# COMAR Title 26 — Department of the Environment

## Subtitle 19 — Oil and Gas Resources

### Chapter 01 — Oil and Gas Exploration and Production

#### Regulation .11 Oil and Gas Correlative Rights.

*COMAR 26.19.01.11*

A. Unless the drilling and operating permit provides for controlled directional drilling or estimated natural deviation, a well may not vary more than 3 degrees from the vertical.

B. If a permittee needs to deviate more than 3 degrees from the vertical, the permittee shall notify the Department. Deviations larger than 3 degrees from vertical may be permitted by the Department in order to straighten the hole, sidetrack impenetrables, or to correct other mechanical difficulties, if correlative rights are not in dispute.

C. The Department may require the deviation to be less than 3 degrees to protect correlative rights.

D. The Department shall have the right to require the permittee to run a complete angular deviation and directional survey by a company knowledgeable about downhole surveys in directionally drilled wells at the permittee's sole cost and risk.

E. If an angular deviation and directional survey verifies violations of the approved well location or spacing requirements, the Department may require the well to be redrilled or plugged and abandoned.