(a) Any person desiring to drill an oil or gas well within the City of Norton shall make an application for a drilling unit authorization permit with the Superintendent of Building and Zoning Inspection, who will, after all requested information is provided, place it upon the Planning Commission's agenda. The fee for the permit must accompany the application. The fee is nonrefundable. The applicant must provide all the information required in this chapter with the application for the permit. Thirteen copies of the application must be submitted. The drilling unit authorization permit and the drilling permit, if issued, will be terminated and become inoperative, without any action on the part of the City, unless, within ninety days from the date of issuance of the drilling unit authorization permit, actual on-site drilling of the well shall have commenced. After the drilling of a well has commenced, the cessation for a ninety-day period of the drilling operations shall operate to terminate and cancel the permit. In such cases, the well shall be deemed abandoned for all purposes of this chapter, and no person shall thereafter drill or operate any such well without the issuance of another permit. Reapplication requires payment of all fees.
(b) The City Council, upon recommendation of the Planning Commission, may, for good cause, grant an extension of the drilling unit authorization up to six months without holding a public hearing. No well shall begin production until compliance with all provisions is certified by both the Fire Chief and the Superintendent of Building and Zoning Inspection.
(c) No person shall be permitted to have more than two drilling unit authorization permits for the drilling of oil and/or gas wells at any one time. Application for the third permit, or any subsequent permits, may be made upon the completion of drilling the first, second and each numerically subsequent well.
(Ord. 91-1987. Passed 12-22-87.)