News

Marking a Plugged Well On Your Property

By Paul R. Yagelski, Esquire

What You, the Landowner, Should Know about Marking a Plugged Well

If there is an abandoned well on your property, which is going to be plugged, one of the things that you should know is that the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection regulations require that the location of the plugged well be marked.  This can be done in one of two ways.  A marker can be placed above ground or it can be placed below ground.  If the marker is above ground, the marker must extend at least four feet above the ground surface and enough below the surface to make the marker permanent.  If the marker is below ground, the marker must be buried below plow depth with enough material to be detected at the surface by conventional metal detectors.

You may not want to have a marker sticking out of the ground four feet above the surface of your property.  This can be unsightly.  If so, there is an alternative, and that is to place the marker below the ground surface with enough material to be detected at the surface by conventional metal detectors.  See 25 Pa. §§ 78.96 and 78a.96.

Accordingly, if an oil or gas well is going to be plugged on your property, inquiry should be made as to how the plugged well is going to be marked.  If you do not want a marker sticking out of the ground on your property, you may be able to prevent this by addressing the issue before the marker is placed on your property.

If you have questions about a well on your property, contact us online or call (412) 338-1124.