Exploration permit

Before any person begins any well-site preparation for the drilling of any well other than surveying and staking for the purpose of exploring for deep-well geothermal resources, the person shall file an application for permit to drill on a form approved by the commission with the director, together with a permit fee of one hundred dollars. No drilling activity may commence until such application is approved and a permit to explore is issued by the director. The application must be accompanied by the bond pursuant to section 43-02-07.1-11 or the applicant previously must have filed such bond with the commission, otherwise the application is incomplete. An incomplete application received by the commission has no standing and may not be deemed filed until it is complete. A permit is required for each test well. The application for permit to explore must be accompanied by an accurate plat certified by a registered surveyor showing the location of the proposed well with reference to true north and the nearest lines of a governmental section, the latitude and longitude of the proposed well location to the nearest tenth of a second, and the ground elevation. Information to be included in such application shall be the proposed depth to which the well will be drilled, estimated depth to the top of important stratigraphic markers, estimated depth to the top of objective horizons, the proposed mud program, the proposed casing program, including size and weight, the depth at which each casing string is to be set, the proposed pad layout, including cut and fill diagrams, and the proposed amount of cement to be used, including the estimated top of the cement, the proposed procedure, and the estimated completed total depth. The drilling, testing, and plugging of exploratory wells must comply with all applicable rules in chapter 43-02-03. The exploration permit is in effect for one year.