How to File a Mining Claim

In order to file a mining claim, you have to follow a few steps. You can only file on 20 acre plots, and the cost is minimal for the mineral patent. Exact procedures vary from state to state. Your county clerks office can let you know about any differences when you go to file the claim.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Identify your site and stake your claim. You have to erect corner posts to mark your claim site, and you must post a notice of location in an obvious spot. You can place this notice at the site of discovery or on one of the posts you put up.

2. Contact your county clerk's office and file a mining claim. Be sure to acquire a list of specific requirements for the state in which the site is located.

3. File with the Bureau of Land Management state office and pay the starting fee. There are no official forms. You must simply describe the location and piece of land, indicate ownership and type of claim and date it.

Tips & Warnings

• The annual maintenance fee runs from September 1 to September 1. You can get a waiver of this fee if you have less the ten active claims and have made a certain amount of improvements to the land.
• Mining claims are real property that you can buy, sell, rent, lease or inherit. To have the land titled from the government to your name, you must prove the existence of valuable minerals on the land.