Title 60, Oil And Gas

(a) (1) Wells drilled in search of oil or gas to a depth of less than two thousand five hundred feet (2,500′) shall not be located closer than four hundred feet (400′) from any other well completed in, drilling to, or for which a permit shall have been granted to drill to the sam…

(a) The board has jurisdiction and authority:(1) Over all persons and property necessary to enforce this chapter;(2) To make such inquiries as necessary to determine whether or not waste exists or is imminent;(3) To collect data; to make investigations and inspections; to examine…

(a) The board, or any member thereof, is empowered to issue subpoenas for witnesses, to require their attendance and the giving of testimony before it, and to require the production of books, papers and records in any proceeding before the board as may be material upon questions …

The supervisor is charged with enforcing this chapter and the regulations and orders of the board.

(a) (1) No later than the filing of the application with the supervisor for a permit to drill and prior to initiating site preparation, the applicant shall give notice by certified mail, return receipt requested, of the applicant's intent to drill to the property owner or owners …

(a) There is levied a severance tax on all gas and oil removed from the ground in Tennessee. The measure of the tax for such gas and oil shall be three percent (3%) of the sale price of such gas and oil. Every person actually engaged in severing oil or gas, or actually operating …

(1) The severance tax imposed in this part shall be payable as follows:(1) On or before the twentieth day of each month the person liable for the tax shall file with the commissioner of revenue, on forms prescribed by the commissioner, a report of all oil removed from the ground …

(a) If, upon an inspection or investigation, the supervisor determines that a person is in violation of this chapter, rules promulgated pursuant to this chapter, an order adopted by the board, or terms or conditions of a permit, the supervisor shall with reasonable promptness, an…

Whenever it shall appear that any person is violating or threatening to violate any provisions of this chapter, or any rule, regulation or order made hereunder, and unless the board without litigation can effectively prevent further violation or threat of violation, then the boar…

Nothing in this chapter contained or authorized and no suit by or against the board and no penalties imposed or claimed against any person for violating any provision of this chapter, or any rule, regulation or order issued hereunder, and no forfeiture shall impair or abridge or …

(a) All sums received in payment of penalties assessed by the board pursuant to this part shall be placed in the state treasury in a separate account to be designated as the Tennessee board of water quality, oil and gas reclamation fund. (b) This fund shall be available to the bo…

This part shall be known as and may be cited as the “Oil and Gas Surface Owners Compensation Act of 1984.”

(a) The general assembly finds that the exploration for and development of oil and gas reserves must coexist with the equal right to the use, agricultural or otherwise, of the surface of land within this state. (b) It is the purpose of this part to provide constitutionally permis…

(1) For purposes of this part and unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the terms listed below will have the following meaning:(1) “Drilling operation” means the actual drilling or redrilling of an oil or gas well and the related preparation of the drilling site and acce…

(1) The oil and gas developer shall be obligated to pay the surface owner for:(1) Lost income or expenses incurred as a result of being unable to dedicate land actually occupied by the driller's operation or to which access is prevented by such drilling operation to the uses to w…

Any surface owner, to receive compensation under this part shall notify by certified mail, return receipt requested, the oil and gas developer of the damages sustained by the person within three (3) years after the injury occurs.

Within sixty (60) days after the oil and gas developer receives notice of damages, the oil and gas developer shall make a written response to the person seeking compensation for the damages.

(a) If the person seeking compensation receives a written rejection, rejects any counter-offer of the oil and gas developer, or receives no reply, that person may bring an action for compensation in a court of proper jurisdiction or the parties may elect to proceed by arbitration…

Nothing in this part shall be construed to diminish in any way the common law remedies, including damages, of a surface owner or any other person against the oil and gas developer for the unreasonable, negligent or otherwise wrongful exercise of the contractual right, whether exp…

At the well site, the operator shall take measures to prevent or minimize soil erosion and pollution of surface waters during the life of the operation, including work preparatory to or incidental to such operations. Such measures may include sediment ponds, berms, diversion ditc…

Access roads must be constructed and maintained in accordance with all applicable local, state, and federal laws, rules, and regulations, including, but not limited to, the requirements of the Water Quality Control Act of 1977, compiled in title 69, chapter 3, part 1, and applica…

(1) Reclamation of all disturbed areas shall be accomplished in the following manner:(1) The vegetative cover must be diverse, effective, and permanent. It must be capable of long-term stabilization of the soil and must not impede natural vegetative succession or interfere with s…

(a) Upon satisfactory completion of regrading and revegetation of all disturbed areas except active work areas and access roads needed for oil or gas production, the supervisor may release one-third (⅓) of the reclamation bond upon written request by the operator or as determined…