IL oil/gas well transfer bonds.
From $100.
When a well permit is transferred to a new operator in Illinois, the new operator must file their own bond with the Department of Natural Resources before the transfer is approved — $2,500 per permit, or a $25,000 blanket bond, under the Oil and Gas Act (225 ILCS 725/6). Pricing is 5% of the bond amount, $100 minimum, confirmed via a soft credit check.
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Three steps to an approved transfer.
The DNR will not approve the well transfer until your bond is on file. Here is the entire process:
Apply once, online
Your operator details, the bond amount ($2,500 individual or $25,000 blanket), and the effective date. The only extra step is a one-time consent to a soft credit pull.
Reviewed & approved
Most of these clear quickly; if underwriting needs anything, you hear from an underwriter within 48 hours. The credit check is a soft pull only — never a hard inquiry, no impact on your score.
E-sign & file with the DNR
Pay online and receive the executed bond, ready to file with the Office of Oil and Gas Resource Management so the permit transfer can be approved. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the state insists.
What it is and who needs it.
What the transfer bond actually covers
When an oil or gas well changes hands in Illinois, the new operator becomes responsible for eventually plugging the well and restoring the site. The Department of Natural Resources will not approve the permit transfer until the incoming operator files their own bond under the Illinois Oil and Gas Act (225 ILCS 725/6) — the outgoing operator's bond does not carry over.
The amount is the same as a new permit: $2,500 for each individual permit, or a $25,000 blanket bond covering all of the new operator's permits. The bond secures plugging and restoration once the well reaches the end of its life under your operation.
It is a guarantee, not insurance for you — if the surety pays the state, you repay the surety. The bond stays in effect until the Department releases it, after plugging and restoration are verified. We issue the per-well or blanket amount at 5% of the bond amount, $100 minimum, confirmed via a soft credit check that never affects your score.
You need this bond if you are
One application, issued instantly.
These are the actual underwriting fields, including a one-time consent to a soft credit pull. Submit once and your bond is typically issued within 1–2 business days.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Illinois bonds.
Get the transfer approved.
From $100, short application, e-signed bond in 1–2 business days. Free until issued.