Applicants must pay specified nonrefundable application fees for certain oil and gas waste and fluid injection permits, and collected fees go to the oil and gas regulation and cleanup fund.
Sec. 91.1013. APPLICATION FEES. (a) In this section: (1) "Commercial oil and gas waste separation facility" means a facility that manages but does not dispose of oil and gas waste on site and that is managed by an owner or operator whose primary business is to provide oil field fluid or oil and gas waste management services for compensation. (2) "Commercial surface oil and gas waste disposal facility" means a facility that disposes of oil and gas waste on site and that is managed by an owner or operator whose primary business is to provide oil field fluid or oil and gas waste disposal services for compensation. (3) "Fluid injection well" means any well used to inject fluid or gas into the ground in connection with the exploration or production of oil or gas other than an oil and gas waste disposal well regulated by the commission pursuant to Chapter 27, Water Code. (4) "Land application permit" means a permit authorizing the covering of a controlled area with gas plant effluent or low-chloride produced water through the use of a sprinkler or other irrigation system. (5) "Landfarm permit" means a permit authorizing the disposal of low-chloride, water-based oil and gas waste, including drilling fluid, by mixing or tilling the fluid or waste into the natural soil so that the waste will not migrate from the area covered by the landfarm permit. (6) "Landtreatment permit" means a permit authorizing the disposal of oil-based oil and gas waste, including oil-based drilling fluid, oil-impacted soil, or other oil and gas waste, by mixing or tilling the fluid, soil, or waste into the natural soil to degrade the fluid, impacted soil, or waste so that the fluid, impacted soil, or waste will not migrate from the area covered by the landtreatment permit. (a-1) With each application for a fluid injection well permit, the applicant shall submit to the commission a nonrefundable fee of $200. (b) An applicant for a permit to store, treat, or dispose of certain oil and gas waste shall submit to the commission a nonrefundable fee for that application as follows: (1) $500 for an application for a landfarm, landtreatment, or land application permit or permit amendment; (2) $2,000 for an application for a commercial oil and gas waste separation facility permit; (3) $1,000 for an application for an amendment to a commercial oil and gas waste separation facility permit; (4) $3,000 for an application for a commercial surface oil and gas waste disposal facility permit; and (5) $1,000 for an application for an amendment to a commercial surface oil and gas waste disposal facility permit. (c) Fees collected under this section shall be deposited in the oil and gas regulation and cleanup fund. Added by Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 239, Sec. 72, eff. Sept. 1, 1985. Amended by Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 603, Sec. 14, eff. Sept. 1, 1991; Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 1089, Sec. 3, eff. Sept. 1, 1999; Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 1233, Sec. 17, eff. Sept. 1, 2001. Amended by: Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., 1st C.S., Ch. 4 (S.B. 1), Sec. 19.15, eff. September 28, 2011. Acts 2025, 89th Leg., R.S., Ch. 194 (S.B. 2122), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2025.