IL drilling-hole plugging bonds.
From $100. Enter your amount.
Before you drill coal, structure, or groundwater test holes in Illinois, the Department of Natural Resources requires a plugging bond so every hole gets properly sealed. A blanket bond covers all of your permits at once. The price is 4% of the bond amount, $100 minimum — the exact figure appears in the calculator below — with one soft credit pull that never affects your score.
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Apply to filed in a couple of days.
Energy plugging bonds run one quick soft-pull review. Here is the whole process — no broker phone tag:
Apply online
Your business details, the bond amount the DNR requires, and the effective date — plus a one-time consent to a soft credit pull.
Reviewed & approved
Most clear quickly; if underwriting needs anything, you hear from an underwriter within 48 hours. The credit check is a soft pull that never affects your score.
E-sign & file with the DNR
Pay online and receive the executed blanket bond, ready to file with the Office of Oil & Gas Resource Management. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the state insists.
What it is and who needs it.
What the drilling-hole bond actually covers
The Illinois Oil and Gas Act (225 ILCS 725) reaches beyond oil and gas wells: it also governs geological, structure, coal, and other mineral test holes and monitoring wells. The Department of Natural Resources requires a plugging bond so that every hole is sealed and can't become a pathway for contamination once work is finished.
Under the Act, the test-hole bond is $2,500 for each permit, or a $25,000 blanket bond for all permits. The blanket bond is what most operators carry — one filing covers your whole program instead of a separate bond for every hole.
In lieu of a surety bond, the Act lets you post cash, a certificate of deposit, or an irrevocable letter of credit — but a surety bond is usually the cheapest, since you pay a small premium rather than tying up the full amount. If you don't plug a hole, the DNR can recover against the bond, and if the surety pays, you repay the surety.
You need this bond if you are
One application, then a quick review.
These are the actual underwriting fields, including a one-time consent to a soft credit pull. Submit once and your blanket bond is typically issued within 1–2 business days.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Illinois bonds.
Drilling-hole bond, in a couple of days.
4% of the bond amount, $100 minimum, soft pull only. Enter the amount the DNR required and file this week.