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Permitting Support

Permitting Support

Permitting

Navigating the complexities of well permitting requires a deep understanding of federal, state, and local regulations. IPT Well Solutions brings decades of experience to the table, ensuring your project moves forward efficiently and in full compliance. Whether you’re developing disposal wells, injection wells, or industrial storage solutions, our permitting experts handle every aspect—from regulatory applications to agency negotiations—so you can stay focused on operations.

We provide permitting support for Class I, II, III, and V wells, tailoring our approach to your specific well type and regulatory environment.

Well Permitting Process

  • Application for Permit to Drill: A permit application containing the proposed well location, lease details, and geological targets.
  • Technical Reviews: Regulatory agencies perform reviews focusing on geologic assessment, water protection, and potential impacts on wildlife and habitat.
  • Well Construction Plans: Operators must submit detailed permit application plans for casing, cementing, completing, testing, and stimulation procedures to obtain a construction permit.
  • Environmental Review: Studies on impacts, including threatened or endangered species surveys, and compliance with NEPA for federal leases.
  • Site Plan and Surveys: Includes a well location plat, topographic map, and plans for access roads, pad construction, and drilling fluid management.
  • Water Management and Protection: Submitting a Water Management Plan detailing sources, transportation, storage, and disposal of water. This includes securing water allocation permits.
  • Spill Prevention and Waste Disposal: Plans for storing, transporting, and disposing of drill cuttings, residual waste, and hazardous materials, including secondary containment.
  • Bonding and Ownership: The operating company must prove financial responsibility through bonding to cover potential costs for plugging, abandoning, and reclaiming the well site, and ensure they are registered with the state.
  • Onsite Inspections: The Bureau of Land Management or state inspectors check the site with operators to ensure the plan fits the location, especially on federal lands.
  • Surface Owner Protection: Notification to surface owners and mitigation for disturbances to surface resources.
  • Permitting Agencies: The authority responsible for issuing permits is typically state-specific or in federal cases the Bureau of Land Management.

Types of Permits IPT Supports

IPT Well Solutions provides Class I, II, III, and V well permitting support. Class I wells are used for underground injection of industrial and hazardous waste. Class II wells are used for underground injection of oil and gas industry waste, enhanced oil recovery wells, and hydrocarbon storage. Class III wells are used for underground injection for solution mining. Class V wells are used for underground injection of non-hazardous fluids.

Class I Wells – Industrial and Hazardous Waste Disposal

Class I wells are used for the underground injection of industrial and municipal waste, including hazardous and non-hazardous fluids. Given the stringent environmental and regulatory requirements, obtaining a permit for a Class I well demands a comprehensive approach. IPT Well Solutions manages the full permitting process, from site characterization and geologic assessments to regulatory submission and compliance monitoring. Our expertise ensures that your well design meets Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state-specific regulations, mitigating risks and securing long-term operational approval.

Class II Wells – Oil and Gas Injection and Disposal

Class II wells are critical to the oil and gas industry, used for enhanced recovery, produced water disposal, and hydrocarbon storage. Regulatory oversight varies by state, making permitting a complex process. IPT Well Solutions streamlines the application process, ensuring compliance with Underground Injection Control (UIC) programs while optimizing well design for efficiency and longevity. Whether you need a permit for a waterflood project, a saltwater disposal well, or underground storage, we work closely with regulatory agencies to get your well approved and operational.

Class III Wells – Solution Mining and Brine Extraction

Permitting for Class III wells—used in solution mining for minerals such as salt, potash, and uranium—requires detailed hydrogeologic evaluations and environmental impact assessments. These wells are subject to rigorous oversight to prevent contamination of underground sources of drinking water (USDWs). IPT Well Solutions provides end-to-end permitting support, ensuring compliance with UIC regulations while optimizing your project’s economic and operational potential. From initial feasibility studies to securing final approvals, our team keeps your solution mining project on track.

Class V Wells – Industrial and Stormwater Injection

Class V wells encompass a broad range of injection activities, including stormwater drainage, industrial process water disposal, organic matter or biosolids, and geothermal reinjection. While many Class V wells operate under rule authorization, some require individual permits due to their potential impact on groundwater. IPT Well Solutions helps operators determine regulatory requirements, prepare permit applications, and implement best practices for compliance. Our team ensures that your Class V well meets all necessary environmental and operational standards, minimizing risk while maximizing efficiency.

Key Challenges in the Permitting Process

Challenges in the well permitting process include lengthy, complex reviews under NEPA, significant litigation risks, and high compliance costs. There is also regulatory uncertainty and overlapping, multi-agency jurisdictions that can create substantial bottlenecks, which slows approvals. These challenges are exacerbated by staffing shortages at agencies, local opposition, and the need to reconcile energy demand with environmental standards. Seeking well permits requires operators to go through multiple regulatory layers of federal, state, and local regulations.

Regulatory Framework

Federal Process

Governance: Governs well operations on federal lands, Native America lands, and the Outer Continental Shelf. Agencies that govern and issue well permitting are the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service, EPA, and NEPA.

Applications: An Application for Permit to Drill is the primary formal application request. Additional applications and reviews can include site plans and surveys, environmental impact studies, well construction plans, water management plans, spill prevention, and waste disposal.

Approval: Approval timelines vary significantly depending on well type, jurisdiction, environmental review requirements, and agency workload.

 

State Process

Governance: Governs well operations on state and privately owned lands. Various state agencies enforce regulations and issue permits.

Applications: Numerous application forms exist and vary by state. Many of these applications are similar to federal requirements but use different naming methodologies. An Application for Permit to Drill is the first form operators must use. Individual states use different names for this application. Additional state specific forms covering injection wells, environmental surveys, and zoning must be submitted as well.

Approval: Approval times vary widely from 1-3 years.

 

Local Process

Governance: Governs counties and municipalities. These local governments may impose additional regulations on well operations. Many local environmental groups are also involved in the process.

Applications: Various application forms are used.

Approval: Approval times vary widely from months to years.

Environmental and Regulatory Compliance Expertise

IPT also provides environmental consulting to help ensure all operations are environmentally compliant and efficient. We offer air quality and sustainability permitting and compliance guidance, greenhouse gas reporting, and stormwater permitting. We also provide environmental assessments, groundwater protection reporting, and overall compliance with EPA and UIC programs.

IPT’s End-to-End Permitting Approach

IPT’s end-to-end permitting approach is a comprehensive service designed to handle the entire regulatory lifecycle for Class I, II, III, and V wells. We integrate site characterization, application preparation, regulatory submissions, agency coordination, and provide compliance monitoring every step of the way. Our permitting approach takes the guesswork out of the complex and lengthy well permitting process.

Reducing Risk and Avoiding Delays

Expertise and proactive planning act as the foundation for successful well permitting. Knowing how to navigate the vast wilderness of well permitting takes patience, system knowledge, and consulting expertise.

IPT provides clients comprehensive permitting services ensuring seamless execution at every stage. Our expertise helps ensure your operations avoid unnecessary risks and project delays.

Industries and Applications Served

IPT serves clients in oil & gas, municipal and industrial wastewater services, carbon capture and storage projects, geothermal, and solution mining industries. We are an independent consulting firm of well engineering, reservoir engineering, wellsite operations, and environmental sustainability experts. We provide clients expertise covering industrial injection systems, field execution, project management, drilling, permitting, and more.

Why Choose IPT Well Solutions For Permitting

IPT has more than 30 years of experience helping clients achieve their goals. We have the experience, regulatory relationships, and depth of knowledge to exceed clients’ permitting needs. IPT provides comprehensive permitting services that remove client administrative burdens. We have a deep understanding of federal, state, and local regulations. This allows us to streamline the whole process from start to finish.


Permitting Without the Headaches

Regulatory hurdles shouldn’t delay your operations. IPT Well Solutions takes the complexity out of permitting, handling every detail with precision and efficiency. Whether your project involves a deep disposal well, an enhanced recovery operation, or an industrial injection system, we deliver the expertise and regulatory strategy to keep you moving forward. Contact us today to discuss your permitting needs.

To learn more about our comprehensive solutions, speak to one of our experts today.

SPEAK WITH AN EXPERT
Their mindset mirrored ours as an operator: Cost conscious, vendor intelligence, oversight, relevant and up to speed.
Adam Gollofon, Massif Oil
“They've made a huge difference for us. I work with people of significant capability that I know. I can count on IPT’s people, and working with them limits the amount of overhead expense when there isn't much work.”
Roger Parker, Petro Operating
“IPT has a group of folks that really know their stuff. From wellsite supervision to stimulation specialist, they’ve always had us covered. As an operator we sleep better at night with one of their stim specialists on location knowing they’ll keep the service provider on scope and can provide guidance when things get off track.”
Tanner Butler, White Rock
“IPT provides some of the best frac supervision available and with that supervision has come invaluable recommendations that have continued to optimize our frac designs.”
R. Holt, CPX Energy
“We use IPT on horizontal completions – dedicated people making sure the job goes as we designed it. They keep us on schedule and communicate if something looks off. IPT’s biggest value add is data collection and reporting. They take a lot of data and very quickly put it into a format that’s easy to digest. IPT does more for the same money as other consultants, which frees us up to focus our attention elsewhere.”
Andrew Blaine, Blackbeard Operating
“I’ve been using IPT since 1997. Having you guys on location takes the QC burden off of me. I can depend on IPT to oversee engineering, materials, and the frac company. What makes IPT different is consistency. Your engineers have individual personalities, but I can count on the same basic approach. You know what you're getting.”
Kevin Duncan, U.S. Energy Development Corporation
“IPT has been an integral part of our completions team throughout the history of our company, making sure the field execution meets our stimulation objectives, and providing engineering guidance for both completions and drilling. We have also relied on IPT for an increasing range of consulting services. Having trusted advisors like IPT is critical to the success of our projects.”
Pat Laursen, Forge Energy Operating
“What I’d tell another company that hasn’t used IPT is they have consistency among their employees, integrity, and a lot of frac knowledge. They keep a database, so they can quickly pull up how any of our wells were treated. I’ve been lucky they have always been available when I need them. IPT adds much more value than what the cost is.”
James Allbee, Cheyenne Petroleum
“What I really like about the IPT personnel is their ability to work with and in the complex completion software — while at the same time teaming up with the frac company on location to provide assistance to any specific area of need which assures successful stage executions. Put more simply, they can run FracPro or run hoses, and everything in between.”
Paul Fagin, Valence Operating Company Engineering