Drilling a gas well \ The process Mahoning County has nearly 2,200 active wells. Most wells are dug on private property.

To begin the drilling process, property owners should contact an operating company to draw up an oil and gas lease.

The contract will specify whether or not the landowner(s) will receive free natural gas from the well.

All property owners within a 40-acre radius of the well are entitled to a royalty, which is usually negotiated in the contract.

Landowners must have at least 40 acres of land for a well deeper than 4,000 feet.

A well can be contracted on multiple properties to achieve the 40 acres.

Spacing laws in Ohio are put in place to avoid an overabundance of wells where one will be just as effective.

Source: Tom Stewart, Ohio Oil and Gas Association executive vice president