IL well transfer bonds.
Flat 3%. Enter your amount.
When wells change hands in Illinois, the new operator must put a plugging bond in place before the Department of Natural Resources approves the transfer — so the wells stay covered the moment responsibility shifts. A blanket bond covers all the transferred wells at once. Flat 3%, one soft credit pull.
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Apply to filed in a couple of days.
A change of operator can't close until the new bond is on file. Here is the whole process:
Apply online
Your operator 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 transfer
Pay online and receive the executed blanket bond, ready to file with your change-of-operator paperwork at the Office of Oil & Gas Resource Management. Wet-ink originals mailed on request.
The whole pricing page.
Bond amount × 3% = your premium, one-time, $275 minimum. Enter the figure the DNR requires for the transfer and the premium updates.
What it is and who needs it.
What the transfer bond actually covers
Under the Illinois Oil and Gas Act (225 ILCS 725), a well's plugging obligation follows the well. When an operator sells or transfers wells to a new operator, the Department of Natural Resources requires the incoming operator to post a plugging bond before approving the change of operator — so the wells are never left uncovered.
The transfer bond works like the standard well bond: the incoming operator files up to $5,000 per well, or a blanket bond not exceeding $100,000 for all the wells being taken over. The blanket bond is what most acquirers post — one filing for the whole package of wells.
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. Once the transfer is approved and your bond is on file, the prior operator's bond can be released. If you don't plug a transferred well, the DNR can recover against your bond, and if the surety pays, you repay the surety.
You need this bond if you are
Five minutes, 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.
If yours isn't here, the bond team can usually answer within the hour.
Who posts the transfer bond — the buyer or the seller? +
How much is it? +
Is there a credit check? +
Can I post cash or a letter of credit instead? +
When does the transfer take effect? +
Other New York bonds.
Well transfer bond, in a couple of days.
Five-minute application, flat 3%, $275 minimum, soft pull only. Enter the amount the DNR required and close the transfer.