Illinois individual oil/gas well bonds.
From $100.
Before you drill or operate a well, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources requires a plugging and restoration bond under the Oil and Gas Act (225 ILCS 725/6) — $10,000 for a single well, or a blanket bond from $25,000 (up to 10 wells) to $100,000 (up to 100). Pricing is 5% of the bond amount, $100 minimum, confirmed via a soft credit check.
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How much does an Illinois individual oil/gas well bond cost?
5% of the bond amount, from $100. Enter your amount in the calculator for the exact price.
Three steps to a permit-ready bond.
Your DNR permit is waiting on this bond. Here is the entire process — no broker phone tag:
Apply once, online
Your operator details, the bond amount ($10,000 for one well, $25,000–$100,000 for a blanket bond), and the effective date. The only extra step is a one-time consent to a soft credit pull.
Approved
Most are approved as soon as you apply. The credit check is a soft pull only — never a hard inquiry, no impact on 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 bond, ready to file with the Office of Oil and Gas Resource Management before your permit issues. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the state insists.
What it is and who needs it.
What the well bond actually covers
Illinois regulates oil and gas wells through the Department of Natural Resources' Office of Oil and Gas Resource Management under the Illinois Oil and Gas Act (225 ILCS 725). Before the Department issues a permit to drill, deepen, convert, or operate a well, the operator must post a bond securing the eventual plugging of the well and restoration of the site.
Section 6(2.5) of the Act (P.A. 104-150, effective January 1, 2026) sets the amount at $10,000 for one well, or a blanket bond of $25,000 for up to 10 wells, $50,000 for up to 50 and $100,000 for up to 100 that covers all of an operator's permits. The bond stands behind your obligation to properly plug and abandon the well — if you don't, the state can recover against it to do the work.
It is a guarantee, not insurance for you — if the surety pays the state, you repay the surety. The bond stays in effect until the Department releases it, after plugging and restoration are verified complete. We issue the per-well or blanket amount at 5% of the bond amount, $100 minimum, confirmed via a soft credit check that never affects your score.
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 bond, ready to file with the Office of Oil and Gas Resource Management before your permit issues. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the state insists.
What sets the price
The premium is 5% 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, issued instantly.
These are the actual underwriting fields, including a one-time consent to a soft credit pull. Submit once and your 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 .
The DNR is waiting on one document.
From $100, short application, bond issued when you pay. Free until issued.