Well bond amounts by state
What each state requires an operator to post, from the state's own rules, beside the published median reported cost to plug a well where one exists.
| State | Single-well bond (lowest tier) | Blanket bond (lowest tier) | Median plugging cost per well | Schedule | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $5,000 | $100,000 | — | Single well by depth: $5,000 to 5,000 ft; $10,000 to 10,000; $15,000 to 15,000; $30,000 to 20,000; $50,000 over 20,000 | Ala. Admin. Code r. 400-1-2-.03 |
| Alaska | — | — | — | 1-5 wells $400,000 per well; 6-20 wells $2,000,000 plus $250,000 per well above five; 21-40 $6,000,000; 41-100 $10,000,000; 101-1,000 $20,000,000; over 1,000 $30,000,000. Commission may raise or lower; phase-in installments allowed for bonds in place 18 May 2019. Proposed later amendments not verified | 20 AAC 25.025 |
| Arizona | $10,000 | $25,000 | — | Blanket: $25,000 (10 or fewer wells); $50,000 (more than 10 but fewer than 50); $250,000 (50 or more) | Ariz. Admin. Code R12-7-103 |
| Arkansas | $3,000 | $25,000 | — | Blanket: $25,000 (1-25 wells); $50,000 (26-100); $100,000 (101 or more). Director may require more | Ark. Oil and Gas Commission General Rule B-2(f) (178.00.09 Ark. Code R. 005) |
| California | $25,000 | $200,000 | — | Blanket: $200,000 (50 or fewer wells); $400,000 (51-500); $2,000,000 (501-10,000); $3,000,000 (over 10,000). Sec. 3205.8 (added by AB 1167, effective 1 Jan 2024) requires CalGEM-determined additional security on acquisition of idle/marginal wells; amounts not in the flat schedule | Cal. Pub. Res. Code 3204, 3205 (see also 3205.8) |
| Colorado | — | — | $85,728 | Rule 702 Option 1 (avg per-well production over 60 BOE/day): $12,000 per well (up to 50 wells); $10,000 (51-150); $5,000 (151-1,500); $3,000 (1,501-4,000); $1,500 (over 4,000). Option 2: $18,000; $15,000; $12,000; $10,000; $8,000 per well in the same bands. Inactive/out-of-service wells set by Director. Rule 704 surface owner protection: $4,000 per well non-irrigated, $10,000 irrigated, or $100,000 statewide blanket | 2 CCR 404-1 Rules 702, 704 |
| Florida | $50,000 | $1,000,000 | — | Annual fee in lieu of bond available under rule (first year $4,000, then $1,500 per existing well or permit, capped $30,000 per year) -- read as fee schedule in same rule | Fla. Admin. Code r. 62C-26.002; Fla. Stat. 377.22 |
| Idaho | $10,000 | $50,000 | — | Blanket: $50,000 (up to 10 wells); $100,000 (11-30); $150,000 (over 30). Inactive wells $10,000 plus $8 per foot, not coverable by blanket | IDAPA 20.07.02.220 |
| Illinois | $1,500 | $25,000 | $36,649 | Blanket: $25,000 (up to 25 wells); $50,000 (up to 50); $100,000 (all wells). Test holes $2,500 each or $25,000 blanket; liquid oilfield waste transport $10,000 | 62 Ill. Adm. Code 240.1500 |
| Indiana | $2,500 | $45,000 | $48,768 | Statute/rule text not read; amounts from Indiana DNR bond forms and NCSL summary | Ind. Code 14-37-5 (per DNR forms) |
| Kansas | — | $7,500 | — | Blanket under 2,000 ft: $7,500 (1-5 wells); $15,000 (6-25); $30,000 (over 25). Blanket 2,000 ft or deeper: $15,000; $30,000; $45,000. Alternatives in statute: $100 annual fee for operators with clean 36-month record; fee of 6 percent of required blanket amount; lien option. Statute text read is the 2020 edition; a later amendment (2022) not checked | K.S.A. 55-155(d); K.A.R. 82-3-120 |
| Kentucky | — | $20,000 | $27,000 | Shallow blanket: $20,000 (1-25); $50,000 (26-100); $200,000 (101-500); $300,000 (501-1,000); higher bands to $1,500,000 at 4,501-5,000. Deep vertical blanket $200,000 per ten wells; deep horizontal $320,000 per ten wells. Commission may require more. Regulator summary of June 2019 statute revision | KRS 353.590(7)-(12); 805 KAR 1:050 |
| Louisiana | — | $50,000 | $27,059 | Land blanket: $50,000 (10 or fewer wells); $250,000 (11-99); $500,000 (100 or more). Inland water blanket: $250,000; $1,250,000; $2,500,000. Offshore blanket: $500,000; $2,500,000; $5,000,000 | La. Admin. Code tit. 43, Pt XIX, 104 |
| Michigan | $20,000 | $100,000 | — | Single: $20,000 (to 2,000 ft); $40,000 (2,000-4,000); $50,000 (4,000-7,500); $60,000 (over 7,500). Blanket: $100,000; $200,000 (2,000-4,000 ft); $250,000 (over 4,000 ft). Aggregate never required above $250,000 | Mich. Admin. Code R 324.212; MCL 324.61525 |
| Mississippi | $20,000 | $100,000 | — | Single: $20,000 (to 10,000 ft); $30,000 (10,001-16,000); $60,000 (16,001 or more). Board may require different amounts. Submerged offshore lands have separate higher amounts (secondary source) | Mississippi State Oil and Gas Board Statewide Rules, Rule 1.4 (26 Miss. Admin. Code Pt. 2, R. 1.4) |
| Missouri | $1,100 | $22,000 | — | Single: $1,100 (0-500 ft); $2,200 (501-1,000); $3,300 (1,001-2,000); $4,400 (2,001-5,000); $5,500 plus $2 per foot beyond 5,001. Blanket: $22,000 (0-800 ft, 40 wells); $25,000 (801-1,500 ft, 10 wells); deeper than 1,500 ft bonded individually. Applies to wells permitted or transferred on or after 30 Mar 2016 | 10 CSR 50-2.020 |
| Montana | $1,500 | $50,000 | — | Single: $1,500 (up to 2,000 ft); $5,000 (2,001-3,500); $10,000 (3,501 ft or more); Board may double. Existing multiple-well bonds under $25,000 must be raised to $25,000 on consolidation | ARM 36.22.1308 |
| Nebraska | $10,000 | $100,000 | $38,916 | Director may refuse a bond or additions to a blanket for compliance history | 267 Neb. Admin. Code ch. 3, 004 (Form 3A) |
| Nevada | $10,000 | $50,000 | — | Bond, cash deposit or certificate of deposit; waived if federal bond on file for federal land | NAC 522.230 |
| New Mexico | $25,000 | $50,000 | $132,792 | Blanket: $50,000 (1-10); $75,000 (11-50); $125,000 (51-100); $250,000 (over 100). Separate higher schedule for inactive wells (19.15.8.9.D) not extracted here | 19.15.8.9 NMAC (subsection C) |
| New York | $2,500 | — | — | Under 2,500 ft: $2,500 per well (1-25 wells, max $25,000); $25,000 plus $2,500/well over 25 (max $40,000); $40,000 plus $2,500/well over 50 (max $70,000); $70,000 plus $2,500/well over 100 (max $100,000). 2,500-6,000 ft: $5,000 per well (max $40,000); then $40,000 plus $5,000/well (max $60,000); $60,000 plus $5,000 (max $100,000); $100,000 plus $5,000 (max $150,000). Over 6,000 ft set per well by department (up to $250,000 per 2021 secondary source) | 6 NYCRR 551.4, 551.5, 551.6 |
| North Dakota | $50,000 | $100,000 | $48,329 | Commission may require higher amounts after hearing | N.D. Admin. Code 43-02-03-15(2); N.D.C.C. 38-08-04 |
| Ohio | $5,000 | $15,000 | $95,855 | Rule last effective 15 Apr 2004; R.C. 1509.07 revised 2026 (exempt domestic wells have alternatives) | Ohio Adm. Code 1501:9-1-03(A); R.C. 1509.07 |
| Oklahoma | — | $25,000 | — | Category A alternative: financial statement showing net worth of at least $50,000. Commission may require more for good cause | OAC 165:10-1-10; OAC 165:10-1-12 |
| Oregon | $25,000 | $150,000 | — | Single-well amounts confirmed in rule text via Justia copy (current through Dec 2024) | OAR 632-010-0205 |
| South Dakota | $50,000 | $100,000 | — | Board may require additional bond; supplemental $20,000 plugging bond for wells unused over six months (SDCL 45-9-15.3). Regulator page summarises statute | SDCL 45-9-15 |
| Tennessee | $2,000 | $20,000 | — | Single: $2,000 (0-2,500 ft); $3,000 (2,500-5,000); $3,000 plus $1 per foot over 5,000. Blanket: $20,000 (up to 10 wells to 5,000 ft); $30,000 (up to 10 wells to 10,000 ft); none for wells deeper than 10,000 ft | Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0400-52-01-.01, -.02 |
| Texas | — | $25,000 | — | Blanket: $25,000 (10 or fewer wells); $50,000 (11-99); $250,000 (100 or more). Bay wells additional $60,000; offshore wells additional $100,000. Statutory basis Tex. Nat. Res. Code 91.103 and related; amounts are set in the Commission rule | 16 Tex. Admin. Code 3.78(g); Tex. Nat. Res. Code 91.103 |
| Utah | $1,500 | $15,000 | — | Single: $1,500 (to 1,000 ft); $15,000 (1,000-3,000); $30,000 (3,000-10,000); $60,000 (over 10,000). Blanket: $15,000 (under 1,000 ft); $120,000 (over 1,000 ft) | Utah Admin. Code R649-3-1 |
| Virginia | $10,000 | $25,000 | — | Blanket: $25,000 (1-10 wells); $50,000 (11-50); $100,000 (51-200); $200,000 (over 200) | Va. Code 45.2-1633 |
| Washington | $50,000 | $250,000 | — | Cash deposit, savings assignment or CD allowed in lieu | WAC 344-12-060 |
| West Virginia | $5,000 | $50,000 | — | Horizontal (Article 6A) wells: $50,000 per well or $250,000 blanket (W. Va. Code 22-6A-15). Statute text on state site not fetchable under robots; figures from search-returned statute text, 2006 amendment | W. Va. Code 22-6-26; 22-6A-15 |
| Wyoming | — | $100,000 | $5,590 | Idle wells: supervisor may require up to $10 per foot additional. Minimum $10,000 per well site on split-estate/private land. Bonding pool (SF 0020, 2025) is separate secondary assurance | Wyo. Oil and Gas Conservation Commission Rules ch. 3, sec. 4(b) |