Prior to commencing any regulated activity at a well site, including any disturbance to prepare the site itself, well owners must obtain a permit from the Division of Mineral Resources. A complete Application for Permit to Drill, Deepen, Plug Back or Convert a Well must contain the following forms and documents:
All well owners must secure the appropriate permit prior to commencing any regulated activity including preparatory work on the well site. Please visit the link below to access the Well Permit Fee Calculator. This can be used to determine the total fee required with an application for a permit to drill a new well. For permits related to pre-existing well bores, including laterals, conversions, deepening and plugging back, contact the appropriate Oil and Gas Regional Minerals Manager.
The Application for Permit to Drill, Deepen, Plug Back or Convert a Well (APD) (PDF) (355 KB, Legal paper size) is the permit application you will submit to the Division of Mineral Resources before you can drill your well. This is also the application needed for other operations such as deepening, plugging back, or converting a well. The APD has supplementary Instructions (PDF) (126 KB) to help you fill it out.
In addition to the APD, the following documents and forms must also be submitted. Unless otherwise stated, only one copy of each document is required:
You will need to submit three copies of the well plat (i.e., a survey map). The plat must be certified by a New York land surveyor or professional engineer. Certification from other states will not be accepted. The well plat must show:
You will need to submit a proposed drilling program along with your APD. This includes the casing, cementing, completion, testing and stimulation procedures. The proposed drilling program may also include a borehole schematic.
Refer to the Division of Mineral Resources' casing and cementing conditions when developing your drilling program. These conditions are standard requirements included in each Permit to Drill in order to protect groundwater.
The following items are required only for oil and gas wells subject to Article 23, Title 5, of the Environmental Conservation Law:
After Division of Mineral Resources has reviewed and approved the activities proposed in the APD and supporting documents, we will issue a Permit to Drill, Deepen, Plug Back or Convert a Well (Permit to Drill).
The Permit to Drill grants permission to carry out only the activities/operations described in the approved application materials in accordance with the conditions written in the permit. The permitted operations must start within 180 days from the time the Permit to Drill is issued; after 180 days the Permit to Drill will expire if work has not begun.
All well operators drilling wells under permits issued by the Division of Mineral Resources must use a drilling contractor that is registered with DEC. A listing of registered drilling contractors and plugging contractors can be obtained from the DMN searchable database.
If additional assistance is needed, please contact your Regional Oil and Gas Supervisor at the appropriate Regional Mineral Resources office
DMN, Bureau of Oil and Gas Regulation
625 Broadway
Albany, NY 12233
