Virginia single-well operator bonds.
From $225.
Before the Division of Gas and Oil issues a permit for a single gas or oil well, Virginia requires a bond under Code of Virginia § 45.2-1633 guaranteeing the well is properly plugged and the site reclaimed. Premiums start from $225 at the $10,000 statutory minimum — your exact price is 2% of the bond amount plus a $25 fee, shown at the application.
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How much does a Virginia single-well operator bond cost?
2% of the bond amount plus a $25 fee, from $225 at the $10,000 minimum. Enter your amount in the calculator for the exact price.
Apply to permitted in short order.
Your single-well permit is waiting on this bond. Here is the whole process — no broker phone tag:
Apply online
Your business details, the bond amount your permit requires, and the effective date — that is the application. A quick soft credit check may apply and never affects your score.
Approved
Most are approved as soon as you apply. Any credit check is a soft pull that never affects your score. If it needs a second look, one to two business days at most.
File with the Division of Gas and Oil
Receive the executed bond ready to file with your permit application under § 45.2-1633. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the Division insists.
What it is and who needs it.
What the single-well bond actually guarantees
Virginia regulates gas and oil operations through the Department of Energy’s Division of Gas and Oil under the Virginia Gas and Oil Act. Before a permit issues, Code of Virginia § 45.2-1633 conditions it on a bond guaranteeing that the operator will properly plug the well and reclaim the disturbed surface if it walks away.
For a single well, the statute sets the bond at not less than $10,000 per well, plus $2,000 for each acre of disturbed land, measured to the nearest tenth of an acre. The Division may require additional security for wells proposed in Tidewater Virginia. The form on your application asks for the dollar amount of the stabilized project area, which is how that acreage figure is calculated.
It is not insurance for you. If the Division has to plug the well or reclaim the site and recovers against the bond, you repay the surety. Operators who plug and reclaim on schedule treat the bond as a permit formality.
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 Division of Gas and Oil. Receive the executed bond ready to file with your permit application under § 45.2-1633. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the Division insists.
What sets the price
The premium is 2% 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 quick soft credit check that never affects your score. Submit once and your bond is issued when you pay.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Virginia bonds.
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
The Division is waiting on one document.
Premiums from $225, soft pull only. Enter the amount your permit requires and file in short order.