(a) 
Excavation in street or alley.
No permittee shall make any excavations for any purpose or construct any lines for conveyance of fuel, water, or minerals on, under, or through the streets or alleys of the city without express permission of the city council in writing, and then only in strict compliance with this code and any other applicable ordinance of the city.
(b) 
Maximum gauge pressure.
The gathering lines and pipelines hereafter installed within the corporate limits of the city for the purpose of transporting oil, gas, or water in conjunction with the operation of any well, tank or tank battery, or injection or gathering system, are hereby limited to a maximum operating gauge pressure of 250 psi unless otherwise specifically approved in writing by the oil and gas inspector.
(c) 
Testing.
The pipelines shall be tested prior to being placed in service.
(d) 
Plot plan.
The companies responsible for any and all pipelines now existent or hereafter installed within the corporate limits are hereby required to furnish the city an “as built” plot plan showing the location of all their facilities for permanent record with the city.
(e) 
Minimum cover.
All pipelines within the corporate limits, other than utility lines of the city and the franchise distribution system of West Texas Gas, Inc., designed or utilized to transport oil, gas, or water in connection with the production and transportation of oil or gas or for repressurizing operations, shall hereafter be installed with the minimum of cover or backfill specified by the then applicable ANSI code for such pipelines. The oil and gas inspector is authorized to approve a lesser cover or specify a greater cover or backfill in special cases where, in the opinion of the oil and gas inspector, the variation is advisable or will not increase the degree of hazard.
(f) 
Street damage.
The digging up, breaking, excavating, tunneling, undermining, breaking up, or damaging of any street as herein defined, or leaving upon any street any earth or other material or obstruction, shall not be permitted unless the persons shall first have obtained written permission from the city council or from such official as the city council may designate.
(g) 
Exceptions.
(1) 
Work done in new developments of the city by utility and street contractors under and in conformity with the city’s subdivision policy is exempt from the provisions of this article.
(2) 
Work done by the city or under city contract and under directions of the city is exempt from the provisions of this article.
(3) 
Work done by public utility companies who operate under a current franchise for the city are exempt from the bond and insurance provisions of this article, when the work is in connection with the distribution of the product of the utility.
(4) 
Work done by plumbers who are qualified and bonded with a valid license from the state is exempt from the bond and insurance provisions of this article but must comply with all other provisions hereof.
(h) 
Construction within public right-of-way.
No permit for construction within public rights-of-way shall be issued unless the written application be accompanied with plans and descriptions and unless the plans and descriptions are approved by the director of public works.
(i) 
Fees.
The cost and fee to be paid to the city for the installation and construction of oil and gas facilities, including gathering lines and other pipelines, within and upon public rights-of-way and public lands of the city shall be mutually agreed upon by and between the permittee and the city council acting by and through the city manager as a condition precedent to the issuance of any permit hereunder.
(1967 Code, sec. 21-10; Ordinance 252 adopted –/–/–; Ordinance 88-510 adopted 10/11/88; 1994 Code, sec. 118.55)
No well shall be drilled and no permit shall be issued for any well to be drilled at any location which is within any of the streets or alleys of the city or streets or alleys shown by the master plan of the city, and no street or alley shall be blocked or encumbered or closed in any drilling, production, or pipeline operation except by written permission of the oil and gas inspector and the city council or from such official as the city council may designate and then only temporarily.
(1967 Code, sec. 21-11; Ordinance 252 adopted –/–/–; Ordinance 88-510 adopted 10/11/88; 1994 Code, sec. 118.56)
(a) 
No well shall be drilled and no permit shall be issued for any well to be drilled at any location or storage tank to be located which is nearer than 200 feet to any residence or commercial building or fresh water well without the applicant having first secured the written permission of the city council. In exceptional cases for reasons of safety, the city council may require that any such facility shall be located at a greater distance than 200 feet to any such structure or well.
(b) 
No high pressure gas injection well or a compressor used in conjunction with the gas injection well shall be located nearer than 200 feet to any residential, commercial, or industrial structure or fresh water well, except by permission of the city council. In exceptional cases for reasons of safety, the city council may require that any such facility shall be located at a greater distance than 200 feet to any such structure or well.
(c) 
No residential, commercial, or industrial structure other than structures necessary to operate the pipeline shall be erected or moved to a location nearer than 30 feet to any pipeline transporting gas when the pipeline operating pressure is greater than 250 psi unless a greater or lesser distance is recommended by the then-applicable ANSI code.
(d) 
The city council shall have authority, upon proper application, to grant the permission provided for by this section.
(1967 Code, sec. 21-12; Ordinance 252 adopted –/–/–; Ordinance 88-510 adopted 10/11/88; 1994 Code, sec. 118.57)
It shall be unlawful for any person to use or operate in connection with the drilling or reworking of any well within the corporate limits of the city any wooden derrick or any steam-powered rig, and all engines shall be equipped with adequate mufflers approved by the inspector. The drilling rig or derrick shall be removed from the premises within 30 days from the date of completion of the well, and thereafter, when necessary, such completed well shall be served by portable rigs, which shall be removed from the premises within 15 days from the completion of the servicing operation. At all times from the start of erection of a derrick or a mast, or a ginpole, until the well is abandoned and plugged or completed as a producer and enclosed as herein provided, the permittee shall keep a watchman on duty on the premises at all times when other workmen of the permittee are not on the premises.
(1967 Code, sec. 21-13; Ordinance 252 adopted –/–/–; Ordinance 88-510 adopted 10/11/88; 1994 Code, sec. 118.58)
(a) 
All slush and working pits used in connection with all drilling and reworking operations shall be constructed of steel.
(b) 
Earthen reserve pits shall be allowed, provided that they are lined to prevent any seepage and that they are properly secured by a minimum six-foot chain-link fence with triple stands of barbed wire along the top. The gate shall be kept locked at all times when the permittee is not within the enclosure.
(c) 
Such pits and contents shall be removed from the premises and drilling sites within 30 days after completion of the well, and all waste substances such as drilling muds, oil, brine, or acids produced or used in connection with drilling operations or oil production shall be retained in watertight receptors from which they may be disposed of outside of the corporate limits.
(d) 
The permittee in connection with production operations shall use watertight steel receptors for the disposal of all salt water and other impurities that he or she may bring to the surface and shall remove same from the site so as not to contaminate the potable water supply.
(e) 
The permittee may, by the drilling of a disposal well, dispose of any salt water and other impurities; provided, however, that the disposal wells shall be a well within the meaning of this article and shall be subject to this article.
(1967 Code, sec. 21-14; Ordinance 252 adopted –/–/–; Ordinance 88-510 adopted 10/11/88; 1994 Code, sec. 118.59)
(a) 
All drilling and operations at any well performed by a permittee under this article shall be conducted in accordance with the practices of a reasonable and prudent operation in the Permian Basin areas and not less than the API prescribed practices and standards. All casing, valves, and blowout preventers, drilling fluid, tubing, bradenheads, Christmas trees, and wellhead connections shall be of a type and quality consistent with such practice. Blowout preventers shall be required on all drilling activities and during reworking of wells that require pulling the tubing. Setting and cementing casing and running drill stem tests shall be performed in a manner and at a time consistent with the practices of a reasonable and prudent operation. Pollution control stuffing boxes shall be required on all completed wells. Each permittee under this section shall observe and follow the regulations of the railroad commission.
(b) 
All operations relative to the design, installation, maintenance, and operation of pipelines shall conform to the requirements of this article and the applicable ANSI codes and the standards of performance of the reasonable and prudent operators of the trades involved.
(c) 
All pipelines hereafter constructed shall be tested prior to being placed in operation, and the standard for testing will be the ANSI standard test. Valves shall be installed on all pipelines at such locations and spacing to safely and adequately control the operation of the line and to minimize the quantity of gas and oil or water that would be released from the line in case of line failure or rupture. The types and locations of all valves shall be indicated on a plan layout and approved by the oil and gas inspector.
(d) 
Internal combustion engines or electrical equipment may be used in the drilling or pumping operations of the well, and if internal combustion engines are used, mufflers shall be installed on the mud pumps and on the engines so as to reduce noise to a minimum, all of the installations to be done in a manner satisfactory to the oil and gas inspector and all electrical installations to be done in a manner satisfactorily conforming with the applicable electrical code. Drilling operations must be conducted in such a manner that percolating or ground water will not be adversely affected, including the prevention of vertical movement of percolating water.
(e) 
Pipeline location markers shall be approved, as to type of [and] location, by the oil and gas inspector, and the removal of any pipeline marker without the express permission of the oil and gas inspector shall constitute a violation of the provisions of this article.
(f) 
Pipelines crossing certain thoroughfares, designated by the oil and gas inspector, shall be cased and vented in accordance with accepted practice of the pipeline industry.
(g) 
Except in case of emergency, no materials, equipment, tools, or pipe used for production operations shall be delivered to or removed from the site except between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. on any day.
(h) 
Adequate firefighting apparatus and supplies as approved by the fire department shall be maintained on the drilling site at all times during drilling and production operations. No refining process or any process for the extraction of products from natural gas shall be carried on at the drilling site, except that separators may be maintained on the drilling site for the separation of liquids from natural gas. Any such separator shall serve only one well.
(i) 
All production equipment used shall be so constructed and operated so that no noise, vibration, dust, odor, or other harmful or annoying substances or effect which can be eliminated or diminished by the operations [are] carried on at any drilling site or from anything incident thereto, to the injury or annoyance of persons living in the vicinity; nor shall the site or structures thereon be permitted to become dilapidated, unsightly, or unsafe. All pumping wells shall be completed, maintained, and operated utilizing a pollution control type stuffing box. Proven technological improvements in methods of production shall be adopted as they, from time to time, become available if capable of reducing factors of nuisance or annoyance. There shall be no venting of gas into the open air. In the event of pumping units, no internal combustion engines are to be used except when approved by the inspector.
(j) 
All injection wells shall be equipped with an adequate packer or packers which shall be installed at a level above the formation into which water is being injected and in such a manner as to protect the existing fresh water supply.
(k) 
Any permittee operating an injection well shall conduct a 24-hour test for the purpose of determining the pressure differential between the surface pipe and the injection string of the well during each calendar month and shall submit a report of the test to the city within ten days thereafter.
(l) 
The well site shall not be used for the storage of pipe, equipment, or materials except during the drilling or servicing of the well or pipelines from the well or the production facilities allowed on the site.
(m) 
No drilling, redrilling, work, or construction shall be done beyond the point indicated in each successive inspection without first obtaining the written approval of the inspector and without giving notice within 12 hours prior to any work hereinafter described is commenced, such notice to be given to the oil and gas inspector:
(1) 
Site preparation.
The permittee shall not commence drilling until the well location has been cleared and marked by a stake and inspected by the inspector and approved.
(2) 
Commencement of drilling.
(A) 
The inspector shall be notified when the drilling derrick or mast has been erected and all necessary equipment to the drilling operation has been installed.
(B) 
Drilling may proceed prior to the inspection of the derrick or mast, provided that its design has been previously approved by the inspector in writing.
(3) 
Completion of drilling.
Upon completion of drilling operations, an inspection request shall be called for and obtained prior to the release of the equipment.
(4) 
Abandonment.
(A) 
No well shall be plugged without an inspection being made and the presence of the inspector of any operations conducted in connection with the plugging or abandonment of any well and his or her written approval shall be obtained evidencing satisfactory abandonment pursuant to this article.
(B) 
Any operations conducted in connection with the plugging or abandonment of any well shall be in compliance with all applicable rules promulgated by the railroad commission.
(5) 
Running and cementing pipe.
No pipe shall be run nor cemented without the permission of the inspector and his or her written approval to the operation shall be obtained upon completion.
(1967 Code, sec. 21-15; Ordinance 252 adopted –/–/–; Ordinance 88-510 adopted 10/11/88; 1994 Code, sec. 118.60)
(a) 
It shall be unlawful for any person to use, construct, or operate in connection with any producing well within the city limits, any crude oil storage tanks, except to the extent of two low type tanks for all storage not exceeding 500 barrels capacity for each well connected thereto and so constructed and maintained as to be vapor tight and properly vented.
(b) 
A permittee may use, construct, and operate a steel conventional separator and such other approved tanks and appurtenances as are necessary for treating oil with each of the facilities, to be so constructed and maintained as to be vapor tight. Each oil or gas separator shall be equipped with both a regulation pressure relief safety valve and a bursting head. The tanks may be placed either underground or above ground, and if above ground shall be placed upon a suitable earth or concrete pad.
(c) 
The use of a central tank battery is permitted so long as not more than two tanks as specified are used for each well connected to the battery.
(d) 
The tanks shall be enclosed within a conventional type firewall constructed of compacted earth. Sufficient water shall be used during the firewall construction to assure adequate compaction. The firewall enclosing the tanks shall be of adequate size to contain twice the capacity of the tanks. The top or crown of the firewall shall have a normal height of three feet above normal ground elevation. The location of the tank site shall be approved by the oil and gas inspector.
(1967 Code, sec. 21-16; Ordinance 252 adopted –/–/–; Ordinance 88-510 adopted 10/11/88; 1994 Code, sec. 118.61)
(a) 
Any person who completes any well as a producer shall have the obligation to enclose the well, together with its surface facilities, by a substantial concrete block fence six feet high and properly built so as to ordinarily keep persons and animals out of the enclosure, with all gates thereto to be kept locked when the permittee or his or her employees are not within the enclosure; provided, however, that the city council, in its discretion, may waive the requirement of any fence or may designate a different type, specifications, and design of fence to be erected.
(b) 
The compressor unit or pump station and injection well location shall be enclosed on all sides by a minimum six-foot chain-link fence with double strands of barbed wire along the top. The chain-link fence shall have a minimum of two gates or exit ways, remotely located, on the site and adequately marked, and the gates shall be kept locked at all times when the permittee or his or her employees are not within the enclosure.
(c) 
The pump station compressor unit and gas injection well location shall, in addition to the fence requirements described above, be enclosed with a masonry or equivalent noncombustible structure constructed in such a manner to reduce or minimize the noise of operation; the design of the structure shall be submitted to and approved by the city council prior to erection.
(1967 Code, sec. 21-17; Ordinance 252 adopted –/–/–; Ordinance 88-510 adopted 10/11/88; 1994 Code, sec. 118.62)
The well site, tank site, tank battery site, pump station site, or compressor site shall not be used for the storage of pipe, equipment, or materials except during the drilling or servicing of the well, pipelines, tanks, pump stations, or compressor station, except where the site is located in an industrial or manufacturing zone.
(1967 Code, sec. 21-18; Ordinance 252 adopted –/–/–; Ordinance 88-510 adopted 10/11/88; 1994 Code, sec. 118.63)
(a) 
Any permittee engaged in the drilling or operation of an oil or gas well or the operation of any facility used in conjunction with the production of oil or gas within the corporate limits of the city shall take reasonable precautions to prevent gas from escaping into the air and shall not flare or burn gas from a torch or any similar means within the corporate limits of the city; provided that gas may be burned for a limited time when necessary to complete any oil or gas well upon the original completion or upon the recompletion of workover jobs upon oil or gas wells, so long as the same does not constitute a fire hazard to the property of others within the vicinity of the oil or gas well.
(b) 
It shall be unlawful to operate a well for oil or gas without a four-inch header being laid over the top of the tank and a 2-1/2 inch line extending from the tank battery to a point designated by the oil and gas inspector. The manner and method provided for connection at the point shall be determined by the fire department of the city so that foamite or other chemicals may be pumped through such line or lines and the header of the tanks into such tanks to extinguish fires in the tanks.
(c) 
Emergency firefighting apparatus and supplies, subject to the approval by the fire department of the city, shall be maintained on the drilling site at all times during the drilling operations and on the site of each compressor used for gas injection operations.
(d) 
The permittee shall place a sign at each well location or site to identify the well.
(1967 Code, sec. 21-19; Ordinance 252 adopted –/–/–; Ordinance 88-510 adopted 10/11/88; 1994 Code, sec. 118.64)
The premises shall be kept in a clean and sanitary condition, satisfactory to the city council. The permittee shall take reasonable precautions to prevent any mud, wastewater, oil, slush, or other waste matters from flowing into the alleys, streets, lots, or leases within the corporate limits of the city.
(1967 Code, sec. 21-20; Ordinance 252 adopted –/–/–; Ordinance 88-510 adopted 10/11/88; 1994 Code, sec. 118.65)
The city council shall have authority to order any exception to any provision contained in this article in any case where it may be determined that any such exception or exceptions are equitable or necessary to protect the safety, property, health, and welfare of the citizens and residents of the city.
(1967 Code, sec. 21-21; Ordinance 252 adopted –/–/–; Ordinance 88-510 adopted 10/11/88; 1994 Code, sec. 118.66)