Alaska Administrative Code

(a) Before drilling or redrilling a well or re-entering an abandoned well, a person shall submit and obtain the commission's approval of an application for a Permit to Drill (Form 10-401). If, after drilling a well, a person wishes immediately to redrill below the structural or c…

(a) Before re-entering a suspended well to conduct completion operations, the operator shall submit and obtain the commission's approval of an Application for Sundry Approvals (Form 10-403). The Application for Sundry Approvals must set out the current condition of the well and t…

(a) To change a program approved in a Permit to Drill (Form 10-401) before drilling operations start, the operator shall(1) submit and obtain the commission's approval of a new application for a Permit to Drill if the proposed surface location is changed, if the proposed bottom-h…

(a) If an owner of a property wishes to designate a new operator for the property, the owner shall submit to the commission for approval a Designation of Operator (Form 10-411). The commission will not approve the designation of a new operator without the signature of the newly d…

Within 15 days after a person becomes an owner of a property on which operations subject to this chapter are proposed to the commission or are being conducted, the person shall file a Notice of Ownership (Form 10-417). Notes 20 AAC 25.022 Eff. 4/2/86, Register 97; am 11/7/99, Reg…

(a) An operator proposing to drill a well for which a permit is required under 20 AAC 25.005 shall file a bond and, if required under (2) of this subsection, security to ensure that each well is drilled, operated, maintained, repaired, plugged and abandoned and each location is c…

Commission approval of the abandonment of a well and the release of the bond required by 20 AAC 25.025 constitutes a presumption of proper abandonment, but does not relieve an operator of further claim by the commission after the abandonment. Notes 20 AAC 25.026 Eff. 4/13/80, Reg…

(a) A complete proposed well casing and cementing program must be submitted with an application for a Permit to Drill (Form 10-401). Unless modified or altered by pool rules established under 20 AAC 25.520, a well casing and cementing program must be designed to (1) provide suita…

(a) A drilling operation must be equipped with a drilling fluid system meeting the requirements of this section, unless the commission determines that a drilling fluid system is not necessary for primary well control. The operator shall submit with an application for a Permit to …

(a) This section applies to drilling and completion operations other than those covered by 20 AAC 25.036. These operations are also subject to the requirements of 20 AAC 25.527. (b) The operator shall submit the following information with the application for a Permit to Drill (Fo…

(a) This section applies to drilling and completion operations performed through existing production tubing. These operations are also subject to the requirements of 20 AAC 25.527. (b) The operator shall submit the following information with the application for a Permit to Drill …

Notes 20 AAC 25.037 Eff. 11/7/99, Register 152; repealed 7/25/2020, Register 235, October 2020

(a) Every well must be identified by a sign posted in a conspicuous place. During the period of time from commencement of drilling operations to well completion, suspension, or abandonment, the sign must be on or near the drill rig, but not more than 100 feet from the well. After…

Notes 20 AAC 25.045 Repealed 4/2/86.

Notes 20 AAC 25.047 Eff. 4/2/86, Register 97; am 11/7/99, Register 152; repealed 7/25/2020, Register 235, October 2020

(a) A well that is not intentionally deviated must be(1) drilled as close to vertical as is possible using conventional drilling techniques, except that deviation is permitted for short intervals to straighten the hole, sidetrack junk, or correct mechanical difficulties; (2) surv…

(a) The commission will, in its discretion, establish drilling units to govern well spacing and prescribe a spacing pattern by pool rules adopted in accordance with 20 AAC 25.520. In the absence of an order by the commission establishing drilling units or prescribing a spacing pa…

(a) For an exploratory or stratigraphic test well, near surface strata to a depth of 2,000 feet in the vicinity of the well must be evaluated seismically by common depth point refraction or reflection profile analysis, or by another method approved by the commission, to identify …

(a) If hydrogen sulfide gas is encountered in excess of 20 ppm, the operator shall notify the commission within 24 hours after the encounter. (b) If a well is to be drilled in an area where a formation to be penetrated is known to contain hydrogen sulfide gas, or if hydrogen sulf…

(a) Drilling and workover rigs must meet the following minimum requirements for methane and hydrogen sulfide gas detection: (1) the methane detection system must have a minimum of three sensing points; one sensing point must be under the substructure near the cellar, one must be …

The operator of a well shall (1) keep a detailed accurate daily record of the actual drilling, completion, workover, repair, and plugging operations, and of the tests required by this chapter; the daily record must be available for inspection at reasonable times by the commission…

(a) An operator shall log the well from total depth to the base of conductor pipe by either a complete electrical or gamma-ray log unless the commission specifies the type of each log to be run. (b) Not later than 90 days after completion, suspension, or plugging of a well or wel…

(a) If circumstances prevent the continuation of the program approved on a Permit to Drill (Form 10-401), or if an operator wishes to change drill rigs, the operator shall apply to the commission for approval to shut down drilling or completion operations temporarily. Based on th…

There are areas in the state where drilling operations could unexpectedly encounter oil, gas, or hazardous substances at shallow depths. When the commission obtains sufficient evidence to define a specific area and the approximate depth range of the substances, it will issue an o…

(a) A person may not dispose of drilling waste through the annular space of a well unless authorized by the commission under this section. The operator of a well permitted under AS 31.05.090 may request authorization for the disposal of drilling waste through the well's annular s…

(a) All wells that have been permitted on a property under 20 AAC 25.005 must be abandoned before expiration of the owner's rights in that property or if, after notice and hearing, the commission orders abandonment for safety reasons or because the operator has effectively abando…

(a) An operator may plug a well branch before abandoning or suspending the well. If a well branch has not been completed, the operator shall plug the well branch before removal of the drill rig, unless well operations are shut down in accordance with 20 AAC 25.072. (b) An Applica…

(a) If allowed under 20 AAC 25.105, an operator may apply to the commission under this section to approve the suspension of a well or to renew the approval of the suspension of a well. The operator must (1) state the reasons the well should be suspended, and why the well should n…

(a) Plugging of the uncased portion of a wellbore must be performed in a manner that ensures that all hydrocarbons and freshwater are confined to their respective indigenous strata and are prevented from migrating into other strata or to the surface. The minimum requirements for …

(a) No later than March 31 of each year, an operator shall file with the commission a report on completed development or service wells that have been shut in for 365 days or longer as of January 1 of that year. The report must provide(1) the current known mechanical condition of …

The exact surface location of an abandoned onshore well must be shown by a well abandonment marker plate that (1) is constructed of steel that is at least 1/4 inch thick; (2) is welded to, and covers, the outermost casing string, including the conductor casing; (3) does not exten…

If a well drilled onshore for oil or gas is to be abandoned, but is safe for use as a freshwater well, a person who wishes to use the well as a freshwater well must obtain written authorization to do so from the landowner and the owner of the surface rights. The authorization mus…

(a) At or after the time that a well drilled onshore is abandoned and before the earlier of one year after well abandonment or the expiration of the owner's rights in the property, (1) the operator shall remove the wellhead equipment and casing to a depth at least three feet belo…

(a) No later than the time that all wells drilled from a fixed offshore platform are abandoned and the platform is removed or dismantled, the operator shall remove all well casing to a depth at least one foot below the mudline. The operator shall provide the commission with verif…

(a) Surface production equipment must be installed to control, separate, clean, gather, and carry to the point of custody transfer or other disposition in a safe manner all produced oil, gas, and water. All equipment must be installed, operated, and maintained in accordance with …

(a) The operator shall immediately notify the commission of any uncontrolled release exceeding 10 barrels of oil or 1,000 mscf of gas from a well or production handling operation or any uncontrolled release that results in a shutdown of operations at a production facility. (b) Wi…

A well may not be completed in more than one pool without approval of the commission. The commission will require evidence of complete separation of flowstreams from separate pools, as ascertained by a pressure test or other acceptable test conducted at the time the packers are s…

(a) On the surface, the production from one pool may not be commingled with that from another pool except if the quantities from each pool are determined by monthly well tests or by another method of determining pool production approved by the commission. (b) Commingling of produ…

Notes 20 AAC 25.225 Eff. 4/13/80, Register 74; am 4/2/86, Register 97; am 11/7/99, Register 152; repealed 7/25/2020, Register 235, October 2020

(a) Hydrocarbon production must be measured in accordance with this section before severance from the property or unit where produced. Crude oil sample collection, handling, and analysis in connection with production measurement must be performed in conformance with relevant part…

(a) Production from each well must be measured to determine the quantities of oil, gas, and water, using equipment and techniques acceptable to the commission as accurate and reliable. Production from a group of wells, property, or unit may be measured as a whole, if individual w…

(a) For each production facility the operator shall compile and report monthly gas disposition and acquisition on the Facility Report of Produced Gas Disposition (Form 10-422). If a facility's production comes from multiple pools, the operator shall allocate production between ea…

(a) An oil well may not be produced if the gas-oil ratio of the well exceeds the original solution gas-oil ratio of the crude within the producing pool by more than 100 percent. (b) Upon written application by an operator, the commission will, in its discretion, waive the limitat…

Notes 20 AAC 25.245 Eff. 4/13/80, Register 74; am 4/2/86, Register 97; am 11/7/99, Register 152; repealed 7/25/2020, Register 235, October 2020

Notes 20 AAC 25.250 Repealed 4/2/86.

(a) The underground disposal of oil field wastes and the underground storage of hydrocarbons are prohibited except as ordered by the commission under this section. In response to a letter of application for injection filed by an operator, the commission will issue an order author…

Notes 20 AAC 25.255 Repealed 4/2/86.