Virginia Administrative Code

A. If a well is shut-in or otherwise not produced for a period of 12 consecutive months, the permittee shall measure the shut-in pressure on the production string or strings and report such pressures to the division annually. If the well is producing on the backside or otherwise …

A. Persons required to register under § 45.2-1639 of the Code of Virginia shall register with the division on a registration form prescribed by the director. B. Registered persons shall notify the division within 30 days of any change in the information included on the registrati…

A. Natural gas. 1. Each producer shall measure all gas produced from each well, or as prescribed by the director, using a method permitting the computation of volumes, in Mcf. This requirement may be met by use of the standards in: a. "Orifice Metering of Natural Gas," ANSI/API 2…

A. It shall be unlawful for any permittee to allow crude oil or natural gas to escape from any well, gathering pipeline or storage tank except as provided for in this section or in an approved operations plan. The permittee shall take all reasonable steps to shut in the gas or oi…

A. Applicability. All fluids from a well, pipeline or corehole shall be handled in a properly constructed pit, tank or other type of container approved by the director. A permittee shall not dispose of fluids from a well, pipeline or corehole until the director has approved the p…

A. Applicability. All drill cuttings and solids shall be disposed of in the on-site pit as provided in subsection C of this section or as approved by the director. All other solid waste from gas, oil or geophysical operations shall be disposed of in a facility permitted to accept…

A. Permit requirements; variances. 1. Plugging operations shall not commence until a detailed plugging plan has been submitted to and approved by the director. A permit modification is required if the well was not previously permitted for plugging. 2. Any person may file an appli…

A permittee wishing to develop a gas or oil well or corehole as a water well shall submit an application for a permit modification in accordance with 4VAC25-150-110. Statutory Authority§§ 45.1-161.3 and 45.1-361.27 of the Code of Virginia.

A. Permittees shall, by the quickest available means, notify the division of the loss of a radioactive source in a well or corehole. B. No radioactive source shall be declared abandoned until all reasonable effort has been expended to retrieve the radioactive source tool. C. A we…

A. Abandoned wells and coreholes shall be permanently marked in a manner as follows: 1. The marker shall extend not less than 30 inches above the surface and enough below the surface to make the marker permanent. 2. The marker shall indicate the permittee's name, the well name, t…

A. Application for bond release. A permittee desiring to have a bond released by the director shall apply in writing identifying the operation, and documenting that the well or disturbed land meets the requirements for partial or full bond release. A bond may be reduced or releas…

A. Written consent from the owner of record or lessee, or their authorized agents, is the preferred means for obtaining agreements to enter lands in order to carry out plugging of orphaned wells and restoration of their sites. Nonconsensual entry under § 45.2-1629 E of the Code o…

A. Part II of this chapter sets forth requirements unique to conventional gas and oil wells and wells classified as Class II injection wells by the United States, Environmental Protection Agency under 40 CFR Part 146, Section 146.5. B. Permittees must comply with the standards of…

In the event any person captures and uses gas or oil and does not permit the shaft or hole as a gas or oil well as provided for in this chapter, the director shall take appropriate enforcement action. Statutory Authority§§ 45.1-161.3 and 45.1-361.27 of the Code of Virginia.

A. In addition to the requirements of 4VAC25-150-80 or 4VAC25-150-110, every application for a permit or permit modification for a conventional gas or oil well or a Class II injection well shall contain: 1. The approximate depth to which the well is proposed to be drilled or deep…

A. In addition to the requirements of 4VAC25-150-90, every plat for a conventional gas or oil well shall show: 1. The boundaries of any drilling unit established by the board around the subject well; 2. The boundaries and acreage of the tract on which the well is located or is to…

No permit shall be issued for any well to be drilled closer than 200 feet from any inhabited building unless site conditions as approved by the director warrant the permission of a lesser distance and there exists a lease or agreement between the operator and the owner of the inh…

A. Water-protection string. 1. Except as provided in subdivision A 5 of this section, the permittee shall set a water-protection string to a point at least 300 feet below the surface or 50 feet below the deepest known groundwater horizon, whichever is deeper, circulated and cemen…

A. The operator shall install casing that can withstand the effects of tension and can prevent leaks, burst, and collapse during (i) the casing's installation and cementing and (ii) subsequent drilling and producing operations. B. Except as provided in subsection C of this sectio…

(Repealed.)

Part III of this chapter sets forth requirements unique to coalbed methane gas wells. Permittees must comply with the standards of general applicability in Part I of this chapter and with the standards for coalbed methane gas wells in this part. Statutory Authority§§ 45.1-161.3 a…

In addition to the requirements of 4VAC25-150-80 or 4VAC25-150-110, every application for a permit or permit modification for a coalbed methane gas well shall contain: 1. An identification of the category of owner or operator, as listed in § 45.2-1632 A of the Code of Virginia, t…

(Repealed.)

A. An applicant may request a variance to the casing standards in 4VAC25-150-610 when the applicant desires to convert a vertical ventilation hole drilled prior to September 25, 1991, to a coalbed methane gas well. All other standards for coalbed methane gas wells shall be met. T…

A. In addition to the requirements of 4VAC25-150-90, every plat for a coalbed methane gas well shall show: 1. Boundaries and acreage of any drilling unit established by the board around the subject well; 2. Boundaries and acreage of the tract on which the well is located or is to…

A. Where the last day fixed for submitting a request for a hearing or any required report falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or any day on which the Division of Gas and Oil office is closed as authorized by the Code of Virginia or the Governor, the required action may be done on the ne…

No permit shall be issued for any well to be drilled closer than 200 feet from any inhabited building, unless site conditions as approved by the director warrant the permission of a lesser distance, and there exists a lease or agreement between the operator and the owner of the i…

A. Water protection string. 1. Except as provided in subdivision A 5 of this section, the permittee shall set a water-protection string set to a point at least 300 feet below the surface or 50 feet below the deepest known groundwater horizon, whichever is deeper, circulated and c…

A. The operator shall install casing that can withstand the effects of tension and can prevent leaks, burst, and collapse during (i) the casing's installation and cementing and (ii) subsequent drilling and producing operations. B. Except as provided in subsection C of this sectio…

Wellhead equipment and facilities installed on any gob well or on any coalbed methane gas well subject to the requirements of §§ 45.2-707 and 45.2-939 of the Code of Virginia addressing mining near or through a well shall include a safety precaution plan submitted to the director…

All coalbed methane gas well operators are required to submit monthly reports of total produced waters withdrawn from coalbed methane gas wells, in barrels, on a well-by-well basis, with the monthly report submitted under 4VAC25-150-210 of this chapter. The report shall show mont…

(Repealed.)

A permittee wishing to convert a coalbed methane gas well to a vertical ventilation hole shall first obtain approval from the Chief of the Division of Mines and submit a written request to the division for a permit release. The director shall consult with the chief, or his design…

Part IV (4VAC25-150-660 et seq.) of this chapter sets forth requirements unique to ground-disturbing geophysical exploration. Statutory Authority§§ 45.1-161.3 and 45.1-361.27 of the Code of Virginia.

A. In accordance with 4VAC25-150-80 and 4VAC25-150-110, a permit shall be required for ground-disturbing geophysical exploration. B. In addition to the requirements of 4VAC25-150-80 or 4VAC25-150-110, every application for a corehole permit or permit modification under this part …

A. In addition to the requirements of 4VAC25-150-90, every plat for a corehole shall show: 1. The boundaries of the tract on which the corehole is located or is to be located; 2. Surface owners on the tract to be drilled and surface owners on the tracts where the surface is to be…

In addition to the requirements of 4VAC25-150-100, every operations plan for a corehole shall describe the measures to be followed to protect water quality during the drilling, and the measures to be followed to protect any voids encountered during drilling. Statutory Authority§§…

(Repealed.)

No permit shall be issued for any corehole to be drilled closer than 200 feet from an inhabited building, unless site conditions as approved by the director warrant the permission of a lesser distance, and there exists a lease or agreement between the operator and the owner of th…

(Repealed.)

A. Casing through voids. 1. When a corehole is drilled through a void, the hole shall be drilled at least 30 feet below the void. The annular space shall be cemented from the base of the casing up to the void and every reasonable attempt shall be made to fill the annular space fr…

A. Part V (4VAC25-150-720 et seq.) of this chapter sets forth requirements unique to gathering pipelines. Permittees must comply with the standards for gathering pipelines in this part and the following standards in Part I: 1. All of Article 1, "General Information"; except 4VAC2…

A. Gathering pipelines shall be installed to be compatible with other uses of the area. B. No permit shall be issued for a gathering pipeline to be installed closer than 100 feet from any inhabited building or railway, unless site conditions as approved by the director warrant th…

A. For a gathering pipeline, the operations plan shall be in a format approved by, or on a form prescribed by, the director. B. On a form prescribed by the director, the operator shall indicate how risks to the public safety or to the site and adjacent lands are to be managed, an…

Gathering pipelines shall be visually inspected annually by the permittee. The results of each annual inspection shall be maintained by the permittee for a minimum of three years and be submitted to the director upon request. Statutory Authority§§ 45.1-161.3 and 45.1-361.27 of th…

A. Applicability. 1. Persons required in § 45.2-1631 of the Code of Virginia to obtain a permit or permit modification shall apply to the division on the forms prescribed by the director. All lands on which gas, oil, or geophysical operations are to be conducted shall be included…

A. When filing an application for a permit for a well or corehole, the applicant also shall file an accurate plat certified by a licensed professional engineer or licensed land surveyor on a scale, to be stated thereon, of 1 inch equals 400 feet (1:4800). The scope of the plat sh…