Sec. 85.202. PURPOSES OF RULES AND ORDERS. (a) The rules and orders of the commission shall include rules and orders:

(1) to prevent waste, as defined in Section 85.046 of this code, of oil and gas in drilling and producing operations and in the storage, piping, and distribution of oil and gas;

(2) to require dry or abandoned wells to be plugged in a manner that will confine oil, gas, and water in the strata in which they are found and prevent them from escaping into other strata;

(3) for the drilling of wells and preserving a record of the drilling of wells;

(4) to require wells to be drilled and operated in a manner that will prevent injury to adjoining property;

(5) to prevent oil and gas and water from escaping from the strata in which they are found into other strata;

(6) to provide rules for shooting wells and for separating oil from gas;

(7) to require records to be kept and reports made; and

(8) to provide for issuance of permits, tenders, and other evidences of permission when the issuance of the permits, tenders, or permission is necessary or incident to the enforcement of the commission's rules or orders for the prevention of waste.

(b) The commission shall do all things necessary for the conservation of oil and gas and prevention of waste of oil and gas and may adopt other rules and orders as may be necessary for those purposes.

Acts 1977, 65th Leg., p. 2522, ch. 871, art. I, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1977.

Sec. 85.2021. DRILLING PERMIT FEE. (a) With each application or materially amended application for a permit to drill, deepen, plug back, or reenter a well, the applicant shall submit to the commission a nonrefundable fee of:

(1) $200 if the total depth of the well is 2,000 feet or less;

(2) $225 if the total depth of the well is greater than 2,000 feet but less than or equal to 4,000 feet;

(3) $250 if the total depth of the well is greater than 4,000 feet but less than or equal to 9,000 feet;

(4) $300 if the total depth of the well is greater than 9,000 feet.

(b) An applicant shall submit an additional nonrefundable fee of $200 when a Rule 37 spacing or a Rule 38 density exception review is requested.

(c) An applicant shall submit an additional nonrefundable fee of $150 when requesting that the commission expedite the application for a permit to drill, deepen, plug back, or reenter a well.

(d) All fees collected under this section shall be deposited in the oil and gas regulation and cleanup fund.

Added by Acts 1983, 68th Leg., p. 5260, ch. 967, Sec. 7, eff. Sept. 1, 1983. Amended by Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 239, Sec. 74, eff. Sept. 1, 1985; Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 603, Sec. 5, eff. Sept. 1, 1991; Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 1089, Sec. 2, eff. Sept. 1, 1999; Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 1233, Sec. 9, eff. Sept. 1, 2001; Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 1233, Sec. 10, eff. Sept. 1, 2004.

Amended by:

Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., 1st C.S., Ch. 4 (S.B. 1), Sec. 19.06, eff. September 28, 2011.