{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/45.2-1641.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/45.2-1641.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/45.2-1641.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/45.2-1641.html"}],"law_id":81636,"edition_id":1,"section_id":81636,"structure_id":15425,"section_number":"45.2-1641","catch_line":" Developing a gas or oil well as a water well","history":"1982, c. 347, \u00a7 45.1-350; 1990, c. 92, \u00a7 45.1-361.39; 2021, Sp. Sess. I, c. 387.","full_text":"If any well drilled for gas or oil does not produce commercial or paying quantities of either resource, the well may be developed as a water well upon the request of the surface owner of the property on which the well is located. Any such development of a water well shall occur only after notice is given to the Director and his approval has been received. Such development of a water well shall be performed in accordance with applicable state and local requirements. Unless the gas or oil operator and surface owner otherwise agree, the surface owner shall pay the gas or oil operator a reasonable sum for all casing and tubing set and left in the well that would have otherwise been removed upon plugging of the well.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":292395,"text":"If any well drilled for gas or oil does not produce commercial or paying quantities of either resource, the well may be developed as a water well upon the request of the surface owner of the property on which the well is located. Any such development of a water well shall occur only after notice is given to the Director and his approval has been received. Such development of a water well shall be performed in accordance with applicable state and local requirements. Unless the gas or oil operator and surface owner otherwise agree, the surface owner shall pay the gas or oil operator a reasonable sum for all casing and tubing set and left in the well that would have otherwise been removed upon plugging of the well.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":15425,"edition_id":1,"name":"Regulation of Gas and Oil Development and Production","identifier":"3","label":"article","depth":4,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13430,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:54:49","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:54:49","permalink":{"id":224797,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":15425,"identifier":"3","token":"45.2\/IV\/16\/3","url":"\/45.2\/IV\/16\/3\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13430,"edition_id":1,"name":"Virginia Gas and Oil Act","identifier":"16","label":"chapter","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13429,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:53","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:53","permalink":{"id":224675,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13430,"identifier":"16","token":"45.2\/IV\/16","url":"\/45.2\/IV\/16\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13429,"edition_id":1,"name":"Gas and Oil","identifier":"IV","label":"subtitle","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12713,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:53","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:53","permalink":{"id":224673,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13429,"identifier":"IV","token":"45.2\/IV","url":"\/45.2\/IV\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12713,"edition_id":1,"name":"Mines, Minerals, and Energy","identifier":"45.2","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:49","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:49","permalink":{"id":222539,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12713,"identifier":"45.2","token":"45.2","url":"\/45.2\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":58734,"structure_id":15425,"section_number":"45.2-1629","catch_line":" Duties, responsibilities, and authority of the Director","url":"\/45.2-1629\/","token":"45.2\/IV\/16\/3\/45.2-1629","metadata":false},{"id":67412,"structure_id":15425,"section_number":"45.2-1630","catch_line":" Powers, duties, and responsibilities of the Inspector","url":"\/45.2-1630\/","token":"45.2\/IV\/16\/3\/45.2-1630","metadata":false},{"id":69690,"structure_id":15425,"section_number":"45.2-1631","catch_line":" Permit required; gas, oil, or geophysical operations; coalbed methane gas wells; environmental assessment","url":"\/45.2-1631\/","token":"45.2\/IV\/16\/3\/45.2-1631","metadata":false},{"id":65415,"structure_id":15425,"section_number":"45.2-1632","catch_line":" Notice of permit applications and permit modification applications required; content","url":"\/45.2-1632\/","token":"45.2\/IV\/16\/3\/45.2-1632","metadata":false},{"id":71051,"structure_id":15425,"section_number":"45.2-1633","catch_line":" Bonding and financial security required","url":"\/45.2-1633\/","token":"45.2\/IV\/16\/3\/45.2-1633","metadata":false},{"id":71561,"structure_id":15425,"section_number":"45.2-1634","catch_line":" Gas and Oil Plugging and Restoration Fund","url":"\/45.2-1634\/","token":"45.2\/IV\/16\/3\/45.2-1634","metadata":false},{"id":86870,"structure_id":15425,"section_number":"45.2-1635","catch_line":" Expiration of permits","url":"\/45.2-1635\/","token":"45.2\/IV\/16\/3\/45.2-1635","metadata":false},{"id":77799,"structure_id":15425,"section_number":"45.2-1636","catch_line":" Abandonment or cessation of well or corehole operation; plugging required","url":"\/45.2-1636\/","token":"45.2\/IV\/16\/3\/45.2-1636","metadata":false},{"id":76183,"structure_id":15425,"section_number":"45.2-1637","catch_line":" Objections to permits; hearing","url":"\/45.2-1637\/","token":"45.2\/IV\/16\/3\/45.2-1637","metadata":false},{"id":83420,"structure_id":15425,"section_number":"45.2-1638","catch_line":" Appeals of Director's decisions to the Board","url":"\/45.2-1638\/","token":"45.2\/IV\/16\/3\/45.2-1638","metadata":false},{"id":84931,"structure_id":15425,"section_number":"45.2-1639","catch_line":" Persons required to register; designated agents","url":"\/45.2-1639\/","token":"45.2\/IV\/16\/3\/45.2-1639","metadata":false},{"id":59598,"structure_id":15425,"section_number":"45.2-1640","catch_line":" Report of permitted activities and production required; contents","url":"\/45.2-1640\/","token":"45.2\/IV\/16\/3\/45.2-1640","metadata":false},{"id":81636,"structure_id":15425,"section_number":"45.2-1641","catch_line":" Developing a gas or oil well as a water well","url":"\/45.2-1641\/","token":"45.2\/IV\/16\/3\/45.2-1641","metadata":false},{"id":60443,"structure_id":15425,"section_number":"45.2-1642","catch_line":" Orphaned Well Fund; orphaned wells","url":"\/45.2-1642\/","token":"45.2\/IV\/16\/3\/45.2-1642","metadata":false},{"id":78314,"structure_id":15425,"section_number":"45.2-1643","catch_line":" Interference by injection wells with groundwater supply","url":"\/45.2-1643\/","token":"45.2\/IV\/16\/3\/45.2-1643","metadata":false},{"id":75577,"structure_id":15425,"section_number":"45.2-1644","catch_line":" Safety in coalbed methane gas, oil, and geophysical operations","url":"\/45.2-1644\/","token":"45.2\/IV\/16\/3\/45.2-1644","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":59598,"structure_id":15425,"section_number":"45.2-1640","catch_line":" Report of permitted activities and production required; contents","url":"\/45.2-1640\/","token":"45.2\/IV\/16\/3\/45.2-1640","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":60443,"structure_id":15425,"section_number":"45.2-1642","catch_line":" Orphaned Well Fund; orphaned wells","url":"\/45.2-1642\/","token":"45.2\/IV\/16\/3\/45.2-1642","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/45.2-1641\/","history_text":"<p>This law was first created in 1982. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 347 of that year\u2019s edition of \u201cActs of Assembly,\u201d the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year. Unfortunately, the 1982 \u201cActs\u201d aren\u2019t available online. It has been modified 1 time. Those modifications are cataloged by \u201cThe Acts of Assembly,\u201d a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly\u2019s website will be linked accordingly. That modification is as follows: in 1990, chapter 92.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":224847,"object_type":"law","relational_id":81636,"identifier":"45.2-1641","token":"45.2\/IV\/16\/3\/45.2-1641","url":"\/45.2-1641\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/45.2-1641\/","token":"45.2\/IV\/16\/3\/45.2-1641","dublin_core":{"Title":" Developing a gas or oil well as a water well","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 45.2-1641","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section><p>If any well drilled for gas or oil does not produce commercial or paying quantities of either resource, the well may be developed as a <span class=\"dictionary\">water well<\/span> upon the request of the <span class=\"dictionary\">surface owner<\/span> of the property on which the well is located. Any such development of a <span class=\"dictionary\">water well<\/span> shall occur only after notice is given to the <span class=\"dictionary\">Director<\/span> and his approval has been received. Such development of a <span class=\"dictionary\">water well<\/span> shall be performed in accordance with applicable state and local requirements. Unless the <span class=\"dictionary\">gas or oil operator<\/span> and <span class=\"dictionary\">surface owner<\/span> otherwise agree, the <span class=\"dictionary\">surface owner<\/span> shall pay the <span class=\"dictionary\">gas or oil operator<\/span> a reasonable sum for all casing and tubing set and left in the well that would have otherwise been removed upon plugging of the well.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":"                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\n DEVELOPING A GAS OR OIL WELL AS A WATER WELL (\u00a7 45.2-1641)\n\nIf any well drilled for gas or oil does not produce commercial or paying\nquantities of either resource, the well may be developed as a water well upon\nthe request of the surface owner of the property on which the well is located.\nAny such development of a water well shall occur only after notice is given to\nthe Director and his approval has been received. Such development of a water\nwell shall be performed in accordance with applicable state and local\nrequirements. Unless the gas or oil operator and surface owner otherwise agree,\nthe surface owner shall pay the gas or oil operator a reasonable sum for all\ncasing and tubing set and left in the well that would have otherwise been\nremoved upon plugging of the well.\n\nHISTORY: 1982, c. 347, \u00a7 45.1-350; 1990, c. 92, \u00a7 45.1-361.39; 2021, Sp. Sess.\nI, c. 387.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}