to be located within three hundred feet of any opening of any mine used as a means of ingress, egress, or ventilation for persons employed in the mine, nor within one hundred feet of any building or inflammable structure connected with the mine and actually used as a part of the operating equipment of the mine, unless the chief of the division of mineral resources management determines that life or property will not be endangered by drilling and operating the well in that location.

The chief of the division of mineral resources management may suspend the drilling or reopening of a well in a coal bearing township after determining that the drilling or reopening activities present an imminent and substantial threat to public health or safety or to miners' health or safety and having been unable to contact the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management to request an order of suspension under section 1509.06 of the Revised Code. Before issuing a suspension order for that purpose, the chief of the division of mineral resources management shall notify the owner in a manner that in the chief's judgment would provide reasonable notification that the chief intends to issue a suspension order. The chief may issue such an order without prior notification if reasonable attempts to notify the owner have failed, but in that event notification shall be given as soon thereafter as practical. Within five calendar days after the issuance of the order, the chief shall provide the owner an opportunity to be heard and to present evidence that the activities do not present an imminent and substantial threat to public health or safety or to miners' health or safety. If, after considering the evidence presented by the owner, the chief determines that the activities do not present such a threat, the chief shall revoke the suspension order. An owner may appeal a suspension order issued by the chief of the division of mineral resources management under this section to the reclamation commission in accordance with section 1513.13 of the Revised Code or may appeal the order directly to the court of common pleas of the county in which the well is located.

Section 1509.09 | Changing location of well after issuance of permit.

• Effective: September 29, 2011
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 153 - 129th General Assembly

A well may be drilled under a permit only at the location designated on the map required in section 1509.06 of the Revised Code. The location of a well may be changed after the issuance of a permit only with the approval of the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management and, if the well is located in a coal bearing township, with the approval of the chief of the division of mineral resources management using the procedures required in section 1509.08 of the Revised Code for a permit to drill a well unless the permit holder requests the issuance of an emergency drilling permit under this section due to a lost hole under such circumstances that completion of the well is not feasible at the original location. If a permit holder requests a change of location, the permit holder shall return the original permit and file an amended map indicating the proposed new location.

Drilling shall not be commenced at a new location until the original permit bearing a notation of approval by the chief or chiefs is posted at the well site. However, a permit holder may commence drilling at a new location without first receiving the prior approval required by this section, if all of the following conditions are met:

(A) Within one working day after spudding the new well, the permit holder files a request for an emergency drilling permit and submits to the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management an application for a permit that meets the requirements of section 1509.06 of the Revised Code, including the permit fee required by that section, with an amended map showing the new location.

(B) An oil and gas resources inspector is present before spudding operations are commenced at the location.

(C) The original well is plugged prior to the skidding of the drilling rig to the new location, and the plugging is witnessed or verified by 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 unless the chief or the chief's authorized representative temporarily waives the requirement, but in any event the original well shall be plugged before the drilling rig is moved from the location.

(D) The new location is within fifty feet of the original location unless, upon request of the permit holder, the chief, with the approval of the chief of the division of mineral resources management if the well is located in a coal bearing township, agrees to a new location farther than fifty feet from the original location.

(E) The new location meets all the distance and spacing requirements prescribed by rules adopted under sections 1509.23 and 1509.24 of the Revised Code.

(F) If the well is located in a coal bearing township, use of the new well location has not been disapproved by the chief of the division of mineral resources management and has not been prohibited as a term or condition of the permit under section 1509.08 of the Revised Code.

If the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management approves the change of location, the chief shall issue an emergency permit within two working days after the filing of the request for the emergency permit. If the chief disapproves the change of location, the chief shall, by order, deny the request and may issue an appropriate enforcement order under section 1509.03 of the Revised Code.

Section 1509.10 | Well log to be filed with division - contents - form.

• Effective: September 29, 2013
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 59 - 130th General Assembly

(A) Any person drilling within the state shall, within sixty days after the completion of drilling operations to the proposed total depth or after a determination that a well is a dry or lost hole, file with the division of oil and gas resources management all wireline electric logs and an accurate well completion record on a form that is prescribed by the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management that designates:

(1) The purpose for which the well was drilled;

(2) The character, depth, and thickness of geological units encountered, including coal seams, mineral beds, associated fluids such as fresh water, brine, and crude oil, natural gas, and sour gas, if such seams, beds, fluids, or gases are known;

(3) The dates on which drilling operations were commenced and completed;

(4) The types of drilling tools used and the name of the person that drilled the well;

(5) The length in feet of the various sizes of casing and tubing used in drilling the well, the amount removed after completion, the type and setting depth of each packer, all other data relating to cementing in the annular space behind such casing or tubing, and data indicating completion as a dry, gas, oil, combination oil and gas, brine injection, or artificial brine well or a stratigraphic test;

(6) The number of perforations in the casing and the intervals of the perforations;

(7) The elevation above mean sea level of the point from which the depth measurements were made, stating also the height of the point above ground level at the well, the total depth of the well, and the deepest geological unit that was penetrated in the drilling of the well;

(8) If applicable, the type, volume, and concentration of acid, and the date on which acid was used in acidizing the well;

(9)(a) If applicable, the trade name and the total amount of all products, fluids, and substances, and the supplier of each product, fluid, or substance, not including cement and its constituents and lost circulation materials, intentionally added to facilitate the drilling of any portion of the well until the surface casing is set and properly sealed. The owner shall identify each additive used and provide a brief description of the purpose for which the additive is used. In addition, the owner shall include a list of all chemicals, not including any information that is designated as a trade secret pursuant to division (I)(1) of this section, intentionally added to all products, fluids, or substances and include each chemical's corresponding chemical abstracts service number and the maximum concentration of each chemical. The owner shall obtain the chemical information, not including any information that is designated as a trade secret pursuant to division (I)(1) of this section, from the company that drilled the well, provided service at the well, or supplied the chemicals. If the company that drilled the well, provided service at the well, or supplied the chemicals provides incomplete or inaccurate chemical information, the owner shall make reasonable efforts to obtain the required information from the company or supplier.

(b) For purposes of division (A)(9)(a) of this section, if recycled fluid was used, the total volume of recycled fluid and the well that is the source of the recycled fluid or the centralized facility that is the source of the recycled fluid.

(10)(a) If applicable, the type and volume of fluid, not including cement and its constituents or information that is designated as a trade secret pursuant to division (I)(1) of this section, used to stimulate the reservoir of the well, the reservoir breakdown pressure, the method used for the containment of fluids recovered from the fracturing of the well, the methods used for the containment of fluids when pulled from the wellbore from swabbing the well, the average pumping rate of the well, and the name of the person that performed the well stimulation. In addition, the owner shall include a copy of the log from the stimulation of the well, a copy of the invoice for each of the procedures and methods described in division (A)(10) of this section that were used on a well, and a copy of the pumping pressure and rate graphs. However, the owner may redact from the copy of each invoice that is required to be included under division (A)(10) of this section the costs of and charges for the procedures and methods described in division (A)(10) of this section that were used on a well.

(b) If applicable, the trade name and the total volume of all products, fluids, and substances, and the supplier of each product, fluid, or substance used to stimulate the well. The owner shall identify each additive used, provide a brief description of the purpose for which the additive is used, and include the maximum concentration of the additive used. In addition, the owner shall include a list of all chemicals, not including any information that is designated as a trade secret pursuant to division (I)(1) of this section, intentionally added to all products, fluids, or substances and include each chemical's corresponding chemical abstracts service number and the maximum concentration of each chemical. The owner shall obtain the chemical information, not including any information that is designated as a trade secret pursuant to division (I)(1) of this section, from the company that stimulated the well or supplied the chemicals. If the company that stimulated the well or supplied the chemicals provides incomplete or inaccurate chemical information, the owner shall make reasonable efforts to obtain the required information from the company or supplier.

(c) For purposes of division (A)(10)(b) of this section, if recycled fluid was used, the total volume of recycled fluid and the well that is the source of the recycled fluid or the centralized facility that is the source of the recycled fluid.

(11) The name of the company that performed the logging of the well and the types of wireline electric logs performed on the well.

The well completion record shall be submitted in duplicate. The first copy shall be retained as a permanent record in the files of the division, and the second copy shall be transmitted by the chief to the division of geological survey.

(B)(1) Not later than sixty days after the completion of the drilling operations to the proposed total depth, the owner shall file all wireline electric logs with the division of oil and gas resources management and the chief shall transmit such logs electronically, if available, to the division of geological survey. Such logs may be retained by the owner for a period of not more than six months, or such additional time as may be granted by the chief in writing, after the completion of the well substantially to the depth shown in the application required by section 1509.06 of the Revised Code.

(2) If a well is not completed within sixty days after the completion of drilling operations, the owner shall file with the division of oil and gas resources management a supplemental well completion record that includes all of the information required under this section within sixty days after the completion of the well.

(3) After a well is initially completed and stimulated and until the well is plugged, the owner shall report, on a form prescribed by the chief, all materials placed into the formation to refracture, restimulate, or newly complete the well. The owner shall submit the information within sixty days after completing the refracturing, restimulation, or new completion. In addition, the owner shall report the information required in divisions (A)(10)(a) to (c) of this section, as applicable, in a manner consistent with the requirements established in this section.

(C) Upon request in writing by the chief of the division of geological survey prior to the beginning of drilling of the well, the person drilling the well shall make available a complete set of cuttings accurately identified as to depth.

(D) The form of the well completion record required by this section shall be one that has been prescribed by the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management and the chief of the division of geological survey. The filing of a log as required by this section fulfills the requirement of filing a log with the chief of the division of geological survey in section 1505.04 of the Revised Code.

(E) If a material listed or designated under division (A)(9) or (10) or (B)(3) of this section is a material for which the division of oil and gas resources management does not have a material safety data sheet, the owner shall provide a copy of the material safety data sheet for the material to the chief.

(F) An owner shall submit to the chief the information that is required in divisions (A)(10)(b) and (c) and (B)(3) of this section consistent with the requirements established in this section using one of the following methods:

(1) On a form prescribed by the chief;

(2) Through the chemical disclosure registry that is maintained by the ground water protection council and the interstate oil and gas compact commission;

(3) Any other means approved by the chief.

(G) The chief shall post on the division's web site each material safety data sheet obtained under division (E) of this section. In addition, the chief shall make available through the division's web site the chemical information that is required by divisions (A)(9) and (10) and (B)(3) of this section.

(H)(1) If a medical professional, in order to assist in the diagnosis or treatment of an individual who was affected by an incident associated with the production operations of a well, requests the exact chemical composition of each product, fluid, or substance and of each chemical component in a product, fluid, or substance that is designated as a trade secret pursuant to division (I) of this section, the person claiming the trade secret protection pursuant to that division shall provide to the medical professional the exact chemical composition of the product, fluid, or substance and of the chemical component in a product, fluid, or substance that is requested.

(2) A medical professional who receives information pursuant to division (H)(1) of this section shall keep the information confidential and shall not disclose the information for any purpose that is not related to the diagnosis or treatment of an individual who was affected by an incident associated with the production operations of a well. Nothing in division (H)(2) of this section precludes a medical professional from making any report required by law or professional ethical standards.

(I)(1) The owner of a well who is required to submit a well completion record under division (A) of this section or a report under division (B)(3) of this section or a person that provides information to the owner as described in and for purposes of division (A)(9) or (10) or (B)(3) of this section may designate without disclosing on a form prescribed by the chief and withhold from disclosure to the chief the identity, amount, concentration, or purpose of a product, fluid, or substance or of a chemical component in a product, fluid, or substance as a trade secret. The owner or person may pursue enforcement of any rights or remedies established in sections 1333.61 to 1333.69 of the Revised Code for misappropriation, as defined in section 1333.61 of the Revised Code, with respect to the identity, amount, concentration, or purpose of a product, fluid, or substance or a chemical component in a product, fluid, or substance designated as a trade secret pursuant to division (I)(1) of this section. The division shall not disclose information regarding the identity, amount, concentration, or purpose of any product, fluid, or substance or of any chemical component in a product, fluid, or substance designated as a trade secret pursuant to division (I)(1) of this section.

(2) A property owner, an adjacent property owner, or any person or agency of this state having an interest that is or may be adversely affected by a product, fluid, or substance or by a chemical component in a product, fluid, or substance may commence a civil action in the court of common pleas of Franklin county against an owner or person described in division (I)(1) of this section challenging the owner's or person's claim to entitlement to trade secret protection for the specific identity, amount, concentration, or purpose of a product, fluid, or substance or of a chemical component in a product, fluid, or substance pursuant to division (I)(1) of this section. A person who commences a civil action pursuant to division (I)(2) of this section shall provide notice to the chief in a manner prescribed by the chief. In the civil action, the court shall conduct an in camera review of information submitted by an owner or person described in division (I)(1) of this section to determine if the identity, amount, concentration, or purpose of a product, fluid, or substance or of a chemical component in a product, fluid, or substance pursuant to division (I)(1) of this section is entitled to trade secret protection.

(J)(1) Except for any information that is designated as a trade secret pursuant to division (I)(1) of this section and except as provided in division (J)(2) of this section, the owner of a well shall maintain records of all chemicals placed in a well for a period of not less than two years after the date on which each such chemical was placed in the well. The chief may inspect the records at any time concerning any such chemical.

(2) An owner or person who has designated the identity, amount, concentration, or purpose of a product, fluid, or substance or of a chemical component in a product, fluid, or substance as a trade secret pursuant to division (I)(1) of this section shall maintain the records for such a product, fluid, or substance or for a chemical component in a product, fluid, or substance for a period of not less than two years after the date on which each such product, fluid, or substance or each such chemical component in a product, fluid, or substance was placed in the well. Upon the request of the chief, the owner or person, as applicable, shall disclose the records to the chief if the information is necessary to respond to a spill, release, or investigation. However, the chief shall not disclose the information that is designated as a trade secret.

(K)(1) For purposes of correcting inaccuracies and incompleteness in chemical information required by divisions (A)(9) and (10) and (B)(3) of this section, an owner shall be considered in substantial compliance if the owner has made reasonable efforts to obtain the required information from the supplier.

(2) For purposes of reporting under this section, an owner is not required to report chemicals that occur incidentally or in trace amounts.

(L) As used in this section, the term "material safety data sheet" shall conform to any revision of or change in the term by the occupational safety and health administration in the United States department of labor.

Section 1509.11 | Statement of production of oil, gas and brine.

• Effective: October 3, 2023
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 33 - 135th General Assembly

(A)(1) The owner of any well, except a horizontal well, that is producing or capable of producing oil or gas shall file with the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management, on or before the thirty-first day of March, a statement of production of oil, gas, and brine for the last preceding calendar year in such form as the chief may prescribe. An owner that has more than one hundred such wells in this state shall submit electronically the statement of production in a format that is approved by the chief.

(2) The owner of any horizontal well that is producing or capable of producing oil or gas shall file with the chief, on the forty-fifth day following the close of each calendar quarter, a statement of production of oil, gas, and brine for the preceding calendar quarter in a form that the chief prescribes. An owner that has more than one hundred horizontal wells in this state shall submit electronically the statement of production in a format that is approved by the chief.

(B) The chief shall not disclose information received from the department of taxation under section 5703.21 of the Revised Code until the statement of production required by division (A) of this section and related to that information is filed with the chief.

Last updated September 11, 2023 at 12:20 PM

Section 1509.12 | Defective wells and well plugging.

• Effective: September 30, 2021
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 110 - 134th General Assembly

(A)(1) No person shall construct or operate a well, that causes damage to other permeable strata, underground sources of drinking water, or the surface of the land or that threatens the public health and safety or the environment.

(2) No owner of a well shall permit a well to leak fluids or gases.

(3) Upon the discovery that the casing in a well is defective or that a well was not adequately constructed, the person that owns the well or that is responsible for the well shall notify the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management within twenty-four hours of the discovery, and shall immediately repair the casing, correct the construction inadequacies, or plug and abandon the well.

(B) When the chief finds that a well should be plugged, the chief shall issue an order to the person that owns the well or that is responsible for the well to plug the well and shall specify in the order a reasonable time within which to comply. No person shall fail or refuse to plug a well within the time specified in the order. Each day on which such a well remains unplugged thereafter constitutes a separate offense.

Where the plugging method prescribed by rules adopted pursuant to section 1509.15 of the Revised Code cannot be applied or if applied would be ineffective in carrying out the protection that the law is meant to give, the chief may designate a different method of plugging. The abandonment report shall show the manner in which the well was plugged.

(C) In case of oil or gas wells abandoned prior to September 1, 1978, the board of county commissioners of the county in which the wells are located may submit to the electors of the county the question of establishing a special fund, by general levy, by general bond issue, or out of current funds, which shall be approved by a majority of the electors voting upon that question for the purpose of plugging the wells. The fund shall be administered by the board and the plugging of oil and gas wells shall be under the supervision of the chief, and the board shall let contracts for that purpose, provided that the fund shall not be used for the purpose of plugging oil and gas wells that were abandoned subsequent to September 1, 1978.

Last updated September 10, 2021 at 5:28 PM

Section 1509.13 | Permit to plug and abandon well - application.

• Effective: September 30, 2021
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 110 - 134th General Assembly

(A)(1) Except as otherwise provided in division (A)(2) of this section and division (E)(1) of section 1509.071 of 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 section 1509.06 of 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) Except as otherwise provided in division (E)(2)(a) of section 1509.071 of the Revised Code, the application shall be accompanied by a nonrefundable fee of two hundred fifty dollars. 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 section 1509.06 of the Revised Code are pending. In addition to a complete application for a permit that meets the requirements of this section and the permit fee prescribed by this section, if applicable, a request 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 section 1509.07 of 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 section 1509.07 of the Revised Code.

(F) This section does not apply to a well plugged or abandoned in compliance with section 1571.05 of the Revised Code.

Last updated August 5, 2021 at 2:38 PM

Section 1509.14 | Report of abandonment of well.

• Effective: September 29, 2011
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 153 - 129th General Assembly

Any person who abandons a well, when written permission has been granted by the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management to abandon and plug the well without an inspector being present to supervise the plugging, shall make a written report of the abandonment to the chief. The report shall be submitted not later than thirty days after the date of abandonment and shall include all of the following:

(A) The date of abandonment;

(B) The name of the owner or operator of the well at the time of abandonment and the post-office address of the owner or operator;

(C) The location of the well as to township and county and the name of the owner of the surface upon which the well is drilled, with the address thereof;

(D) The date of the permit to drill;

(E) The date when drilled;

(F) The depth of the well;

(G) The depth of the top of the formation to which the well was drilled;

(H) The depth of each seam of coal drilled through, if known;

(I) A detailed report as to how the well was plugged, giving in particular the manner in which the coal and various formations were plugged, and the date of the plugging of the well, including the names of those who witnessed the plugging of the well.

The report shall be signed by the owner or operator, or the agent of the owner or operator, who abandons and plugs the well and verified by the oath of the party so signing. For the purposes of this section, the oil and gas resources inspectors may take acknowledgments and administer oaths to the parties signing the report.

Section 1509.15 | Rules for methods of plugging.

• Effective: September 29, 2011
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 153 - 129th General Assembly

When any well is to be abandoned, it shall first be plugged in accordance with a method of plugging adopted by rule by the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management. The abandonment report shall show the manner in which the well was plugged.

Section 1509.151 | Plugging at expense of operator.

• Effective: September 23, 2022
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 430 - 134th General Assembly

If a mine operator is about to encounter or encounters an orphaned well whose existence is detrimental to the mining operation, the mine operator may plug the well at the mine operator's own expense in accordance with this chapter and rules adopted under it.

Last updated July 7, 2022 at 10:41 AM

Section 1509.16 | Disclosure forms for oil country tubular goods.

• Effective: September 29, 2013
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 59 - 130th General Assembly

(A) As used in this section, "oil country tubular goods" means circular steel pipes that are seamless or welded and used in drilling for oil or natural gas, including casing, tubing, and drill pipe, whether finished or unfinished, and steel couplings and drill collars used with the pipes.

(B) Beginning March 31, 2015, an owner shall file with the division of oil and gas resources management a disclosure form that specifies the country in which each oil country tubular good initially used in a production operation on or after that date was manufactured unless that country cannot be determined by the owner. The division shall prescribe the disclosure form and consult with representatives from the natural gas, oil, and steel industries when developing the form. The division shall use the information specified on the form to establish a quality well infrastructure catalog.

(C) The division shall determine the date on which the disclosure form shall be filed.

Section 1509.17 | Encasing wells.

• Effective: September 29, 2011
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 153 - 129th General Assembly

(A) A well shall be constructed in a manner that is approved by the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management as specified in the permit using materials that comply with industry standards for the type and depth of the well and the anticipated fluid pressures that are associated with the well. In addition, a well shall be constructed using sufficient steel or conductor casing in a manner that supports unconsolidated sediments, that protects and isolates all underground sources of drinking water as defined by the Safe Drinking Water Act, and that provides a base for a blowout preventer or other well control equipment that is necessary to control formation pressures and fluids during the drilling of the well and other operations to complete the well. Using steel production casing with sufficient cement, an oil and gas reservoir shall be isolated during well stimulation and during the productive life of the well. In addition, sour gas zones and gas bearing zones that have sufficient pressure and volume to over-pressurize the surface production casing annulus resulting in annular overpressurization shall be isolated using approved cementing, casing, and well construction practices. However, isolating an oil and gas reservoir shall not exclude open-hole completion. A well shall not be perforated for purposes of well stimulation in any zone that is located around casing that protects underground sources of drinking water without written authorization from the chief in accordance with division (D) of this section. When the well penetrates the excavations of a mine, the casing shall remain intact as provided in section 1509.18 of the Revised Code and be plugged and abandoned in accordance with section 1509.15 of the Revised Code.

(B) The chief may adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code that are consistent with division (A) of this section and that establish standards for constructing a well, for evaluating the quality of well construction materials, and for completing remedial cementing. In addition, the standards established in the rules shall consider local geology and various drilling conditions and shall require the use of reasonable methods that are based on sound engineering principles.

(C) An owner or an owner's authorized representative shall notify an oil and gas resources inspector each time that the owner or the authorized representative notifies a person to perform the cementing of the conductor casing, the surface casing, or the production casing. In addition, not later than sixty days after the completion of the cementing of the production casing, an owner shall submit to the chief a copy of the cement tickets for each cemented string of casing and a copy of all logs that were used to evaluate the quality of the cementing.

(D) The chief shall grant an exemption from this section and rules adopted under it for a well if the chief determines that a cement bond log confirms zonal isolation and there is a minimum of five hundred feet between the uppermost perforation of the casing and the lowest depth of an underground source of drinking water.

Section 1509.18 | Well drilled within limits of mining operation.

• Effective: June 30, 2010
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 165 - 128th General Assembly

Any person who drills a well within the limits of a mining operation shall give consideration for the safety of the personnel working in the mine, and, if possible, shall locate the well so as to penetrate a pillar.

If a well is to be drilled within the limits of a mining operation that may penetrate the excavation of a mine, the hole shall be reduced approximately fifteen feet above the roof of the mine. If roof conditions at the mine warrant, the hole shall be reduced in the rock formation immediately above the mine, and a string of casing placed upon the shoulder so as to shut off all water, then drilling shall be continued to a point approximately thirty feet below the floor of the mine and another string of casing set. Both strings of casing shall be approximately the same diameter as the diameter of the hole.

If no water is encountered between the bottom of the drive pipe and the approximate casing shoulder above the roof of the mine, in lieu of the casing method outlined above, it is permissible to use the following casing method: the hole shall be drilled thirty feet below the floor of the mine and a string of casing shall be extended from the surface to a point thirty feet below the floor of the mine with a packer of sufficient size attached to the string of casing. The packer shall be placed so that it will be below all water and will be located in the rock formation immediately above the mine and shall prevent water or destructive matter from entering therein. Then the annular space above the packer between the casing and well wall shall be filled with prepared clay a minimum distance of fifty feet.

If a well is drilled within the limits of a mining operation and does not penetrate the excavations of a mine, the hole shall be reduced thirty feet below the coal or mineral that is being mined and a string of casing placed at this point. The annular space behind the casing shall be filled with neat cement from the casing seat to a point not less than fifty feet above the seam of coal or mineral that is being mined. The packer method, outlined in this section, is also permissible in this type of well.

It is permissible to attach a release coupling or a right and left nipple to the string of casing that extends through the mine, but the release coupling or right and left nipple shall be placed in such a manner that it is above the packer or at least twenty feet above the coal or mineral that is being mined.

In wells penetrating the excavation of a mine, the casing shall be enclosed, if possible, with a column extending from the floor to the roof of the mine, built of brick or other suitable material, subject to the approval of the chief of the division of mineral resources management. If the chief finds the method prescribed in this section unsafe, inadequate, or not suitable, the chief shall require the method to be altered in such a manner that it will be safe.

Section 1509.181 | Suspension of drilling or reopening of well in coal bearing townships.

• Effective: September 29, 2011
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 153 - 129th General Assembly

(A) The chief of the division of mineral resources management may order the immediate suspension of the drilling or reopening of a well in a coal bearing township after determining that the drilling or reopening activities present an imminent and substantial threat to public health or safety or to a miner's health or safety.

(B) Before issuing an order under division (A) of this section, the chief shall notify the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management and the owner in any manner that the chief of the division of mineral resources management determines would provide reasonable notification of the chief's intent to issue a suspension order. However, the chief may order the immediate suspension of the drilling or reopening of a well in a coal bearing township without prior notification to the owner if the chief has made reasonable attempts to notify the owner and the attempts have failed. If the chief orders the immediate suspension of such drilling or reopening, the chief shall provide the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management and the owner notice of the order as soon as practical.

(C) Not later than five days after the issuance of an order under division (A) of this section to immediately suspend the drilling or reopening of a well in a coal bearing township, the chief of the division of mineral resources management shall provide the owner an opportunity to be heard and to present evidence that the drilling or reopening activities will not likely result in an imminent and substantial threat to public health or safety or to a miner's health or safety, as applicable. If the chief, after considering all evidence presented by the owner, determines that the activities do not present such a threat, the chief shall revoke the suspension order.

(D) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, an owner may appeal a suspension order issued under this section to the reclamation commission in accordance with section 1513.13 of the Revised Code.

Section 1509.19 | Well stimulation.

• Effective: September 29, 2011
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 153 - 129th General Assembly

An owner who elects to stimulate a well shall stimulate the well in a manner that will not endanger underground sources of drinking water. Not later than twenty-four hours before commencing the stimulation of a well, the owner or the owner's authorized representative shall notify an oil and gas resources inspector. If during the stimulation of a well damage to the production casing or cement occurs and results in the circulation of fluids from the annulus of the surface production casing, the owner shall immediately terminate the stimulation of the well and notify the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management. If the chief determines that the casing and the cement may be remediated in a manner that isolates the oil and gas bearing zones of the well, the chief may authorize the completion of the stimulation of the well. If the chief determines that the stimulation of a well resulted in irreparable damage to the well, the chief shall order that the well be plugged and abandoned within thirty days of the issuance of the order.

For purposes of determining the integrity of the remediation of the casing or cement of a well that was damaged during the stimulation of the well, the chief may require the owner of the well to submit cement evaluation logs, temperature surveys, pressure tests, or a combination of such logs, surveys, and tests.

Section 1509.20 | Prevention of waste - gas flaring.

• Effective: June 30, 2010
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 165 - 128th General Assembly

All owners, lessees, or their agents, drilling for or producing crude oil or natural gas, shall use every reasonable precaution in accordance with the most approved methods of operation to stop and prevent waste of oil or gas, or both. Any well productive of natural gas in quantity sufficient to justify utilization shall be utilized or shut in within ten days after completion.

The owner of any well producing both oil and gas may burn such gas in flares when it is necessary to protect the health and safety of the public or when the gas is lawfully produced and there is no economic market at the well for the escaping gas.

Section 1509.21 | Permits for secondary or additional recovery operations.

• Effective: September 29, 2011
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 153 - 129th General Assembly

No person shall, without first having obtained a permit from the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management, conduct secondary or additional recovery operations, including any underground injection of fluids or carbon dioxide for the secondary or tertiary recovery of oil or natural gas or for the storage of hydrocarbons that are liquid at standard temperature or pressure, unless a rule of the chief expressly authorizes such operations without a permit. The permit shall be in addition to any permit required by section 1509.05 of the Revised Code. Secondary or additional recovery operations shall be conducted in accordance with rules and orders of the chief and any terms or conditions of the permit authorizing such operations. In addition, the chief may authorize tests to evaluate whether fluids or carbon dioxide may be injected in a reservoir and to determine the maximum allowable injection pressure. The tests shall be conducted in accordance with methods prescribed in rules of the chief or conditions of the permit. Rules adopted under this section shall include provisions regarding applications for and the issuance of permits; the terms and conditions of permits; entry to conduct inspections and to examine records to ascertain compliance with this section and rules, orders, and terms and conditions of permits adopted or issued thereunder; the provision and maintenance of information through monitoring, recordkeeping, and reporting; and other provisions in furtherance of the goals of this section and the Safe Drinking Water Act. To implement the goals of the Safe Drinking Water Act, the chief shall not issue a permit for the underground injection of fluids for the secondary or tertiary recovery of oil or natural gas or for the storage of hydrocarbons that are liquid at standard temperature and pressure, unless the chief concludes that the applicant has demonstrated that the injection will not result in the presence of any contaminant in underground water that supplies or can be reasonably expected to supply any public water system, such that the presence of any such contaminant may result in the system's not complying with any national primary drinking water regulation or may otherwise adversely affect the health of persons. Rules, orders, and terms or conditions of permits adopted or issued under this section shall be construed to be no more stringent than required for compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act, unless essential to ensure that underground sources of drinking water will not be endangered.

Section 1509.22 | Storage or disposal of brine, crude oil, natural gas, or other fluids.

• Effective: September 29, 2013
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 59 - 130th General Assembly

(A) Except when acting in accordance with section 1509.226 of the Revised Code, no person shall place or cause to be placed in ground water or in or on the land or discharge or cause to be discharged in surface water brine, crude oil, natural gas, or other fluids associated with the exploration, development, well stimulation, production operations, or plugging of oil and gas resources that causes or could reasonably be anticipated to cause damage or injury to public health or safety or the environment.

(B)(1) No person shall store or dispose of brine in violation of a plan approved under division (A) of section 1509.222 or section 1509.226 of the Revised Code, in violation of a resolution submitted under section 1509.226 of the Revised Code, or in violation of rules or orders applicable to those plans or resolutions.

(2)(a) On and after January 1, 2014, no person shall store, recycle, treat, process, or dispose of in this state brine or other waste substances associated with the exploration, development, well stimulation, production operations, or plugging of oil and gas resources without an order or a permit issued under this section or section 1509.06 or 1509.21 of the Revised Code or rules adopted under any of those sections. For purposes of division (B)(2)(a) of this section, a permit or other form of authorization issued by another agency of the state or a political subdivision of the state shall not be considered a permit or order issued by the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management under this chapter.

(b) Division (B)(2)(a) of this section does not apply to a person that disposes of such waste substances other than brine in accordance with Chapter 3734. of the Revised Code and rules adopted under it.

(C) The chief shall adopt rules regarding storage, recycling, treatment, processing, and disposal of brine and other waste substances. The rules shall establish procedures and requirements in accordance with which a person shall apply for a permit or order for the storage, recycling, treatment, processing, or disposal of brine and other waste substances that are not subject to a permit issued under section 1509.06 or 1509.21 of the Revised Code and in accordance with which the chief may issue such a permit or order. An application for such a permit shall be accompanied by a nonrefundable fee of two thousand five hundred dollars.

The storage, recycling, treatment, processing, and disposal of brine and other waste substances and the chief's rules relating to storage, recycling, treatment, processing, and disposal are subject to all of the following standards:

(1) Brine from any well except an exempt Mississippian well shall be disposed of only as follows:

(a) By injection into an underground formation, including annular disposal if approved by rule of the chief, which injection shall be subject to division (D) of this section;

(b) By surface application in accordance with section 1509.226 of the Revised Code;

(c) In association with a method of enhanced recovery as provided in section 1509.21 of the Revised Code;

(d) In any other manner not specified in divisions (C)(1)(a) to (c) of this section that is approved by a permit or order issued by the chief.

(2) Brine from exempt Mississippian wells shall not be discharged directly into the waters of the state.

(3) Muds, cuttings, and other waste substances shall not be disposed of in violation of this chapter or any rule adopted under it.

(4) Pits or steel tanks shall be used as authorized by the chief for containing brine and other waste substances resulting from, obtained from, or produced in connection with drilling, well stimulation, reworking, reconditioning, plugging back, or plugging operations. The pits and steel tanks shall be constructed and maintained to prevent the escape of brine and other waste substances.

(5) A dike or pit may be used for spill prevention and control. A dike or pit so used shall be constructed and maintained to prevent the escape of brine and crude oil, and the reservoir within such a dike or pit shall be kept reasonably free of brine, crude oil, and other waste substances.

(6) Impoundments constructed utilizing a synthetic liner pursuant to the division's specifications may be used for the temporary storage of waste substances used in the construction, stimulation, or plugging of a well.

(7) No pit or dike shall be used for the temporary storage of brine or other waste substances except in accordance with divisions (C)(4) and (5) of this section.

(8) No pit or dike shall be used for the ultimate disposal of brine or other liquid waste substances.

(D)(1) No person, without first having obtained a permit from the chief, shall inject brine or other waste substances resulting from, obtained from, or produced in connection with oil or gas drilling, exploration, or production into an underground formation unless a rule of the chief expressly authorizes the injection without a permit. The permit shall be in addition to any permit required by section 1509.05 of the Revised Code, and the permit application shall be accompanied by a permit fee of one thousand dollars. The chief shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code regarding the injection into wells of brine and other waste substances resulting from, obtained from, or produced in connection with oil or gas drilling, exploration, or production. The rules shall include provisions regarding all of the following:

(a) Applications for and issuance of the permits required by this division;

(b) Entry to conduct inspections and to examine and copy records to ascertain compliance with this division and rules, orders, and terms and conditions of permits adopted or issued under it;

(c) The provision and maintenance of information through monitoring, recordkeeping, and reporting. In addition, the rules shall require the owner of an injection well who has been issued a permit under division (D) of this section to quarterly submit electronically to the chief information concerning each shipment of brine or other waste substances received by the owner for injection into the well.

(d) The provision and electronic reporting quarterly of information concerning brine and other waste substances from a transporter that is registered under section 1509.222 of the Revised Code prior to the injection of the transported brine or other waste substances;

(e) Any other provisions in furtherance of the goals of this section and the Safe Drinking Water Act.

(2) The chief may adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code authorizing tests to evaluate whether fluids or carbon dioxide may be injected in a reservoir and to determine the maximum allowable injection pressure, which shall be conducted in accordance with methods prescribed in the rules or in accordance with conditions of the permit. In addition, the chief may adopt rules that do both of the following:

(a) Establish the total depth of a well for which a permit has been applied for or issued under this division;

(b) Establish requirements and procedures to protect public health and safety.

(3) To implement the goals of the Safe Drinking Water Act, the chief shall not issue a permit for the injection of brine or other waste substances resulting from, obtained from, or produced in connection with oil or gas drilling, exploration, or production unless the chief concludes that the applicant has demonstrated that the injection will not result in the presence of any contaminant in ground water that supplies or can reasonably be expected to supply any public water system, such that the presence of the contaminant may result in the system's not complying with any national primary drinking water regulation or may otherwise adversely affect the health of persons.

(4) The chief may issue an order to the owner of a well in existence on September 10, 2012, to make changes in the operation of the well in order to correct problems or to address safety concerns.

(5) This division and rules, orders, and terms and conditions of permits adopted or issued under it shall be construed to be no more stringent than required for compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act unless essential to ensure that underground sources of drinking water will not be endangered.

(E) The owner holding a permit, or an assignee or transferee who has assumed the obligations and liabilities imposed by this chapter and any rules adopted or orders issued under it pursuant to section 1509.31 of the Revised Code, and the operator of a well shall be liable for a violation of this section or any rules adopted or orders or terms or conditions of a permit issued under it.

(F) An owner shall replace the water supply of the holder of an interest in real property who obtains all or part of the holder's supply of water for domestic, agricultural, industrial, or other legitimate use from an underground or surface source where the supply has been substantially disrupted by contamination, diminution, or interruption proximately resulting from the owner's oil or gas operation, or the owner may elect to compensate the holder of the interest in real property for the difference between the fair market value of the interest before the damage occurred to the water supply and the fair market value after the damage occurred if the cost of replacing the water supply exceeds this difference in fair market values. However, during the pendency of any order issued under this division, the owner shall obtain for the holder or shall reimburse the holder for the reasonable cost of obtaining a water supply from the time of the contamination, diminution, or interruption by the operation until the owner has complied with an order of the chief for compliance with this division or such an order has been revoked or otherwise becomes not effective. If the owner elects to pay the difference in fair market values, but the owner and the holder have not agreed on the difference within thirty days after the chief issues an order for compliance with this division, within ten days after the expiration of that thirty-day period, the owner and the chief each shall appoint an appraiser to determine the difference in fair market values, except that the holder of the interest in real property may elect to appoint and compensate the holder's own appraiser, in which case the chief shall not appoint an appraiser. The two appraisers appointed shall appoint a third appraiser, and within thirty days after the appointment of the third appraiser, the three appraisers shall hold a hearing to determine the difference in fair market values. Within ten days after the hearing, the appraisers shall make their determination by majority vote and issue their final determination of the difference in fair market values. The chief shall accept a determination of the difference in fair market values made by agreement of the owner and holder or by appraisers under this division and shall make and dissolve orders accordingly. This division does not affect in any way the right of any person to enforce or protect, under applicable law, the person's interest in water resources affected by an oil or gas operation.

(G) In any action brought by the state for a violation of division (A) of this section involving any well at which annular disposal is used, there shall be a rebuttable presumption available to the state that the annular disposal caused the violation if the well is located within a one-quarter-mile radius of the site of the violation.

(H)(1) There is levied on the owner of an injection well who has been issued a permit under division (D) of this section the following fees:

(a) Five cents per barrel of each substance that is delivered to a well to be injected in the well when the substance is produced within the division of oil and gas resources management regulatory district in which the well is located or within an adjoining oil and gas resources management regulatory district;

(b) Twenty cents per barrel of each substance that is delivered to a well to be injected in the well when the substance is not produced within the division of oil and gas resources management regulatory district in which the well is located or within an adjoining oil and gas resources management regulatory district.

(2) The maximum number of barrels of substance per injection well in a calendar year on which a fee may be levied under division (H) of this section is five hundred thousand. If in a calendar year the owner of an injection well receives more than five hundred thousand barrels of substance to be injected in the owner's well and if the owner receives at least one substance that is produced within the division's regulatory district in which the well is located or within an adjoining regulatory district and at least one substance that is not produced within the division's regulatory district in which the well is located or within an adjoining regulatory district, the fee shall be calculated first on all of the barrels of substance that are not produced within the division's regulatory district in which the well is located or within an adjoining district at the rate established in division (H)(2) of this section. The fee then shall be calculated on the barrels of substance that are produced within the division's regulatory district in which the well is located or within an adjoining district at the rate established in division (H)(1) of this section until the maximum number of barrels established in division (H)(2) of this section has been attained.

(3) The owner of an injection well who is issued a permit under division (D) of this section shall collect the fee levied by division (H) of this section on behalf of the division of oil and gas resources management and forward the fee to the division. The chief shall transmit all money received under division (H) of this section to the treasurer of state who shall deposit the money in the state treasury to the credit of the oil and gas well fund created in section 1509.02 of the Revised Code. The owner of an injection well who collects the fee levied by this division may retain up to three per cent of the amount that is collected.

(4) The chief shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code establishing requirements and procedures for collection of the fee levied by division (H) of this section.

Section 1509.221 | Requiring permit to drill well or inject substance into well for exploration for or extraction of minerals or energy.

• Effective: September 10, 2012
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 315 - 129th General Assembly

(A) No person, without first having obtained a permit from the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management, shall drill a well or inject a substance into a well for the exploration for or extraction of minerals or energy, other than oil or natural gas, including, but not limited to, the mining of sulfur by the Frasch process, the solution mining of minerals, the in situ combustion of fossil fuel, or the recovery of geothermal energy to produce electric power, unless a rule of the chief expressly authorizes the activity without a permit. The permit shall be in addition to any permit required by section 1509.05 of the Revised Code. The chief shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code governing the issuance of permits under this section. The rules shall include provisions regarding the matters the applicant for a permit shall demonstrate to establish eligibility for a permit; the form and content of applications for permits; the terms and conditions of permits; entry to conduct inspections and to examine and copy records to ascertain compliance with this section and rules, orders, and terms and conditions of permits adopted or issued thereunder; provision and maintenance of information through monitoring, recordkeeping, and reporting; and other provisions in furtherance of the goals of this section and the Safe Drinking Water Act. To implement the goals of the Safe Drinking Water Act, the chief shall not issue a permit under this section, unless the chief concludes that the applicant has demonstrated that the drilling, injection of a substance, and extraction of minerals or energy will not result in the presence of any contaminant in underground water that supplies or can reasonably be expected to supply any public water system, such that the presence of the contaminant may result in the system's not complying with any national primary drinking water regulation or may otherwise adversely affect the health of persons. The chief may issue, without a prior adjudication hearing, orders requiring compliance with this section and rules, orders, and terms and conditions of permits adopted or issued thereunder. This section and rules, orders, and terms and conditions of permits adopted or issued thereunder shall be construed to be no more stringent than required for compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act, unless essential to ensure that underground sources of drinking water will not be endangered.

(B) In an action under section 1509.04 or 1509.33 of the Revised Code to enforce this section, the court shall grant preliminary and permanent injunctive relief and impose a civil penalty upon the showing that the person against whom the action is brought has violated, is violating, or will violate this section or rules, orders, or terms or conditions of permits adopted or issued thereunder. The court shall not require, prior to granting such preliminary and permanent injunctive relief or imposing a civil penalty, proof that the violation was, is, or will be the result of intentional conduct or negligence. In any such action, any person may intervene as a plaintiff upon the demonstration that the person has an interest that is or may be adversely affected by the activity for which injunctive relief or a civil penalty is sought.

Section 1509.222 | Registration certificate and identification number for transportation of brine.

• Effective: June 30, 2017
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 26 - 132nd General Assembly

(A)(1) Except as provided in section 1509.226 of the Revised Code, no person shall transport brine by vehicle in this state unless the business entity that employs the person first registers with and obtains a registration certificate and identification number from the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management.

(2) No more than one registration certificate shall be required of any business entity. Registration certificates issued under this section are not transferable. An applicant shall file an application with the chief, containing such information in such form as the chief prescribes. The application shall include at least all of the following:

(a) A list that identifies each vehicle, vessel, railcar, and container that will be used in the transportation of brine;

(b) A plan for disposal that provides for compliance with the requirements of this chapter and rules of the chief pertaining to the transportation of brine by vehicle and the disposal of brine so transported and that lists all disposal sites that the applicant intends to use;

(c) The bond required by section 1509.225 of the Revised Code;

(d) A certificate issued by an insurance company authorized to do business in this state certifying that the applicant has in force a liability insurance policy in an amount not less than three hundred thousand dollars bodily injury coverage and three hundred thousand dollars property damage coverage to pay damages for injury to persons or property caused by the collecting, handling, transportation, or disposal of brine.

The insurance policy required by division (A)(2)(d) of this section shall be maintained in effect during the term of the registration certificate. The policy or policies providing the coverage shall require the insurance company to give notice to the chief if the policy or policies lapse for any reason. Upon such termination of the policy, the chief may suspend the registration certificate until proper insurance coverage is obtained.

(3) Each application for a registration certificate shall be accompanied by a nonrefundable fee of fifty dollars.

(4) If a business entity that has been issued a registration certificate under this section changes its name due to a business reorganization or merger, the business entity shall revise the bond or certificates of deposit required by section 1509.225 of the Revised Code and obtain a new certificate from an insurance company in accordance with division (A)(2)(e) of this section to reflect the change in the name of the business entity.

(B) The chief shall issue an order denying an application for a registration certificate if the chief finds that either of the following applies:

(1) The applicant, at the time of applying for the registration certificate, has been found liable by a final nonappealable order of a court of competent jurisdiction for damage to streets, roads, highways, bridges, culverts, or drainways pursuant to section 4513.34 or 5577.12 of the Revised Code until the applicant provides the chief with evidence of compliance with the order.

(2) The applicant's plan for disposal does not provide for compliance with the requirements of this chapter and rules of the chief pertaining to the transportation of brine by vehicle and the disposal of brine so transported.

(C) No applicant shall attempt to circumvent division (B) of this section by applying for a registration certificate under a different name or business organization name, by transferring responsibility to another person or entity, or by any similar act.

(D) A registered transporter shall apply to revise a disposal plan under procedures that the chief shall prescribe by rule. However, at a minimum, an application for a revision shall list all sources and disposal sites of brine currently transported. The chief shall deny any application for a revision of a plan under this division if the chief finds that the proposed revised plan does not provide for compliance with the requirements of this chapter and rules of the chief pertaining to the transportation of brine by vehicle and the disposal of brine so transported. Approvals and denials of revisions shall be by order of the chief.

(E) The chief may adopt rules, issue orders, and attach terms and conditions to registration certificates as may be necessary to administer, implement, and enforce sections 1509.222 to 1509.226 of the Revised Code for protection of public health or safety or conservation of natural resources.

Section 1509.223 | Agreements for transporting brine - duties of transporters.

• Effective: September 10, 2012
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 315 - 129th General Assembly

(A) No permit holder or owner of a well shall enter into an agreement with or permit any person to transport brine produced from the well who is not registered pursuant to section 1509.222 of the Revised Code or exempt from registration under section 1509.226 of the Revised Code.

(B) Each registered transporter shall file with the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management, on or before the fifteenth day of April, a statement concerning brine transported, including quantities transported and source and delivery points, during the last preceding calendar year, and such other information in such form as the chief may prescribe.

(C) Each registered transporter shall keep on each vehicle used to transport brine a daily log and have it available upon the request of the chief or an authorized representative of the chief or a peace officer. The log shall, at a minimum, include all of the following information:

(1) The name of the owner or owners of the well or wells producing the brine to be transported;

(2) The date and time the brine is loaded;

(3) The name of the driver;

(4) The amount of brine loaded at each collection point;

(5) The disposal location;

(6) The date and time the brine is disposed of and the amount of brine disposed of at each location.

The chief, by rule, may establish procedures for the electronic submission to the chief of the information that is required to be included in the daily log. No registered transporter shall falsify or fail to keep or submit the log required by this division.

(D) Each registered transporter shall legibly identify with reflective paints all vehicles employed in transporting or disposing of brine. Letters shall be no less than four inches in height and shall indicate the identification number issued by the chief, the word "brine," and the name and telephone number of the transporter.

(E) The chief shall maintain and keep a current list of persons registered to transport brine under section 1509.222 of the Revised Code. The list shall be open to public inspection. It is an affirmative defense to a charge under division (A) of this section that at the time the permit holder or owner of a well entered into an agreement with or permitted a person to transport brine, the person was shown on the list as currently registered to transport brine.

Section 1509.224 | Suspension or revocation for pattern of negligent or willful violations.

• Effective: September 29, 2011
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 153 - 129th General Assembly

(A) In addition to any other remedies provided in this chapter, if the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management has reason to believe that a pattern of the same or similar violations of any requirements of section 1509.22, 1509.222, or 1509.223 of the Revised Code, or any rule adopted thereunder or term or condition of the registration certificate issued thereunder exists or has existed, and the violations are caused by the transporter's indifference, lack of diligence, or lack of reasonable care, or are willfully caused by the transporter, the chief shall immediately issue an order to the transporter to show cause why the certificate should not be suspended or revoked. After the issuance of the order, the chief shall provide the transporter an opportunity to be heard and to present evidence at an informal hearing conducted by the chief. If, at the conclusion of the hearing, the chief finds that such a pattern of violations exists or has existed, the chief shall issue an order suspending or revoking the transporter's registration certificate. An order suspending or revoking a certificate under this section may be appealed under sections 1509.36 and 1509.37 of the Revised Code, or notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, may be appealed directly to the court of common pleas of Franklin county.

(B) Before issuing an order denying a registration certificate; approving or denying approval of an application for revision of a registered transporter's plan for disposal; or to implement, administer, or enforce section 1509.22, 1509.222, 1509.223, 1509.225, or 1509.226 of the Revised Code and rules and terms and conditions of registration certificates adopted or issued thereunder pertaining to the transportation of brine by vehicle and the disposal of brine so transported, the chief shall issue a preliminary order indicating the chief's intent to issue a final order. The preliminary order shall clearly state the nature of the chief's proposed action and the findings on which it is based and shall state that the preliminary order becomes a final order thirty days after its issuance unless the person to whom the preliminary order is directed submits to the chief a written request for an informal hearing before the chief within that thirty-day period. At the hearing the person may present evidence as to why the preliminary order should be revoked or modified. Based upon the findings from the informal hearing, the chief shall revoke, issue, or modify and issue the preliminary order as a final order. A final order may be appealed under sections 1509.36 and 1509.37 of the Revised Code.

Section 1509.225 | Surety bond.

• Effective: October 3, 2023
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 33 - 135th General Assembly

(A) Before being issued a registration certificate under section 1509.222 of the Revised Code, an applicant shall execute and file with the division of oil and gas resources management a surety bond for fifteen thousand dollars to provide compensation for damage and injury resulting from transporters' violations of sections 1509.22, 1509.222, and 1509.223 of the Revised Code, all rules and orders of the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management relating thereto, and all terms and conditions of the registration certificate imposed thereunder. The applicant may deposit with the chief, in lieu of a surety bond, cash in an amount equal to the surety bond as prescribed in this section, or negotiable certificates of deposit issued by any bank organized or transacting business in this state having a cash value equal to or greater than the amount of the surety bond as prescribed in this section. Cash or certificates of deposit shall be deposited upon the same terms as those upon which surety bonds may be deposited, and the chief shall hold them in trust for the purposes for which they have been deposited. If the applicant deposits cash, the cash shall be credited to the performance cash bond refunds fund created in section 1501.16 of the Revised Code. If the applicant deposits certificates of deposit, the chief shall require the bank that issued any such certificate to pledge securities of a cash value equal to the amount of the certificate that is in excess of the amount insured by the federal deposit insurance corporation. Such securities shall be security for the repayment of the certificate of deposit.

(B) The surety bond provided for in this section shall be executed by a surety company authorized to do business in this state. The chief shall not approve any bond until it is personally signed and acknowledged by both principal and surety, or as to either by an attorney in fact, with a certified copy of the power of attorney attached thereto. The chief shall not approve the bond unless there is attached a certificate of the superintendent of insurance that the company is authorized to transact a fidelity and surety business in this state. All bonds shall be given in a form to be prescribed by the chief.

(C) If a registered transporter is found liable for a violation of section 1509.22, 1509.222, or 1509.223 of the Revised Code or a rule, order, or term or condition of a certificate involving, in any case, damage or injury to persons or property, or both, the court may order the forfeiture of any portion of the bond, cash, or other securities required by this section in full or partial payment of damages to the person to whom the damages are due. The chief shall deliver the bond or any cash or other securities deposited in lieu of bond, as specified in the court's order, to the person to whom the damages are due; however, execution against the bond, cash, or other securities, if necessary, is the responsibility of the person to whom the damages are due. The chief shall not release the bond, cash, or securities required by this section except by court order or until the registration is terminated.

Last updated September 6, 2023 at 2:33 PM

Section 1509.226 | Surface applications of brine by local governments.

• Effective: September 29, 2013
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 59 - 130th General Assembly

(A) If a board of county commissioners, a board of township trustees, or the legislative authority of a municipal corporation wishes to permit the surface application of brine to roads, streets, highways, and other similar land surfaces it owns or has the right to control for control of dust or ice, it may adopt a resolution permitting such application as provided in this section. If a board or legislative authority does not adopt such a resolution, then no such surface application of brine is permitted on such roads, streets, highways, and other similar surfaces. If a board or legislative authority votes on a proposed resolution to permit such surface application of brine, but the resolution fails to receive the affirmative vote of a majority of the board or legislative authority, the board or legislative authority shall not adopt such a resolution for one year following the date on which the vote was taken. A board or legislative authority shall hold at least one public hearing on any proposal to permit surface application of brine under this division and may hold additional hearings. The board or legislative authority shall publish notice of the time and place of each such public hearing in a newspaper of general circulation in the political subdivision at least five days before the day on which the hearing is to be held.

(B) If a board or legislative authority adopts a resolution permitting the surface application of brine to roads, streets, highways, and other similar land surfaces under division (A) of this section, the board or legislative authority shall, within thirty days after the adoption of the resolution, prepare and submit to the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management a copy of the resolution. Any department, agency, or instrumentality of this state or the United States that wishes to permit the surface application of brine to roads, streets, highways, and other similar land surfaces it owns or has a right to control shall prepare and submit guidelines for such application, but need not adopt a resolution under division (A) of this section permitting such surface application.

All resolutions and guidelines shall be subject to the following standards:

(1) Brine shall not be applied:

(a) To a water-saturated surface;

(b) Directly to vegetation near or adjacent to surfaces being treated;

(c) Within twelve feet of structures crossing bodies of water or crossing drainage ditches;

(d) Between sundown and sunrise, except for ice control.

(2) The discharge of brine through the spreader bar shall stop when the application stops.

(3) The applicator vehicle shall be moving at least five miles per hour at all times while the brine is being applied.

(4) The maximum spreader bar nozzle opening shall be three-quarters of an inch in diameter.

(5) The maximum uniform application rate of brine shall be three thousand gallons per mile on a twelve-foot-wide road or three gallons per sixty square feet on unpaved lots.

(6) The applicator vehicle discharge valve shall be closed between the brine collection point and the specific surfaces that have been approved for brine application.

(7) Any valves that provide for tank draining other than through the spreader bar shall be closed during the brine application and transport.

(8) The angle of discharge from the applicator vehicle spreader bar shall not be greater than sixty degrees from the perpendicular to the unpaved surface.

(9) Only the last twenty-five per cent of an applicator vehicle's contents shall be allowed to have a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure; therefore, the first seventy-five per cent of the applicator vehicle's contents shall be discharged under atmospheric pressure.

(10) Only brine that is produced from a well that is not a horizontal well shall be allowed to be spread on a road. Fluids from the drilling of a well, flowback from the stimulation of a well, and other fluids used to treat a well shall not be spread on a road.

If a resolution or guidelines contain only the standards listed in divisions (B)(1) to (10) of this section, without addition or qualification, the resolution or guidelines shall be deemed effective when submitted to the chief without further action by the chief. All other resolutions and guidelines shall comply with and be no less stringent than this chapter, rules concerning surface application that the chief shall adopt under division (C) of section 1509.22 of the Revised Code, and other rules of the chief. Within fifteen days after receiving such other resolutions and guidelines, the chief shall review them for compliance with the law and rules and disapprove them if they do not comply.

The board, legislative authority, or department, agency, or instrumentality may revise and resubmit any resolutions or guidelines that the chief disapproves after each disapproval, and the chief shall again review and approve or disapprove them within fifteen days after receiving them. The board, legislative authority, or department, agency, or instrumentality may amend any resolutions or guidelines previously approved by the chief and submit them, as amended, to the chief. The chief shall receive, review, and approve or disapprove the amended resolutions or guidelines on the same basis and in the same time as original resolutions or guidelines. The board, legislative authority, or department, agency, or instrumentality shall not implement amended resolutions or guidelines until they are approved by the chief under this division.

(C) Any person, other than a political subdivision required to adopt a resolution under division (A) of this section or a department, agency, or instrumentality of this state or the United States, who owns or has a legal right or obligation to maintain a road, street, highway, or other similar land surface may file with the board of county commissioners a written plan for the application of brine to the road, street, highway, or other surface. The board need not approve any such plans, but if it approves a plan, the plan shall comply with this chapter, rules adopted thereunder, and the board's resolutions, if any. Disapproved plans may be revised and resubmitted for the board's approval. Approved plans may also be revised and submitted to the board. A plan or revised plan shall do all of the following:

(1) Identify the sources of brine to be used under the plan;

(2) Identify by name, address, and registration certificate, if applicable, any transporters of the brine;

(3) Specifically identify the places to which the brine will be applied;

(4) Specifically describe the method, rate, and frequency of application.

(D) The board may attach terms and conditions to approval of a plan, or revised plan, and may revoke approval for any violation of this chapter, rules adopted thereunder, resolutions adopted by the board, or terms or conditions attached by the board. The board shall conduct at least one public hearing before approving a plan or revised plan, publishing notice of the time and place of each such public hearing in a newspaper of general circulation in the county at least five days before the day on which the hearing is to be held. The board shall record the filings of all plans and revised plans in its journal. The board shall approve, disapprove, or revoke approval of a plan or revised plan by the adoption of a resolution. Upon approval of a plan or revised plan, the board shall send a copy of the plan to the chief. Upon revoking approval of a plan or revised plan, the board shall notify the chief of the revocation.

(E) No person shall:

(1) Apply brine to a water-saturated surface;

(2) Apply brine directly to vegetation adjacent to the surface of roads, streets, highways, and other surfaces to which brine may be applied.

(F) Each political subdivision that adopts a resolution under divisions (A) and (B) of this section, each department, agency, or instrumentality of this state or the United States that submits guidelines under division (B) of this section, and each person who files a plan under divisions (C) and (D) of this section shall, on or before the fifteenth day of April of each year, file a report with the chief concerning brine applied within the person's or governmental entity's jurisdiction, including the quantities transported and the sources and application points during the last preceding calendar year and such other information in such form as the chief requires.

(G) Any political subdivision or department, agency, or instrumentality of this state or the United States that applies brine under this section may do so with its own personnel, vehicles, and equipment without registration under or compliance with section 1509.222 or 1509.223 of the Revised Code and without the necessity for filing the surety bond or other security required by section 1509.225 of the Revised Code. However, each such entity shall legibly identify vehicles used to apply brine with reflective paint in letters no less than four inches in height, indicating the word "brine" and that the vehicle is a vehicle of the political subdivision, department, agency, or instrumentality. Except as stated in this division, such entities shall transport brine in accordance with sections 1509.22 to 1509.226 of the Revised Code.

(H) A surface application plan filed for approval under division (C) of this section shall be accompanied by a nonrefundable fee of fifty dollars, which shall be credited to the general fund of the county. An approved plan is valid for one year from the date of its approval unless it is revoked before that time. An approved revised plan is valid for the remainder of the term of the plan it supersedes unless it is revoked before that time. Any person who has filed such a plan or revised plan and had it approved may renew it by refiling it in accordance with divisions (C) and (D) of this section within thirty days before any anniversary of the date on which the original plan was approved. The board shall notify the chief of renewals and nonrenewals of plans. Even if a renewed plan is approved under those divisions, the plan is not effective until notice is received by the chief, and until notice is received, the chief shall enforce this chapter and rules adopted thereunder with regard to the affected roads, streets, highways, and other similar land surfaces as if the plan had not been renewed.

(I) A resolution adopted under division (A) of this section by a board or legislative authority shall be effective for one year following the date of its adoption and from month to month thereafter until the board or legislative authority, by resolution, terminates the authority granted in the original resolution. The termination shall be effective not less than seven days after enactment of the resolution, and a copy of the resolution shall be sent to the chief.

Section 1509.227 | Permits for operations in existence prior to 1/1/2014.

• Effective: September 29, 2013
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 59 - 130th General Assembly

Notwithstanding division (B)(2)(a) of section 1509.22 of the Revised Code, on and after January 1, 2014, a person that is in operation prior to the date may store, recycle, treat, process, or dispose of in this state brine or other waste substances associated with the exploration, development, well stimulation, production operations, or plugging of oil and gas resources without an order or a permit issued under section 1509.06, 1509.21, or 1509.22 of the Revised Code or rules adopted under any of those sections, provided that the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management has approved the operation and any required permit or other form of authorization has been issued by the environmental protection agency.

Section 1509.23 | Health and safety rules for drilling of wells and production of oil and gas.

• Effective: September 29, 2015
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 64 - 131st General Assembly

Rules of the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management may specify practices to be followed in the drilling and treatment of wells, production of oil and gas, and plugging of wells for protection of public health or safety or to prevent damage to natural resources, including specification of the following:

(A) Appropriate devices;

(B) Minimum distances that wells and other excavations, structures, and equipment shall be located from water wells, streets, roads, highways, rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, other bodies of water, railroad tracks, public or private recreational areas, zoning districts, and buildings or other structures. Rules adopted under this division shall not conflict with section 1509.021 of the Revised Code.

(C) Other methods of operation;

(D) Procedures, methods, and equipment and other requirements for equipment to prevent and contain discharges of oil and brine from oil production facilities and oil drilling and workover facilities consistent with and equivalent in scope, content, and coverage to section 311(j)(1)(c) of the "Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972," 86 Stat. 886, 33 U.S.C.A. 1251, as amended, and regulations adopted under it. In addition, the rules may specify procedures, methods, and equipment and other requirements for equipment to prevent and contain surface and subsurface discharges of fluids, condensates, and gases.

(E) Notifications;

(F) Requirements governing the location and construction of fresh water impoundments that are part of a production operation.

Section 1509.231 | Database of information for responding to emergencies.

• Effective: September 29, 2015
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 64 - 131st General Assembly

(A) A person that is regulated under this chapter and rules adopted under it and that is required to submit information under the "Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act of 1986," 100 Stat. 1728, 42 U.S.C. 11022, and regulations adopted under it shall submit the information to the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management on or before the first day of March of each calendar year. The person shall submit the information in accordance with rules adopted under division (B) of this section.

(B) The chief, in consultation with the emergency response commission created in section 3750.02 of the Revised Code, shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code that specify the information that shall be included in an electronic database that the chief shall create and host. The information shall be information that the chief considers to be appropriate for the purpose of responding to emergency situations that pose a threat to public health or safety or the environment. The rules shall require that the information be consistent with the information that a person that is regulated under this chapter is required to submit under the "Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act of 1986," 100 Stat. 1728, 42 U.S.C. 11022, and regulations adopted under it.

In addition, the rules shall do all of the following:

(1) Specify whether and to what extent the database and the information that it contains will be made accessible to the public;

(2) Ensure that the information submitted for the database will be made immediately available to the emergency response commission, the local emergency planning committee of the emergency planning district in which a facility is located, and the fire department having jurisdiction over a facility;

(3) Ensure that the information submitted for the database includes the information required to be reported under section 3750.08 of the Revised Code and rules adopted under section 3750.02 of the Revised Code.

(C) As used in this section, "emergency planning district," "facility," and "fire department" have the same meanings as in section 3750.01 of the Revised Code.

Last updated April 20, 2021 at 3:27 PM

Section 1509.24 | Minimum acreage requirements for drilling units and minimum distances for wells.

• Effective: September 29, 2011
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 153 - 129th General Assembly

(A) The chief of the division of oil and gas resources management, with the approval of the technical advisory council on oil and gas created in section 1509.38 of the Revised Code, may adopt, amend, or rescind rules relative to minimum acreage requirements for drilling units and minimum distances from which a new well may be drilled or an existing well deepened, plugged back, or reopened to a source of supply different from the existing pool from boundaries of tracts, drilling units, and other wells for the purpose of conserving oil and gas reserves. The rules relative to minimum acreage requirements for drilling units shall require a drilling unit to be compact and composed of contiguous land.

(B) Rules adopted under this section and special orders made under section 1509.25 of the Revised Code shall apply only to new wells to be drilled or existing wells to be deepened, plugged back, or reopened to a source of supply different from the existing pool for the purpose of extracting oil or gas in their natural state.

Section 1509.25 | Special order for drilling unit requirements in particular pool.

• Effective: September 29, 2011
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 153 - 129th General Assembly

The chief of the division of oil and gas resources management, upon the chief's own motion or upon application of an owner, may hold a hearing to consider the need or desirability of adopting a special order for drilling unit requirements in a particular pool different from those established under section 1509.24 of the Revised Code. The chief shall notify every owner of land within the area proposed to be included within the order, of the date, time, and place of the hearing and the nature of the order being considered at least thirty days prior to the date of the hearing. Each application for such an order shall be accompanied by such information as the chief may request. If the chief finds that the pool can be defined with reasonable certainty, that the pool is in the initial state of development, and that the establishment of such different requirements for drilling a well on a tract or drilling unit in the pool is reasonably necessary to protect correlative rights or to provide effective development, use, or conservation of oil and gas, the chief, with the written approval of the technical advisory council on oil and gas created in section 1509.38 of the Revised Code, shall make a special order designating the area covered by the order, and specifying the acreage requirements for drilling a well on a tract or drilling unit in the area, which acreage requirements shall be uniform for the entire pool. The order shall specify minimum distances from the boundary of the tract or drilling unit for the drilling of wells and minimum distances from other wells and allow exceptions for wells drilled or drilling in a particular pool at the time of the filing of the application. The chief may exempt the discovery well from minimum acreage and distance requirements in the order. After the date of the notice for a hearing called to make the order, no additional well shall be commenced in the pool for a period of sixty days or until an order has been made pursuant to the application, whichever is earlier. The chief, upon the chief's own motion or upon application of an owner, after a hearing and with the approval of the technical advisory council on oil and gas, may include additional lands determined to be underlaid by a particular pool or to exclude lands determined not to be underlaid by a particular pool, and may modify the spacing and acreage requirements of the order.

Nothing in this section permits the chief to establish drilling units in a pool by requiring the use of a survey grid coordinate system with fixed or established unit boundaries.

Section 1509.26 | Agreements to pool tracts to form drilling unit.

• Effective: September 29, 2011
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 153 - 129th General Assembly

The owners of adjoining tracts may agree to pool the tracts to form a drilling unit that conforms to the minimum acreage and distance requirements of the division of oil and gas resources management under section 1509.24 or 1509.25 of the Revised Code. The agreement shall be in writing, a copy of which shall be submitted to the division with the application for a permit required by section 1509.05 of the Revised Code. Parties to the agreement shall designate one of their number as the applicant for the permit.

Section 1509.27 | Mandatory pooling orders.

• Effective: September 29, 2015
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 64 - 131st General Assembly

If a tract or tracts are of insufficient size or shape to meet the requirements for drilling a proposed well thereon as provided in section 1509.24 or 1509.25 of the Revised Code, whichever is applicable, and the owner has been unable to form a drilling unit under agreement as provided in section 1509.26 of the Revised Code, on a just and equitable basis, the owner may make application to the division of oil and gas resources management for a mandatory pooling order.

The application shall include information as shall be reasonably required by the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management and shall be accompanied by an application for a permit as required by section 1509.05 of the Revised Code. The chief shall notify all mineral rights owners of tracts within the area proposed to be pooled by an order and included within the drilling unit of the filing of the application and of their right to a hearing. After the hearing or after the expiration of thirty days from the date notice of application was mailed to such owners, the chief, if satisfied that the application is proper in form and that mandatory pooling is necessary to protect correlative rights and to provide effective development, use, and conservation of oil and gas, shall issue a drilling permit and a mandatory pooling order complying with the requirements for drilling a well as provided in section 1509.24 or 1509.25 of the Revised Code, whichever is applicable. The mandatory pooling order shall:

(A) Designate the boundaries of the drilling unit within which the well shall be drilled;

(B) Designate the proposed production site;

(C) Describe each separately owned tract or part thereof pooled by the order;

(D) Allocate on a surface acreage basis a pro rata portion of the production to each tract pooled by the order. The pro rata portion shall be in the same proportion that the percentage of the tract's acreage is to the state minimum acreage requirements established in rules adopted under this chapter for a drilling unit unless the applicant demonstrates to the chief using geological evidence that the geologic structure containing the oil or gas is larger than the minimum acreage requirement in which case the pro rata portion shall be in the same proportion that the percentage of the tract's acreage is to the geologic structure.

(E) Specify the basis upon which each mineral rights owner of a tract pooled by the order shall share all reasonable costs and expenses of drilling and producing if the mineral rights owner elects to participate in the drilling and operation of the well;

(F) Designate the person to whom the permit shall be issued.

A person shall not submit more than five applications for mandatory pooling orders per year under this section unless otherwise approved by the chief.

No surface operations or disturbances to the surface of the land shall occur on a tract pooled by an order without the written consent of or a written agreement with the surface rights owner of the tract that approves the operations or disturbances.

If a mineral rights owner of a tract pooled by the order does not elect to participate in the risk and cost of the drilling and operation of a well, the mineral rights owner shall be designated as a nonparticipating owner in the drilling and operation of the well on a limited or carried basis and is subject to terms and conditions determined by the chief to be just and reasonable. In addition, if a mineral rights owner is designated as a nonparticipating owner, the mineral rights owner is not liable for actions or conditions associated with the drilling or operation of the well. If the applicant bears the costs of drilling, equipping, and operating a well for the benefit of a nonparticipating owner, as provided for in the pooling order, then the applicant shall be entitled to the share of production from the drilling unit accruing to the interest of that nonparticipating owner, exclusive of the nonparticipating owner's proportionate share of the royalty interest until there has been received the share of costs charged to that nonparticipating owner plus such additional percentage of the share of costs as the chief shall determine. The total amount receivable hereunder shall in no event exceed two hundred per cent of the share of costs charged to that nonparticipating owner. After receipt of that share of costs by such an applicant, a nonparticipating owner shall receive a proportionate share of the working interest in the well in addition to a proportionate share of the royalty interest, if any.

If there is a dispute as to costs of drilling, equipping, or operating a well, the chief shall determine those costs.

Section 1509.28 | Order providing for unit operation of a pool or part thereof.

• Effective: July 21, 2022
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 397 - 134th General Assembly

(A)(1) A person who has obtained the consent of the owners of at least sixty-five per cent of the land area overlying a pool or a part of a pool may submit an application for the operation as a unit of the entire pool or part of the pool to the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management. In calculating the sixty-five per cent, an owner's entire interest in each tract in the proposed unit area, including any divided, undivided, partial, fee, or other interest in the tract, shall be included to the fullest extent of that interest.

(2) The chief may make a motion, without application, for the operation as a unit of an entire pool or part of the pool.

(B) An applicant shall include with the application for unit operation both of the following:

(1) A nonrefundable fee of ten thousand dollars;

(2) Any additional information requested by the chief.

(C)(1) The chief shall hold a hearing regarding an application submitted under division (A)(1) of this section or regarding the chief's motion made under division (A)(2) of this section. Except as otherwise provided in division (C)(2) of this section, the chief shall hold the hearing not more than sixty days after the date the chief receives the application or makes the motion, as applicable.

(2) If the chief determines that an application is materially incomplete before the required hearing date, the chief shall notify the applicant. The applicant shall respond to the chief not later than three business days from receipt of the notice to correct the application. If the applicant does not timely correct the application, the chief may reschedule the hearing date.

(3) At the hearing, the chief shall consider the need for the operation as a unit of an entire pool or part thereof.

(D) The chief shall make an order providing for the unit operation of a pool or part thereof if the chief finds that such operation is reasonably necessary to increase substantially the ultimate recovery of oil and gas, and the value of the estimated additional recovery of oil or gas exceeds the estimated additional cost incident to conducting the operation. The chief shall issue the order not later than sixty days after the date of the hearing, unless the chief denies the application or motion by order within that sixty-day period.

(E) The order shall be upon terms and conditions that are just and reasonable and shall prescribe a plan for unit operations that shall include:

(1) A description of the unitized area, termed the unit area;

(2) A statement of the nature of the operations contemplated;

(3) An allocation to the separately owned tracts in the unit area of all the oil and gas that is produced from the unit area and is saved, being the production that is not used in the conduct of operations on the unit area or not unavoidably lost. The allocation shall be in accord with the agreement, if any, of the interested parties. If there is no such agreement, the chief shall determine the value, from the evidence introduced at the hearing, of each separately owned tract in the unit area, exclusive of physical equipment, for development of oil and gas by unit operations, and the production allocated to each tract shall be the proportion that the value of each tract so determined bears to the value of all tracts in the unit area.

(4) A provision for the credits and charges to be made in the adjustment among the owners in the unit area for their respective investments in wells, tanks, pumps, machinery, materials, and equipment contributed to the unit operations;

(5) A provision providing how the expenses of unit operations, including capital investment, shall be determined and charged to the separately owned tracts and how the expenses shall be paid;

(6) A provision, if necessary, for carrying or otherwise financing any person who is unable to meet the person's financial obligations in connection with the unit, allowing a reasonable interest charge for such service;

(7) A provision for the supervision and conduct of the unit operations, in respect to which each person shall have a vote with a value corresponding to the percentage of the expenses of unit operations chargeable against the interest of that person;

(8) The time when the unit operations shall commence, and the manner in which, and the circumstances under which, the unit operations shall terminate;

(9) Such additional provisions as are found to be appropriate for carrying on the unit operations, and for the protection or adjustment of correlative rights.

(F) No order of the chief providing for unit operations shall become effective unless and until the plan for unit operations prescribed by the chief has been approved in writing by those owners who, under the chief's order, will be required to pay at least sixty-five per cent of the costs of the unit operation, and also by the royalty or, with respect to unleased acreage, fee owners of sixty-five per cent of the acreage to be included in the unit. If the plan for unit operations has not been so approved by owners and royalty owners at the time the order providing for unit operations is made, the chief shall upon application and notice hold such supplemental hearings as may be required to determine if and when the plan for unit operations has been so approved. If the owners and royalty owners, or either, owning the required percentage of interest in the unit area do not approve the plan for unit operations within a period of six months from the date on which the order providing for unit operations is made, the order shall cease to be of force and shall be revoked by the chief.

(G) An order providing for unit operations may be amended by an order made by the chief, in the same manner and subject to the same conditions as an original order providing for unit operations, provided that:

(1) If such an amendment affects only the rights and interests of the owners, the approval of the amendment by the royalty owners shall not be required.

(2) No such order of amendment shall change the percentage for allocation of oil and gas as established for any separately owned tract by the original order, except with the consent of all persons owning interest in the tract.

(H) The chief, by an order, may provide for the unit operation of a pool or a part thereof that embraces a unit area established by a previous order of the chief. Such an order, in providing for the allocation of unit production, shall first treat the unit area previously established as a single tract, and the portion of the unit production so allocated thereto shall then be allocated among the separately owned tracts included in the previously established unit area in the same proportions as those specified in the previous order.

(I) Oil and gas allocated to a separately owned tract shall be deemed, for all purposes, to have been actually produced from the tract, and all operations, including, but not limited to, the commencement, drilling, operation of, or production from a well upon any portion of the unit area shall be deemed for all purposes the conduct of such operations and production from any lease or contract for lands any portion of which is included in the unit area. The operations conducted pursuant to the order of the chief shall constitute a fulfillment of all the express or implied obligations of each lease or contract covering lands in the unit area to the extent that compliance with such obligations cannot be had because of the order of the chief.

(J) Oil and gas allocated to any tract, and the proceeds from the sale thereof, shall be the property and income of the several persons to whom, or to whose credit, the same are allocated or payable under the order providing for unit operations.

(K) No order of the chief or other contract relating to the sale or purchase of production from a separately owned tract shall be terminated by the order providing for unit operations, but shall remain in force and apply to oil and gas allocated to the tract until terminated in accordance with the provisions thereof.

(L) Notwithstanding divisions (A) to (G) of section 155.33 of the Revised Code and rules adopted under it, the chief shall issue an order for the unit operation of a pool or a part of a pool that encompasses a unit area for which all or a portion of the mineral rights are owned by the department of transportation.

(M) Except to the extent that the parties affected so agree, no order providing for unit operations shall be construed to result in a transfer of all or any part of the title of any person to the oil and gas rights in any tract in the unit area. All property, whether real or personal, that may be acquired for the account of the owners within the unit area shall be the property of such owners in the proportion that the expenses of unit operations are charged.

Last updated April 26, 2022 at 4:23 PM

Section 1509.29 | Order establishing tract as exception tract.

• Effective: September 29, 2011
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 153 - 129th General Assembly

Upon application by an owner of a tract for which a drilling permit may not be issued, and a showing by the owner that the owner is unable to enter a voluntary pooling agreement and that the owner would be unable to participate under a mandatory pooling order, the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management shall issue a permit and order establishing the tract as an exception tract if the chief finds that the owner would otherwise be precluded from producing oil or gas from the owner's tract because of minimum acreage or distance requirements. The order shall set a percentage of the maximum daily potential production at which the well may be produced. The percentage shall be the same as the percentage that the number of acres in the tract bears to the number of acres in the minimum acreage requirement that has been established under section 1509.24 or 1509.25 of the Revised Code, whichever is applicable, but if the well drilled on the tract is located nearer to the boundary of the tract than the required minimum distance, the percentage may not exceed the percentage determined by dividing the distance from the well to the boundary by the minimum distance requirement. Within ten days after completion of the well, the maximum daily potential production of the well shall be determined by such drill stem, open flow, or other tests as may be required by the chief. The chief shall require such tests, at least once every three months, as are necessary to determine the maximum daily potential production at that time.

Section 1509.30 | Reports to holder of royalty interest.

• Effective: July 14, 1972
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 387 - 109th General Assembly

The holder of a royalty interest in any natural gas well may request the owner to report to him, no more frequently than the payment period in his contract with the owner:

(A) The volume of natural gas for which he was or is being paid for the most recent period in his contract with the owner, and for any other previous periods within two years of the date of production for which the owner has not already given him such a report;

(B) The price per thousand cubic feet paid to the holder for such gas;

(C) The volume of natural gas which was shown to have passed through the owner's meter for the field containing the holder's well.

The owner shall preserve records of such volume for at least two years after the date the record is made. Upon receipt by the owner or his agent of a request by the holder pursuant to this section, the owner shall supply the information to the holder within fifteen days, or the end of the current payment period in the contract, whichever is later.

If the holder's well is metered, the owner shall in such report also inform the holder of the volume of natural gas which was shown to have passed through such meter during the period.

The volume of gas required to be reported by this section shall be indicated on the basis of a standard cubic foot of gas.

Section 1509.31 | Operation of well; notice to holder of royalty interest of assignment or transfer of entire interest in lease.

• Effective: October 17, 2019
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 166 - 133rd General Assembly

(A)(1) No person shall operate a well in this state unless the person first registers with and obtains an identification number from the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management.

(2) Whenever the entire interest of an oil and gas lease is assigned or otherwise transferred, the assignor or transferor shall notify the holders of the royalty interests, and, if a well or wells exist on the lease, the division of oil and gas resources management, of the name and address of the assignee or transferee by certified mail, return receipt requested, not later than thirty days after the date of the assignment or transfer. When notice of any such assignment or transfer is required to be provided to the division, it shall be provided on a form prescribed and provided by the division and verified by both the assignor or transferor and by the assignee or transferee. The notice form applicable to assignments or transfers of a well to the owner of the surface estate of the tract on which the well is located shall contain a statement informing the landowner that the well may require periodic servicing to maintain its productivity; that, upon assignment or transfer of the well to the landowner, the landowner becomes responsible for compliance with the requirements of this chapter and rules adopted under it, including, without limitation, the proper disposal of brine obtained from the well, the plugging of the well when it becomes incapable of producing oil or gas, and the restoration of the well site; and that, upon assignment or transfer of the well to the landowner, the landowner becomes responsible for the costs of compliance with the requirements of this chapter and rules adopted under it and the costs for operating and servicing the well.

(3) Notwithstanding division (A)(2) of this section, the assignee or transferee shall notify the division of oil and gas resources management of the assignment or transfer if both of the following apply:

(a) The assignor or transferor failed to notify the division of the assignment or transfer as required by division (A)(2) of this section;

(b) The assignor or transferor is deceased, dissolved, cannot be located, or is otherwise incapable of complying with the notification requirement.

The assignee or transferee shall notify the division of the assignment or transfer on a form prescribed and provided by the division. At a minimum, the form shall require the assignee or transferee to attest that the assignee or transferee is the owner. The division shall not charge a fee for such assignment or transfer when notice is provided in accordance with division (A)(3) of this section.

(B) When the entire interest of a well is proposed to be assigned or otherwise transferred to the landowner for use as an exempt domestic well, the owner who has been issued a permit under this chapter for the well shall submit to the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management an application for the assignment or transfer that contains all documents that the chief requires. The application for such an assignment or transfer shall be prescribed and provided by the chief. The chief may approve the application if the application is accompanied by a release of all of the oil and gas leases that are included in the applicable formation of the drilling unit, the release is in a form such that the well ownership merges with the fee simple interest of the surface tract, and the release is in a form that may be recorded. However, if the owner of the well does not release the oil and gas leases associated with the well that is proposed to be assigned or otherwise transferred or if the fee simple tract that results from the merger of the well ownership with the fee simple interest of the surface tract is less than five acres, the proposed exempt domestic well owner shall post a five thousand dollar bond with the division prior to the assignment or transfer of the well to ensure that the well will be properly plugged. The chief, for good cause, may modify the requirements of this section governing the assignment or transfer of the interests of a well to the landowner. Upon the assignment or transfer of the well, the owner of an exempt domestic well is not subject to the severance tax levied under section 5749.02 of the Revised Code, but is subject to all applicable fees established in this chapter.

(C) The owner holding a permit under section 1509.05 of the Revised Code is responsible for all obligations and liabilities imposed by this chapter and any rules, orders, and terms and conditions of a permit adopted or issued under it, and no assignment or transfer by the owner relieves the owner of the obligations and liabilities until and unless the assignee or transferee files with the division the information described in divisions (A)(1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (10), (11), and (12) of section 1509.06 of the Revised Code; obtains liability insurance coverage required by section 1509.07 of the Revised Code, except when none is required by that section; and executes and files a surety bond, negotiable certificates of deposit or irrevocable letters of credit, or cash, as described in that section. Instead of a bond, but only upon acceptance by the chief, the assignee or transferee may file proof of financial responsibility, described in section 1509.07 of the Revised Code. Section 1509.071 of the Revised Code applies to the surety bond, cash, and negotiable certificates of deposit and irrevocable letters of credit described in this section. Unless the chief approves a modification, each assignee or transferee shall operate in accordance with the plans and information filed by the permit holder pursuant to section 1509.06 of the Revised Code.

(D) If a mortgaged property that is being foreclosed is subject to an oil or gas lease, pipeline agreement, or other instrument related to the production or sale of oil or natural gas and the lease, agreement, or other instrument was recorded subsequent to the mortgage, and if the lease, agreement, or other instrument is not in default, the oil or gas lease, pipeline agreement, or other instrument, as applicable, has priority over all other liens, claims, or encumbrances on the property so that the oil or gas lease, pipeline agreement, or other instrument is not terminated or extinguished upon the foreclosure sale of the mortgaged property. If the owner of the mortgaged property was entitled to oil and gas royalties before the foreclosure sale, the oil or gas royalties shall be paid to the purchaser of the foreclosed property.

Section 1509.32 | Complaint alleging failure to restore disturbed land surfaces.

• Effective: September 29, 2011
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 153 - 129th General Assembly

Any person adversely affected may file with the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management a written complaint alleging failure to restore disturbed land surfaces in violation of section 1509.072 or 1509.22 of the Revised Code or a rule adopted thereunder.

Upon receipt of a complaint, the chief shall cause an investigation to be made of the lands where the alleged violation has occurred and send copies of the investigation report to the person who filed the complaint and to the owner. Upon finding a violation the chief shall order the owner to eliminate the violation within a specified time. If the owner fails to eliminate the violation within the time specified, the chief may request the prosecuting attorney of the county in which the violation occurs or the attorney general to bring appropriate action to secure compliance with those sections. If the chief fails to bring an appropriate action to secure compliance with those sections within twenty days after the time specified, the person filing the complaint may request the prosecuting attorney of the county in which the violation occurs to bring an appropriate action to secure compliance with those sections. The division of oil and gas resources management may cooperate with any state or local agency to provide technical advice or minimum standards for the restoration of various soils and land surfaces or to assist in any investigation.

Section 1509.33 | Civil penalties.

• Effective: September 29, 2015
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 64 - 131st General Assembly

(A) Whoever violates sections 1509.01 to 1509.31 of the Revised Code, or any rules adopted or orders or terms or conditions of a permit or registration certificate issued pursuant to these sections for which no specific penalty is provided in this section, shall pay a civil penalty of not more than ten thousand dollars for each offense.

(B) Whoever violates section 1509.221 of the Revised Code or any rules adopted or orders or terms or conditions of a permit issued thereunder shall pay a civil penalty of not more than ten thousand dollars for each violation.

(C) Whoever violates division (D) of section 1509.22 or division (A)(1) of section 1509.222 of the Revised Code shall pay a civil penalty of not less than two thousand five hundred dollars nor more than twenty thousand dollars for each violation.

(D) Whoever violates division (A) of section 1509.22 of the Revised Code shall pay a civil penalty of not less than two thousand five hundred dollars nor more than ten thousand dollars for each violation.

(E) Whoever violates division (A) of section 1509.223 of the Revised Code shall pay a civil penalty of not more than ten thousand dollars for each violation.

(F) Whoever violates section 1509.072 of the Revised Code or any rules adopted or orders issued to administer, implement, or enforce that section shall pay a civil penalty of not more than five thousand dollars for each violation.

(G) In addition to any other penalties provided in this chapter, whoever violates section 1509.05, section 1509.21, division (B) of section 1509.22, or division (A)(1) of section 1509.222 of the Revised Code or a term or condition of a permit or an order issued by the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management under this chapter or knowingly violates division (A) of section 1509.223 of the Revised Code is liable for any damage or injury caused by the violation and for the actual cost of rectifying the violation and conditions caused by the violation. If two or more persons knowingly violate one or more of those divisions in connection with the same event, activity, or transaction, they are jointly and severally liable under this division.

(H) The attorney general, upon the request of the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management, shall commence an action under this section against any person who violates sections 1509.01 to 1509.31 of the Revised Code, or any rules adopted or orders or terms or conditions of a permit or registration certificate issued pursuant to these sections. Any action under this section is a civil action, governed by the Rules of Civil Procedure and other rules of practice and procedure applicable to civil actions. The remedy provided in this division is cumulative and concurrent with any other remedy provided in this chapter, and the existence or exercise of one remedy does not prevent the exercise of any other, except that no person shall be subject to both a civil penalty under division (A), (B), (C), or (D) of this section and a fine established in section 1509.99 of the Revised Code for the same offense.

(I) For purposes of this section, each day of violation constitutes a separate offense.

Section 1509.34 | Priority liens by division of oil and gas resources management for well owner's failure to pay fees or for costs incurred to correct conditions causing health of safety risks.

• Effective: September 28, 2018
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 225 - 132nd General Assembly

(A)(1) If an owner fails to pay the fees imposed by this chapter, or if the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management incurs costs under division (F) of section 1509.071 of the Revised Code to correct conditions associated with the owner's well that the chief reasonably has determined are causing imminent health or safety risks, the division of oil and gas resources management shall have a priority lien against that owner's interest in the applicable well in front of all other creditors for the amount of any such unpaid fees and costs incurred. The chief shall file a statement in the office of the county recorder of the county in which the applicable well is located of the amount of the unpaid fees and costs incurred as described in this division. The statement shall constitute a lien on the owner's interest in the well as of the date of the filing. The lien shall remain in force so long as any portion of the lien remains unpaid or until the chief issues a certificate of release of the lien. If the chief issues a certificate of release of the lien, the chief shall file the certificate of release in the office of the applicable county recorder.

(2) A lien imposed under division (A)(1) of this section shall be in addition to any lien imposed by the attorney general for failure to pay the assessment imposed by section 1509.50 of the Revised Code or the tax levied under division (A)(5) or (6) of section 5749.02 of the Revised Code, as applicable.

(3) If the attorney general cannot collect from a severer or an owner for an outstanding balance of amounts due under section 1509.50 of the Revised Code or of unpaid taxes levied under division (A)(5) or (6) of section 5749.02 of the Revised Code, as applicable, the tax commissioner may request the chief to impose a priority lien against the owner's interest in the applicable well. Such a lien has priority in front of all other creditors.

(B) The chief promptly shall issue a certificate of release of a lien under either of the following circumstances:

(1) Upon the repayment in full of the amount of unpaid fees imposed by this chapter or costs incurred by the chief under division (F) of section 1509.071 of the Revised Code to correct conditions associated with the owner's well that the chief reasonably has determined are causing imminent health or safety risks;

(2) Any other circumstance that the chief determines to be in the best interests of the state.

(C) The chief may modify the amount of a lien under this section. If the chief modifies a lien, the chief shall file a statement in the office of the county recorder of the applicable county of the new amount of the lien.

(D) An owner regarding which the division has recorded a lien against the owner's interest in a well in accordance with this section shall not transfer a well, lease, or mineral rights to another owner or person until the chief issues a certificate of release for each lien against the owner's interest in the well.

(E) All money from the collection of liens under this section shall be deposited in the state treasury to the credit of the oil and gas well fund created in section 1509.02 of the Revised Code.

Section 1509.35 | Oil and gas commission.

• Effective: June 30, 2010
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 165 - 128th General Assembly

(A) There is hereby created an oil and gas commission consisting of five members appointed by the governor. Terms of office shall be for five years, commencing on the fifteenth day of October and ending on the fourteenth day of October, except that the terms of the first five members of the board shall be for one, two, three, four, and five years, respectively, as designated by the governor at the time of the appointment. Each member shall hold office from the date of appointment until the end of the term for which the member was appointed. Any member appointed to fill a vacancy occurring prior to the expiration of the term for which the member's predecessor was appointed shall hold office for the remainder of that term. Any member shall continue in office subsequent to the expiration date of the member's term until a successor takes office, or until a period of sixty days has elapsed, whichever occurs first. Each vacancy occurring on the commission shall be filled by appointment within sixty days after the vacancy occurs. One of the appointees to the commission shall be a person who, by reason of the person's previous vocation, employment, or affiliations, can be classed as a representative of a major petroleum company. One of the appointees to the commission shall be a person who, by reason of the person's previous vocation, employment, or affiliations, can be classed as a representative of the public. One of the appointees to the commission shall be a person who, by reason of the person's previous training and experience, can be classed as a representative of independent petroleum operators. One of the appointees to the commission shall be a person who, by reason of the person's previous training and experience, can be classed as one learned and experienced in oil and gas law. One of the appointees to the commission shall be a person who, by reason of the person's previous training and experience, can be classed as one learned and experienced in geology or petroleum engineering. Not more than three members shall be members of the same political party. This division does not apply to temporary members appointed under division (C) of this section.

(B) Three members constitute a quorum and no action of the commission is valid unless it has the concurrence of at least a majority of the members voting on that action. The commission shall keep a record of its proceedings.

(C) If the chairperson of the commission determines that a quorum cannot be obtained for the purpose of considering a matter that will be before the commission because of vacancies or recusal of its members, the chairperson may contact the technical advisory council on oil and gas created in section 1509.38 of the Revised Code and request a list of members of the council who may serve as temporary members of the commission. Using the list provided by the council, the chairperson may appoint temporary members to the commission. The appointment of temporary members shall be for only the matter for which a quorum cannot be obtained. The number of temporary members appointed by the chairperson shall not exceed the number that is necessary to obtain a quorum for the matter. A temporary member of the commission has the same authority, rights, and obligations as a member of the commission, including the right to compensation and other expenses as provided in this section. The authority, rights, and obligations of a temporary member cease when the temporary member's service on the commission ends.

(D) Each member shall be paid an amount fixed pursuant to division (J) of section 124.15 of the Revised Code per diem when actually engaged in the performance of work as a member and when engaged in travel necessary in connection with that work. In addition to such compensation each member shall be reimbursed for all traveling, hotel, and other expenses necessarily incurred in the performance of work as a member.

(E) The commission shall select from among its members a chairperson, a vice-chairperson, and a secretary. These officers shall serve for terms of one year.

(F) The governor may remove any member of the commission from office for inefficiency, neglect of duty, malfeasance, misfeasance, or nonfeasance.

(G) The commission, in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, shall adopt rules to govern its procedure.

Last updated June 11, 2024 at 1:41 PM

Section 1509.36 | Appeal to commission.

• Effective: October 17, 2019
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 166 - 133rd General Assembly

Any person adversely affected by an order by the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management may appeal to the oil and gas commission for an order vacating or modifying the order.

The person so appealing to the commission shall be known as appellant and the chief shall be known as appellee. Appellant and appellee shall be deemed to be parties to the appeal.

The appeal shall be in writing and shall set forth the order complained of and the grounds upon which the appeal is based. The appeal shall be filed with the commission within thirty days after the date upon which the person to whom the order was issued received the order and, for all other persons adversely affected by the order, within thirty days after the date of the order complained of. Notice of the filing of the appeal shall be filed with the chief within three days after the appeal is filed with the commission.

Upon the filing of the appeal the commission promptly shall fix the time and place at which the hearing on the appeal will be held, and shall give the appellant and the chief at least ten days' written notice thereof by mail. The commission may postpone or continue any hearing upon its own motion or upon application of the appellant or of the chief.

The filing of an appeal provided for in this section does not automatically suspend or stay execution of the order appealed from, but upon application by the appellant the commission may suspend or stay the execution pending determination of the appeal upon such terms as the commission considers proper.

Either party to the appeal or any interested person who, pursuant to commission rules has been granted permission to appear, may submit such evidence as the commission considers admissible.

For the purpose of conducting a hearing on an appeal, the commission may require the attendance of witnesses and the production of books, records, and papers, and it may, and at the request of any party it shall, issue subpoenas for witnesses or subpoenas duces tecum to compel the production of any books, records, or papers, directed to the sheriffs of the counties where the witnesses are found. The subpoenas shall be served and returned in the same manner as subpoenas in criminal cases are served and returned. The fees of sheriffs shall be the same as those allowed by the court of common pleas in criminal cases. Witnesses shall be paid the fees and mileage provided for under section 119.094 of the Revised Code. Such fees and mileage expenses incurred at the request of appellant shall be paid in advance by the appellant, and the remainder of those expenses shall be paid out of funds appropriated for the expenses of the division of oil and gas resources management.

In case of disobedience or neglect of any subpoena served on any person, or the refusal of any witness to testify to any matter regarding which the witness may be lawfully interrogated, the court of common pleas of the county in which the disobedience, neglect, or refusal occurs, or any judge thereof, on application of the commission or any member thereof, shall compel obedience by attachment proceedings for contempt as in the case of disobedience of the requirements of a subpoena issued from that court or a refusal to testify therein. Witnesses at such hearings shall testify under oath, and any member of the commission may administer oaths or affirmations to persons who so testify.

At the request of any party to the appeal, a record of the testimony and other evidence submitted shall be taken by an official court reporter at the expense of the party making the request for the record. The record shall include all of the testimony and other evidence and the rulings on the admissibility thereof presented at the hearing. The commission shall pass upon the admissibility of evidence, but any party may at the time object to the admission of any evidence and except to the rulings of the commission thereon, and if the commission refuses to admit evidence the party offering same may make a proffer thereof, and such proffer shall be made a part of the record of the hearing.

If upon completion of the hearing the commission finds that the order appealed from was lawful and reasonable, it shall make a written order affirming the order appealed from; if the commission finds that the order was unreasonable or unlawful, it shall make a written order vacating the order appealed from and making the order that it finds the chief should have made. Every order made by the commission shall contain a written finding by the commission of the facts upon which the order is based.

Notice of the making of the order shall be given forthwith to each party to the appeal by mailing a certified copy thereof to each such party by certified mail.

The order of the commission is final unless vacated by the court of common pleas of Franklin county in an appeal as provided for in section 1509.37 of the Revised Code. Sections 1509.01 to 1509.37 of the Revised Code, providing for appeals relating to orders by the chief or by the commission, or relating to rules adopted by the chief, do not constitute the exclusive procedure that any person who believes the person's rights to be unlawfully affected by those sections or any official action taken thereunder must pursue in order to protect and preserve those rights, nor do those sections constitute a procedure that that person must pursue before that person may lawfully appeal to the courts to protect and preserve those rights.

Section 1509.37 | Appeal to court of common pleas.

• Effective: December 2, 1996
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 670 - 121st General Assembly

Any party adversely affected by an order of the oil and gas commission may appeal to the court of common pleas of Franklin county. Any party desiring to so appeal shall file with the commission a notice of appeal designating the order appealed from and stating whether the appeal is taken on questions of law or questions of law and fact. A copy of the notice also shall be filed by appellant with the court and shall be mailed or otherwise delivered to appellee. Such notices shall be filed and mailed or otherwise delivered within thirty days after the date upon which appellant received notice from the commission by certified mail of the making of the order appealed from. No appeal bond shall be required to make either an appeal on questions of law or an appeal on questions of law and fact effective.

The filing of a notice of appeal shall not automatically operate as a suspension of the order of the commission. If it appears to the court that an unjust hardship to the appellant will result from the execution of the commission's order pending determination of the appeal, the court may grant a suspension of the order and fix its terms.

Within fifteen days after receipt of the notice of appeal the commission shall prepare and file in the court the complete record of proceedings out of which the appeal arises, including a transcript of the testimony and other evidence that has been submitted before the commission. The expense of preparing and transcribing the record shall be taxed as a part of the costs of the appeal. Appellant shall provide security for costs satisfactory to the court. Upon demand by a party the commission shall furnish at the cost of the party requesting the same a copy of the record. If the complete record is not filed in the court within the time provided for in this section either party may apply to the court to have the case docketed, and the court shall order such record filed.

In the hearing of the appeal the court is confined to the record as certified to it by the commission. The court may grant a request for the admission of additional evidence when satisfied that the additional evidence is newly discovered and could not with reasonable diligence have been ascertained prior to the hearing before the commission. The court shall conduct a hearing on the appeal and shall give preference to the hearing over all other civil cases irrespective of the position of the proceedings on the calendar of the court. The hearing in the court shall proceed as in the trial of a civil action and the court shall determine the rights of the parties in accordance with the laws applicable to such an action. At the hearing counsel may be heard on oral argument, briefs may be submitted, and evidence introduced if the court has granted a request for the presentation of additional evidence.

If the court finds that the order of the commission appealed from was lawful and reasonable, it shall affirm the order. If the court finds that the order was unreasonable or unlawful, it shall vacate the order and make the order that it finds the commission should have made. The judgment of the court is final unless reversed, vacated, or modified on appeal.

Section 1509.38 | Technical advisory council.

• Effective: September 29, 2011
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 153 - 129th General Assembly

There is hereby created in the division of oil and gas resources management a technical advisory council on oil and gas, which shall consist of eight members to be appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the senate. Three members shall be independent oil or gas producers, operators, or their representatives, operating and producing primarily in this state, three members shall be oil or gas producers, operators, or their representatives having substantial oil and gas producing operations in this state and at least one other state, one member shall represent the public, and one member shall represent persons having landowners' royalty interests in oil and gas production. All members shall be residents of this state, and all members, except the members representing the public and persons having landowners' royalty interests, shall have at least five years of practical or technical experience in oil or gas drilling and production. Not more than one member may represent any one company, producer, or operator.

Terms of office shall be for three years, commencing on the first day of February and ending on the thirty-first day of January. Each member shall hold office from the date of appointment until the end of the term for which the member was appointed. A vacancy in the office of a member shall be filled by the governor, with the advice and consent of the senate. Any member appointed to fill a vacancy occurring prior to the expiration of the term for which the member's predecessor was appointed shall hold office for the remainder of that term. Any member shall continue in office subsequent to the expiration date of the member's term until the member's successor takes office, or until a period of sixty days has elapsed, whichever occurs first.

The council shall select from among its members a chairperson, a vice-chairperson, and a secretary. All members are entitled to their actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties as members, payable from the appropriations for the division.

The governor may remove any member for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office.

The council shall hold at least one regular meeting in each quarter of a calendar year and shall keep a record of its proceedings. Special meetings may be called by the chairperson and shall be called by the chairperson upon receipt of a written request signed by two or more members of the council. A written notice of the time and place of each meeting shall be sent to each member of the council. Five members constitute a quorum, and no action of the council is valid unless five members concur.

The council, when requested by the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management, shall consult with and advise the chief and perform other duties that may be lawfully delegated to it by the chief. The council may participate in hearings held by the chief under this chapter and has powers of approval as provided in sections 1509.24 and 1509.25 of the Revised Code. The council shall conduct the activities required, and exercise the authority granted, under Chapter 1510. of the Revised Code.

The council, upon receiving a request from the chairperson of the oil and gas commission under division (C) of section 1509.35 of the Revised Code, immediately shall prepare and provide to the chairperson a list of its members who may serve as temporary members of the oil and gas commission as provided in that division.

Section 1509.40 | Limitation on production.

• Effective: September 29, 2011
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 153 - 129th General Assembly

Except as provided in section 1509.29 of the Revised Code, no authority granted in this chapter shall be construed as authorizing a limitation on the amount that any well, leasehold, or field is permitted to produce under proration orders of the division of oil and gas resources management.

Section 1509.41 | Anti-trust violations.

• Effective: October 15, 1965
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 234 - 106th General Assembly

No combination of persons or interests authorized by any provisions of Chapter 1509. of the Revised Code shall be construed to be a trust, monopoly, or other combination in restraint of trade prohibited by law.

Section 1509.50 | Oil and gas regulatory cost recovery assessment.

• Effective: January 1, 2020
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 166 - 133rd General Assembly

(A) An oil and gas regulatory cost recovery assessment is hereby imposed by this section on an owner. An owner shall pay the assessment in the same manner as a severer who is required to file a return under section 5749.06 of the Revised Code. However, an owner may designate a severer who shall pay the owner's assessment on behalf of the owner on the return that the severer is required to file under that section. If a severer so pays an owner's assessment, the severer may recoup from the owner the amount of the assessment. Except for an exempt domestic well, the assessment imposed shall be in addition to the taxes levied on the severance of oil and gas under section 5749.02 of the Revised Code.

(B) Except for an exempt domestic well, the oil and gas regulatory cost recovery assessment shall be calculated on a quarterly basis as follows:

(1) One-half of one cent per one thousand cubic feet of natural gas for all of the wells of the owner;

(2) Ten cents per barrel of oil for all of the wells of the owner.

(C) All money collected pursuant to this section shall be credited to the severance tax receipts fund. After the director of budget and management transfers money from the severance tax receipts fund as required in division (H) of section 5749.06 of the Revised Code, money in the severance tax receipts fund from amounts collected pursuant to this section shall be credited to the oil and gas well fund created in section 1509.02 of the Revised Code.

(D) Except for purposes of revenue distribution as specified in division (B) of section 5749.02 of the Revised Code, the oil and gas regulatory cost recovery assessment imposed by this section shall be treated the same and equivalent for all purposes as the taxes levied on the severance of oil and gas under that section. However, the assessment imposed by this section is not a tax under Chapter 5749. of the Revised Code.

Last updated March 20, 2024 at 12:00 PM

Section 1509.60 | Notice of filing for permit to drill new well.

• Effective: June 30, 2010
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 165 - 128th General Assembly

If the owner of a parcel of real property receives a notice concerning the filing of an application for a permit to drill a new well within an urbanized area as required by division (A)(9) of section 1509.06 of the Revised Code, the owner shall provide to each residence in an occupied dwelling that is located on the owner's parcel of real property, if any, a copy of that notice within five days of receipt of the notice.

Section 1509.61 | Public meeting required concerning proposed lease agreements for development of oil and gas resources.

• Effective: June 30, 2010
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 165 - 128th General Assembly

(A) The legislative authority of a political subdivision shall conduct a public meeting concerning a proposed lease agreement for the development of oil and gas resources on land that is located in an urbanized area and that is owned by the political subdivision prior to entering into the lease agreement. The public meeting shall be conducted in a public venue in the municipal corporation or township in which the proposed well is to be located. The public meeting shall not occur at the same meeting at which the legislative authority of the political subdivision votes to enter into a proposed lease, if applicable.

The legislative authority of the political subdivision shall send notice not later than ten days prior to the date of the public meeting to the owner of each parcel of real property that is located within five hundred feet of the surface location of the property that is the subject of the proposed lease agreement. The notice shall contain a statement that the legislative authority of the political subdivision is considering entering into an oil or gas lease agreement, and provide the location, date, and time of the public meeting. In addition, the statement shall contain a statement that informs an owner of real property who is required to receive notice of the public meeting under this division that, within five days of receipt of the notice, the owner is required to provide notice under division (C) of this section to each residence in an occupied dwelling that is located on the owner's parcel of real property.

(B) The legislative authority of a political subdivision that is required to provide notice under division (A) of this section shall provide the notice in accordance with requirements established by the legislative authority governing public meetings that are held by the legislative authority.

(C) If the owner of a parcel of real property receives a notice under division (A) of this section, the owner shall provide to each residence in an occupied dwelling that is located on the owner's parcel of real property, if any, a copy of that notice within five days of receipt of the notice.

Section 1509.99 | Penalty.

• Effective: September 10, 2012
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 315 - 129th General Assembly

(A) Whoever violates sections 1509.01 to 1509.31 of the Revised Code or any rules adopted or orders or terms or conditions of a permit issued pursuant to these sections for which no specific penalty is provided in this section shall be fined not less than one hundred nor more than one thousand dollars for a first offense; for each subsequent offense the person shall be fined not less than two hundred nor more than two thousand dollars.

(B) Whoever violates section 1509.221 of the Revised Code or any rules adopted or orders or terms or conditions of a permit issued thereunder shall be fined not more than five thousand dollars for each violation.

(C) Whoever knowingly violates section 1509.072, division (A), (B), or (D) of section 1509.22, division (A)(1) or (C) of section 1509.222, or division (A) or (D) of section 1509.223 of the Revised Code or any rules adopted or orders issued under division (C) of section 1509.22 or rules adopted or orders or terms or conditions of a registration certificate issued under division (E) of section 1509.222 of the Revised Code shall be fined ten thousand dollars or imprisoned for six months, or both for a first offense; for each subsequent offense the person shall be fined twenty thousand dollars or imprisoned for two years, or both. Whoever negligently violates those divisions, sections, rules, orders, or terms or conditions of a registration certificate shall be fined not more than five thousand dollars.

(D) Whoever violates division (C) of section 1509.223 of the Revised Code shall be fined not more than five hundred dollars for a first offense and not more than one thousand dollars for a subsequent offense.

(E) The prosecuting attorney of the county in which the offense was committed or the attorney general may prosecute an action under this section.

(F) For purposes of this section, each day of violation constitutes a separate offense.