Illinois drilling-hole plugging bonds.
From $100.
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.
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How much does an Illinois drilling-hole plugging bond cost?
4% of the bond amount, from $100. Enter your amount in the calculator for the exact price.
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.
Approved
Most are approved as soon as you apply. One soft credit pull, never a hard inquiry, and it never affects your score. If it needs a second look, one to two business days at most.
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
Claims, renewal, filing, and what sets the price.
If a claim is made
A claim comes from the party the bond protects, the obligee named on the form, when the duty the bond guarantees is not met.
The surety investigates and pays a valid claim, up to the bond amount. You then repay the surety: a surety bond is a guarantee of your performance, not insurance for you.
Renewal and term
The premium covers a one-year term from the effective date you choose.
Renew before the expiry date to keep the bond in force: the license, permit or contract it backs expects continuous coverage.
How to file it
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 sets the price
The premium is 4% of the bond amount, $100 minimum: the amount the obligee sets moves the price, not your business profile.
One soft credit pull, never a hard inquiry, and it never affects your score.
Where a check runs, it decides approval; the rate is the same for everyone approved.
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 issued when you pay.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Illinois bonds.
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
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.