82-10-401. Notice required before abandonment of well — owner’s option. A person may not plug and abandon an oil or gas well located within this state without first giving reasonable notice of the intention to do so to the surface owner of record of the land on which the well is located. Upon receipt of notice to plug and abandon, the surface owner may, by written notice given within 15 days after notice, direct that the well pipe for the well must be buried to a depth of not less than 3 feet. The board of oil and gas conservation shall adopt regulations to implement this section.

Terms Used In Montana Code 82-10-401

  • Gas: means all natural gases and all other fluid hydrocarbons, including methane gas or any other natural gas found in any coal formation, as produced at the wellhead and not defined as oil in subsection (3). See Montana Code 82-1-111
  • Oil: means crude petroleum oil and other hydrocarbons, regardless of gravity, that are produced at the wellhead in liquid form by ordinary production methods and that are not the result of condensation of gas before or after it leaves the reservoir. See Montana Code 82-1-111
  • Person: includes a corporation or other entity as well as a natural person. See Montana Code 1-1-201
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories. See Montana Code 1-1-201