Rules & Regulations of the State of Tennessee
Title 0400 - Environment and Conservation
Subtitle 0400-52 - Drilling, Re-Entering, Plugging and Abandoning Exploratory and Exploitation Oil and Gas Wells (Transferred from 1040-02)
Chapter 0400-52-08 - Directional Drilling (Transferred from 1040-02-08)
Section 0400-52-08-.04 - HORIZONTAL DRILLING

Universal Citation: TN Comp Rules and Regs 0400-52-08-.04

Current through September 24, 2024

(1) Wells drilled by horizontal methods shall comply with the following spacing requirements:

(a) For all oil wells, and for gas wells drilled to the top of the Conasauga Group, the surface trace of that portion of the well bore or any portion of the horizontal drainhole that penetrates the producing formation, including the horizontal drainhole end point, shall not be located closer than 330 feet from any property or unit line.

(b) For gas wells drilled below the top of the Conasauga Group, the surface trace of that portion of the well bore or any portion of the horizontal drainhole that penetrates the producing formation, including the horizontal drainhole end point, shall not be located closer than 660 feet from any property or unit line.

(c) Any number of producing formations may be penetrated by lateral drainholes from a single vertical well bore.

(d) All of the producing portion of the well shall be in compliance with the spacing requirements of this paragraph. The horizontal portion of the well is the formation of record for production.

(2) For all horizontal wells, the operator shall at a minimum cement the production casing from the first packer up to 100 feet inside the intermediate casing. Alternatively, the operator may utilize an appropriate packer at the bottom of the intermediate casing instead of cement. Casing shall have an external collapse pressure rating to handle cement design from termination point to surface. If cement is used, the operator shall use cement with 500 psi compressive strength and have a minimum 8 hour wait, or until cement has adequately set. The operator shall present all cement and casing designs on a specifications sheet with Permit Application for approval. A copy of cement tickets shall be kept on location to be viewed by the inspector until the drill rig is removed. When unknown or over pressured conditions are encountered a 5000 psi rating on casing shall apply. The operator shall attach a copy of all cement tickets to the well history tickets and shall include all volumes and pressures of job from start to finish.

Authority: T.C.A §§ 60-1-201 et seq., and 4-5-201 et seq.

Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Tennessee may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.