North Dakota single well bonds, 2,000 ft or less.
From $125.
For a North Dakota oil or gas well 2,000 feet or less in depth, the single-well plugging bond starts at the standard $50,000 figure — but the director may approve a lesser amount for a shallow well. Enter the amount your permit names and your exact price appears at the application — priced at 5% of the bond amount plus a $25 fee, $125 minimum.
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How much does a North Dakota single well bond cost?
5% of the bond amount plus a $25 fee, from $125. Enter your amount in the calculator for the exact price.
Three steps. One sitting.
Your drilling permit is waiting on this bond. Here is the whole process — no broker phone tag:
Apply online
Business details, the bond amount your permit requires, and the effective date — plus a one-time consent to a soft credit pull. That is the application.
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.
File with the Industrial Commission
Pay online and receive the executed single-well bond, ready to file with the Department of Mineral Resources for your well. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the state insists.
What it is and who needs it.
What the shallow single-well bond actually guarantees
North Dakota requires a drilling and plugging bond before construction of any well, so the state is never left paying to plug and reclaim an abandoned one. The bond endures up to and including approved plugging of the well and dry holes, plus practical reclamation of the well site.
The standard single-well amount is $50,000, but the rule gives the director discretion to approve a lesser amount for a well 2,000 feet or less in depth — shallower wells generally cost less to plug, so a smaller bond can be appropriate. The figure on your permit controls; we issue exactly that amount.
The bond is conditioned on full compliance with N.D.C.C. ch. 38-08 and the Industrial Commission's rules and orders, and the Commission can still require more based on expected plugging cost. If the surety pays to plug your well, the operator repays the surety. If you run several wells, a $100,000 blanket bond is usually the cheaper path.
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
File with the Industrial Commission. Pay online and receive the executed single-well bond, ready to file with the Department of Mineral Resources for your well. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the state insists.
What sets the price
The premium is 5% of the bond amount plus a $25 fee, $125 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 check. Submit once and your bond is issued when you pay.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other North Dakota bonds.
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
Shallow single-well bond, ready to file.
Pricing from $125. Enter the amount the director approved and file the same day.
