Oil and Gas Well Permit

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Any person or entity who drills, deepens, or reopens an oil and gas well must obtain a permit. The information below serves as a guide to the permitting process and discusses the necessary forms, fees, and responsibilities of permit holders.

Application to Drill

Applicants must submit the following items with the proper fees and bonding prior to starting any activity:

  • A complete Application For Permit To Drill (CN-0211) and a $500 administrative fee. Please make all checks payable to the Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation.
  • A well location plat, constructed by a Tennessee registered surveyor, showing the proposed location of the oil and gas well site; the proposed location of all new ingress and egress; the location of all diversions, drilling pits, dikes and related structures and facilities; the location of proposed storage tanks and all other surface disturbances.
  • An Organization Report (CN-0219) which identifies the company, organization, individual, or group responsible for the well. Please note that this is the official record of contact information for an Operator. A new Organization Report should be submitted to the Oil & Gas Program if there are any changes to the information previously submitted.
  • A Surface Owner Certification (CN-0694) stating that the landowner has been notified of any planned surface disturbances and a certified mail receipt showing that Form CN-0694 has been sent. There is a fifteen-day waiting period for the landowner to respond to the State after receiving Form CN-0694. However, this waiting period can be waived if the landowner signs a Statement of No Objection to Proposed Surface Disturbances (CN-0691).
  • A Pooling Affidavit (CN-0690) for sites with more than one landowner.
  • A Reclamation Plan (CN-0692) committing the operator to appropriate cleanup measures within 30 days of plugging and abandonment.
  • An Action Plan which shall include contingency measures to mitigate and minimize the risk of failure, spills, or releases due to unplanned events and prepared by a certified Site Coordinator. Site Coordinators shall be certified by completing the Tennessee Site Coordinator Training Course. Equivalent training credentials may be temporarily accepted at the Supervisor’s discretion until such time as the course certification can be obtained.
  • Plugging and reclamation bonding. Please refer to the Bonds page to determine the amount of bond money required and for more information on types of acceptable instruments.

The following are frequently asked questions about the permitting process:

The application, required forms, and proper fees should be submitted to the Division of Mineral & Geologic Resources, Oil & Gas Program. A detailed review of the application is conducted, and the site is inspected by Program staff. The review process may take up to 15 days. No public review is required. Approved permits will be emailed or mailed to the Operator. The permit is valid for 365 days from issuance.

The permittee may proceed with the approved activities as stated on the permit and is responsible for notifying the Oil & Gas Program prior to beginning drilling activities. A notice of at least 12 hours must be given prior to cementing surface casing.

The permittee also is responsible for submitting a Well History, Work Summary, and Completion or Recompletion Report (CN-0221) and any other required well data or reports to the Supervisor within 60 days of drilling to total depth. The permittee is also responsible for submitting an Annual Well Report (CN-1272) by April 15th of each year.

Permittees are also responsible for complying with testing, monitoring, prevention of hazards and pollution, and all other requirements pertaining to the drilling, re-entry, plugging and abandoning, and the exploration of oil and gas wells as outlined in the Oil & Gas Regulations at 0400-51 through 0400-58.

A permit is transferable upon submittal and approval of the Application to Change Operators (CN-0237) and other requirements. Please refer to the Application to Change Operators tab on this page for more details.

A drilling permit may be amended by filing an Application to Amend Well Permit (Form CN-0228) with the Supervisor and paying a $100 administrative fee if the well name, number, elevation, location, or proposed total depth is changed. If the well location is changed, one copy of a revised survey plat shall be filed with the application. The amended drilling permit is subject to the same terms and conditions as a well permit, including erosion control requirements. Please make all checks payable to the Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation.

The Oil & Gas Program has the right to inspect the site when deemed necessary. Penalties for violations can reach a maximum of $10,000 per day, per violation.

The Tennessee Board of Water Quality, Oil and Gas, is responsible for preventing waste and protecting the waters and natural resources of the state from any adverse effects associated with drilling, deepening, or reopening oil and gas wells.

The Oil & Gas Program does not adjudicate property rights disputes, including determinations of mineral rights usage. In those instances, a court of proper jurisdiction must be consulted.

Application to Change Operators

In order to transfer responsibility for a well, the Oil & Gas Program must receive and approve the following required forms and proper fees:

  • An Application to Change Operators (CN-0237) will need to be completed by the “old operator” and the “new operator”. Please note that both signatures need to be notarized. Should you have questions about the technical specifications of the well, please contact the Oil & Gas Program. This application requires a $100 administrative fee to complete. Please make all checks payable to the Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation.
  • An Organization Report (CN-0219) will need to be completed by the new operator, if there is not already an Organization Report on file with the Oil & Gas Program. It establishes who will have signatory and decision-making authority for the well. Please note that anyone appearing on the Organization Report will need to include their signature for the report to be deemed complete. There is no fee to submit this report.
  • The appropriate bonding must also be received as part of the Application to Change Operators. Please refer to the Bonds page to determine the type and amount necessary for your situation.

Please note that the sale of a property does not automatically transfer ownership and responsibility for the well. For Non-Commercial Domestic Well Operators, it is highly suggested to complete the well transfer as part of any closing procedures when selling a property.

The following are frequently asked questions about the process to change operators:

The application, required forms, and proper fees should be submitted to the Division of Mineral & Geologic Resources, Oil and Gas Program. A detailed review of the application is conducted, and the site is inspected by Program staff. The review process may take up to 15 days. No public review is required. Approved permits will be emailed or mailed to the operator.

If an Application to Change Operators (Form CN-0237) is to be submitted without the signature of the current permittee, it shall be considered a forced change of operator and the following items shall also be submitted:

  1. Copy of the original lease and assignments, if any, under which the permit was issued, or subsequently transferred, if those documents are available, or an affidavit from the landowner that no prior oil and gas leases are still active. An affidavit from the original landowner that there are no other unexpired oil and gas leases, if the title to the land has changed hands since the Department issued the permit on the land in question, or, if the original landowner cannot be located, an affidavit by the new operator or their agent that they have checked the grantor index in the register’s office and found no unexplained conveyance of the oil and gas rights by the original landowner.
  2. Copy of the new lease and assignments, if any, under which the permit shall be transferred to the new operator.
  3. Copy of a certified letter to the current permittee (or “old operator”) requesting that an Application to Change Operators (Form CN-0237) be signed, and also stating that if the application is not signed, and no written objection to a change of operator without that signature is submitted to the Department in writing within 10 working days of receipt of said letter, the new operator shall seek approval from the Department of that Application to Change Operators without said signature. In addition, the applicant shall send the certified mail notice to the current address that is registered with the Board or the Department as shown on the Organization Report.
  4. A copy of a Court Order relative to the inactive or expired status of any prior oil and gas leases may be submitted in lieu of the items mentioned in parts 2 and 3.
  5. If a written objection to approving the Application to Change Operators (Form CN-0237) is properly submitted to the Department, the staff shall administratively deny the application. If the applicant seeks to have the application considered further, they may then apply for a hearing before the Board. The Board shall then consider approval of the application only when there is no doubt as to the ownership of the oil and gas rights of the applicant. If a cloud or a question as to the title is determined to exist by the Board, then the Board shall deny the application, and refer the applicant to the court for a ruling on the question of ownership.

The permittee is responsible for submitting an Annual Well Report (Form CN-1272), complying with testing, monitoring, prevention of hazards and pollution, and all other requirements pertaining to the operating and plugging and abandoning of oil and gas wells as outlined in the Oil & Gas Regulations at 0400-51 through 0400-58.

Reporting

Operators are expected to comply with all reporting requirements set forth by the Oil & Gas Program. Required reports and reporting procedures are outlined below.

Well History Report

A Well History Report (CN-0221) is due within 60 days of the date total depth is reached for each well drilled.

Annual Well Report

Each operator shall file an Annual Well Report (Form CN-1272) which describes all bonded well(s) by April 15th of each year. The report shall include the well(s) name and number, permit number, location, current status of the well(s), any production for the past year, and future plans for the well(s).

If the report is not received by May 1st, the well(s) shall be deemed abandoned.

If a well had no production for the reporting year, please refer to the Temporary Abandonment section below for additional information.

For assistance on completing the Annual Well Report, please refer to the Guidelines for Filling Out the Annual Well Report. If you have additional questions, please contact the Oil & Gas Program.

Temporary Abandonment

Operators have the opportunity to place any non-producing well(s) into Temporary Abandonment for five years. Non-producing wells are defined by regulation as wells that produce 12 barrels or less of oil per year or 25 thousand cubic feet (mcf) or less of gas per month.

To place a well in Temporary Abandonment, an Operator must:

  1. Submit a Temporary Well Abandonment Information (Form CN-1368) for each well to be placed in Temporary Abandonment.
  2. Submit a $100 fee for each well per year to be placed in Temporary Abandonment. Please make all checks payable to the Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation.
  3. Each well shall be capped in such a manner as to have no open casing exposed to the environment (i.e., swedge with locked ball-valve or any other viable protection). The Operator shall conduct a well integrity test prior to placing a well into Temporary Abandonment, if no such test has been conducted within the prior 15 years and there has been no oil or gas production from the well in that same time period. Integrity testing shall at a minimum consist of either a Mechanical Integrity Test (MIT) on the casing, or a pressure test on the casing using tubing and a packer to a minimum of 500 psi. Alternative well integrity confirmation methods, including annual pressure monitoring at the well head, may be accepted at the discretion of the Supervisor.

Note: Any well shown on the Annual Well Report that indicates no production shall be placed in Temporary Abandonment status or plugged.

Plug and Abandon

All wells found to be dry holes or that cease producing a minimum 12 barrels of oil per year or 25 tousand cubic feet (mcf) of gas per month shall be plugged within one year in accordance with an approved plugging plan.

All permittees must give at least 12 hours notice to the Oil & Gas Program prior to conducting plugging activities. A Plug and Abandon Report (Form CN-0217) shall be submitted within 30 days after plugging and abandoning the well.

Contact Phone Email
Oil & Gas Program (865) 594-6035 TDEC.OilAndGas@tn.gov
George Stephens, Supervisor (865) 221-3214 George.Stephens@tn.gov
Elaine Foust, Geologist (615) 476-0489 Elaine.Foust@tn.gov

This Page Last Updated: November 3, 2025 at 10:38 AM