SALEM, Ohio — Washington County, Ohio, is getting its first Utica shale well, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources permit list.

In March, PDC Energy Inc. received a permit in Adams Township in Washington County.

Carroll County

Meanwhile, Carroll County continues to lead Ohio for the number of Utica shale permits issued, according to the ODNR permit list for March.

A total of 17 permits within the county were issued during March. All of them were issued to Chesapeake Exploration.

The permits were issued in Union, Perry, East and Fox townships. The most — eight permits — were issued in Loudon Township.

Harrison County

Harrison County seems to be brewing as another hot spot this spring. A total of six permits were issued in March.

Only one of the six permits issued was to Chesapeake Exploration and that was in Rumley Township. Two were issued in Athens Township to Gulfport Energy Corporation.

Single permits were issued to Atlas Noble LLC in North Township; Hess Ohio Resources LLC. in Short Creek Township; Gulfport Energy Corporation in Moorefield Township and in Washington Township.

Columbiana County

There were two permits issued for Columbiana County, one each in Franklin and Center townships. Both were issued to Chesapeake Exploration, according to the ODNR permit list.

Monroe County

Two Utica shale permits were issued in March in Monroe County. Antero Reserve Appalachian received a permit for a site in Seneca Township and XTO Energy Inc. received a permit for a site in Center Township.

Single permits were also issued in Trumbull and Tuscarawas Counties. In Trumbull County, the permit was issued to BP America Production in Johnstown Township. In Tuscarawas County, the permit was issued to CNX Gas Company LLC in Clay Township.

Pennsylvania

In Bradford County, where the shale boom reportedly began, 53 permits were issued for shale wells during the month of March, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Office of Oil and Gas Management monthly permit list.

In Washington County, there were a total of 20 permits issued, 14 of them were for new wells and six requested the ability to drill deeper.

Mercer County appears to have been granted its first shale well permit. And four permits were issued for well sites in Lawrence County.

Meanwhile, Butler County was issued 16 permits for new wells there and 14 permits were issued for Greene County, according to the Pennsylvania DEP.

West Virginia

There were no Utica shale permits issued in West Virginia in March, but Marcellus shale well permits were issued, according to the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection Office of Oil and Gas permit list.

In Ohio County, permits were issued to Chesapeake Appalachia, LLC. for well sites. The farms belong to Robert Chad and Robert A. Glauser. The other permit was issued to a farm owned by Charolette and Clarence Farmer.

In Marshall County, permits were issued to Chesapeake Appalachia, LLC and Noble Energy Inc. A permit was issued to Chesapeake to drill a well on the farm owned by Van L. Ashton. In addition, Noble Energy Inc. was issued permits for drilling on a farm owned by John A. and Judy C. Gray.

Permits were also issued in Tyler County to Noble Energy, Inc. The farm is owned by the energy company. It appears there will be six wells drilled on the site, according to the West Virginia DEP.

And in Wetzel County, there were permits issued to Chesapeake Appalachia, and HG Energy, LLC. The Chesapeake permits were issued for a well site on a farm owned by Robert W. and Frederick J. Baxter.

HG Energy LLC. plans to drill several wells on farm owned by Freeda M. and Francis D. Brown.