Claim Mapping and BLM Mining Claim Fees: Costs, Deadlines

A new BLM lode claim costs US$274 to record: a US$25 processing fee, a US$49 location fee and a US$200 first maintenance fee, according to the BLM mining claim fee schedule. Keeping it costs US$200 a year, due by September 1. Claim mapping is the other half of the job. You must file a map with your location notice, and you should map the active claims around your ground before you stake, buy or drill.

This guide is for people who hold, or plan to hold, unpatented claims on US federal land. It sets out what each filing costs, what happens when a date is missed, how the small miner waiver changes the bill, and how to build a claim map from BLM records. The calculator further down gives a total for your own holding.

BLM mining claim fees at a glance

The fees below apply to new claims filed on or after September 1, 2024, and to existing claims. The BLM fee page and the federal claim rules at 43 CFR Part 3830 carry the same location and maintenance amounts. BLM California’s packet for the 2027 assessment year repeats them for the September 1, 2026 deadline.

A few terms need explaining. An unpatented claim is a right to possess and develop a valuable mineral deposit on federal land, while the land itself stays federal. A lode claim covers veins and other mineral-bearing rock in place. A placer claim covers other deposits, such as gold in stream gravels. A mill site supports processing on non-mineral land, and a tunnel site is an underground right of way. The BLM claim types page sets out these definitions, and notes that a claim does not include exclusive surface rights.

▶ Why owning a gold claim is not the same as owning the land · 3:19

What changed in the fee schedule

The current amounts are higher than those many older guides still quote. BLM California’s packet for the 2024 assessment year listed a US$165 maintenance fee, a US$40 location fee and a US$20 processing fee, for US$225 in total. The present total of US$274 is US$49 more per lode claim, and the yearly fee rose by US$35.

Chart

New lode claim fees, before and after the increase

US$ per claim

Fees can move again. Under 30 U.S.C. 28j, the Interior Secretary adjusts them for changes in the Consumer Price Index every five years, or sooner if that is judged reasonable. Claimants must get notice by July 1 of an adjustment year, and the new amount applies from the next assessment year. So check the BLM page each July before you budget. We give no percentage forecast here, because the law ties changes to the index and sets no fixed yearly rise.

How placer claim fees are worked out by acreage

Lode claims pay a flat fee. Placer claims pay by the 20-acre block, and any part of a block counts as a whole one. BLM California’s example is a 70-acre placer claim: three full blocks plus 10 acres means four payments, or US$800 a year.

Chart

Annual placer maintenance fee by claim size

US$ per year, at US$200 per 20 acres or part

The size limits matter here. BLM says a placer claim is limited to 20 acres per locator, and an association of eight or more locators can hold up to 160 acres. A 160-acre association placer therefore pays US$1,600 a year. Check the acreage on your location notice against the land description, because a small overrun can add a whole US$200 block.

What a mining claim costs to hold over five years

The first-year figure hides the real budget. One lode claim held for five years costs US$1,074 in BLM charges if you pay maintenance each year: US$274 at the start, then four payments of US$200. The chart assumes today’s fees stay in place, and leaves out county recording charges, staking, labor and any state fees.

Chart

BLM charges to hold one claim for five years

US$, calculated at current fees; waiver work and county charges not included

Holding costs add up quickly for a block of claims. Ten lode claims cost US$2,740 to record and US$2,000 a year after that. For licence and claim owners, this is the number to set against the exploration work planned for the ground. Dropping claims that have no target can be a better use of money than carrying a whole block for another year.

Small miner waiver: who qualifies and what it still costs

You can file a waiver instead of paying the annual fee if you and all related parties hold 10 or fewer claims and sites on federal land nationwide on the due date. The waiver rules at 43 CFR Part 3835 define who counts as a small miner. The form itself, Form 3830-2, has no charge, but the claim still has costs to hold.

• Work: 30 U.S.C. 28f sets the waiver terms, and BLM California asks for at least US$100 of labor or improvements on each claim in the assessment year.
• Yearly paper: an affidavit of assessment work at US$15 per claim by December 30. Mill and tunnel sites file a notice of intent to hold at the same price. BLM also requires that notice for the first calendar year a claim is located, or the first time a waiver is filed, so check which paper applies that year.
• First-year fees: the location, processing and initial maintenance fees are still due when you record a new claim.
• Signature: BLM says waivers cannot be filed through its online system, and it returns faxed, emailed or uploaded copies unrecorded. The Montana-Dakotas packet (March 2026) says an original signature is needed.
• Transfers: the same packet warns that a waiver becomes void if the claim passes to someone who does not qualify. A buyer who holds many claims should expect to pay the fee.

Filing the waiver is an option, not a duty. On one lode claim over five years, the waiver route costs US$334 in BLM charges (US$274 plus four US$15 filings) plus US$400 of required work. That work should be useful work, so compare it with what you already plan to do on the ground.

Mining claim filing deadlines you cannot miss

Three dates drive the calendar.

Infographic

A claim’s filing year in 4 steps

1. 1Locate and mapStake the claim and prepare the notice and map.
2. 2RecordFile with BLM within 90 days, and with the county under state rules.
3. 3September 1Pay the maintenance fee or file the waiver.
4. 4December 30File the affidavit or notice if you took the waiver.

1. Within 90 days of location: file the notice of location, the map and the fees with the BLM state office. County recording has its own clock under state law. Montana’s packet gives 60 days for the county step, so check your state before relying on the federal 90. A claim located before September 1 but filed with BLM on or after that date owes maintenance fees for both assessment years, unless a valid waiver is filed with the new location.
2. On or before September 1: pay the maintenance fee or file the waiver. This payment looks forward to the next assessment year, not back at the one ending.
3. On or before December 30: file the affidavit of assessment work or notice of intent to hold if you took the waiver route.

The September date is unforgiving. BLM California’s packet says “no extensions” in its reminder, and the Montana-Dakotas packet calls a missed payment a non-curable defect that closes the claim. Federal rules also put the burden on you: that packet says the state office does not have to remind you the fee is due. Partial or defective filings can sometimes be cured, but do not plan around that. A waiver with a defect gets 60 days to fix after BLM notifies you, under 30 U.S.C. 28f.

A closed claim loses its place. If someone else stakes the ground first, you cannot recover that priority by paying late. A personal deadline in early August means a rejected card payment or a wrong serial number can still be fixed.

How to pay BLM mining claim fees

Most filers can use the online Mineral & Land Records System (MLRS), which BLM runs around the clock for fees and most filings. Mail and in-person filing go to the state office for the state where the claim sits. Three details catch people out.

• Online cutoff: BLM California gives midnight Eastern Daylight Time on September 1, so filers on Pacific time lose three hours compared with local midnight.
• Card limit: the same packet notes a US Treasury limit of US$24,999.99 for credit card payments. At US$200 a claim, this affects holdings of about 125 claims.
• Alaska: BLM California’s packet excludes Alaska claims from online payment, while the BLM fee page and BLM’s Alaska guide describe MLRS online filing and also say Alaska claimants can pay in person or by mail at the Alaska State Office or Fairbanks District Office. Ask the Alaska State Office before relying on online payment. BLM’s Alaska mining claim guide covers its local rules.

List every claim on the payment form with its serial number. The Montana-Dakotas packet warns that claims left off the document, and not added before September 1, will be forfeited. Keep the receipt with your claim file. Federal rules say BLM refunds location and maintenance fees in limited cases, such as a claim that was void when you paid, and does not refund processing fees except overpayments.

Other BLM filing fees: transfers and amendments

Buying or selling a claim brings its own filing. The Montana-Dakotas packet lists a US$15 nonrefundable fee per claim and per grantee to record a transfer with BLM, and the same US$15 to file an amended certificate of location. That packet also lists a notary signature on the deed as a state requirement.

Before you buy, read our guide to BLM mining claims for sale and check that each maintenance payment is on record. Ask the seller for proof of the last September 1 payment or waiver, then check the serial register yourself rather than relying on a listing. Satellite or geological screening can inform your view of the ground, but no screen promises a discovery.

Claim mapping: what BLM requires you to file

Every new claim needs a map as well as a notice of location. The requirement is more modest than some guides suggest. The Montana-Dakotas packet accepts a USGS topographic map showing the claim, or a narrative or sketch tied to a natural object, permanent monument or similar feature. You must show boundaries and position within the quarter section well enough for BLM to identify the claim on the ground. One map can cover several claims, and you do not have to hire a surveyor.

So a KML or GIS file is not a universal legal requirement. MLRS gives four ways to plot a new claim when you file online: enter staking coordinates, select an area on the map, upload a GIS file, or type the land description. State rules on staking and notices can add more, so read your state’s material. Nevada’s claim procedures guide is one example.

A clean digital outline still helps you. It reduces acreage errors, which the packet lists among the items BLM checks in its first review, and it lets you overlay your claim on imagery and geology later.

How to find mining claims on a map using MLRS

The old LR2000 database is gone. Western Mining History, a mining research site, says it was renamed MLRS in early 2021, so older instructions need updating. The search below follows the Montana-Dakotas packet and this Western Mining History walkthrough.

1. Find the land description. Work out the meridian, township, range and section (MTRS) of your target from a Public Land Survey System map.
2. Confirm the land is open. Check the Master Title Plat, the BLM record of land status, to see that federal land there is open to mineral entry.
3. Open the report. Go to the MLRS public reports and choose the Mining Claims Geographic Report.
4. Enter the search. Pick the administrative state, type the MTRS in BLM’s format, for example 20 0100S 0060E 014, and set case disposition to Active.
5. Note the quadrant. The report narrows each claim to the NW, NE, SW or SE quarter of the section. Mark it on your own map.
6. Get the location notices. Pull each certificate of location and map from MLRS or the state public room, and from the county recorder.
7. Walk it. Look for monuments on the ground before you stake, and never cross private land without permission.

Two limits matter. “No results” can mean no matching active claims or a mistyped entry, not that the ground is open to staking, so test a section you know has claims. Also, as Western Mining History points out, MLRS data cannot fix exact boundaries; those come from the location notice held by the county recorder. BLM publishes a national GIS layer of claims that are not closed for wider views, but treat any layer as a guide and confirm each claim in MLRS.

Third-party maps can help you scan a district. Our Arizona gold mining claims map guide shows how one state’s claims can be read. Remember that third-party data is a snapshot, so a claim shown as active may have closed, and a blank section may have new filings.

▶ Reading a licence boundary and anomaly zones on a 2D satellite map · 14:14

Using a claim map before you stake or buy

A map of active claims answers “is this ground taken?” It does not say whether the ground is worth holding, or whether you can reach it. Build three layers before you spend money:

• Title and status: federal mineral estate, withdrawals, wilderness study areas, and private inholdings from the Master Title Plat.
• Neighbors and history: active claims from MLRS, plus closed claims, which can show where others once worked. A closed claim tells you nothing certain about grade, the mineral content of the rock.
• Access and geology: legal roads, published geological maps, and imagery. The packet says private land needs the owner’s permission, and that agencies can restrict use of their own roads.

Satellite data fits at this stage. Farmonaut screens a claim or licence boundary supplied as a KML, KMZ or polygon file and returns exploration targets in 5 to 20 business days through its satellite-based mineral detection service. These are early targets that sit ahead of any resource estimate, and they do not replace field checks or a legal title review. To discuss a specific block, use the mining query form.

▶ How land access can block otherwise promising ground · 2:05

Common mistakes that cost claim owners money

• Using old fee tables. Sums based on US$165 or US$225 leave you short after the 2024 increase. Pay the current amount shown by BLM.
• Counting placer acres wrongly. A 41-acre claim pays for three blocks, not two.
• Mixing the two deadlines. September 1 is for the fee or waiver. December 30 is for the affidavit or notice.
• Forgetting related parties. The 10-claim limit counts claims held by related parties nationwide, not just yours in one state.
• Treating BLM as the only office. County recording is separate, and state law can add steps.
• Assuming a claim gives you the surface. You do not get exclusive surface rights, and exploration or mining on BLM land is regulated under 43 CFR 3715 and 3809.
• Relying on a seller’s map. Confirm every serial number and payment yourself before you buy.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to file a mining claim with the BLM?

A lode claim, mill site or tunnel site costs US$274 per claim. A placer claim costs US$74 plus US$200 for each 20 acres or part of 20 acres. County recording fees are extra.

What is the annual BLM mining claim maintenance fee?

It is US$200 per lode claim, mill site or tunnel site, and US$200 per 20 acres or part of 20 acres for a placer claim, due on or before September 1.

What happens if I miss the September 1 deadline?

BLM treats the claim as forfeited by operation of law. The Montana-Dakotas packet calls a missed payment non-curable, and the claim closes. Do not count on a reminder from BLM.

Who qualifies for the small miner waiver?

A claimant who, with all related parties, holds 10 or fewer claims and sites on federal land on the due date. You still owe the assessment work and a US$15 yearly filing per claim.

How much assessment work is required per claim?

At least US$100 of labor or improvements per claim for the assessment year if you take the waiver. Keep records, as the affidavit certifies what was spent.

Where can I see a BLM mining claims map?

Use the MLRS public reports and map tools, or the BLM national GIS layer. For exact boundaries, get the location notice from MLRS, the state public room or the county recorder.

Is LR2000 still used for mining claim searches?

No. Claim records now sit in MLRS. Older guides that send you to LR2000 are out of date.

Do I need a surveyor or a GIS file to map a claim?

BLM’s Montana-Dakotas packet says you do not need a professional surveyor. MLRS accepts a GIS upload as one of four plotting options, not the only one. Check your state’s staking rules as well.

How often do BLM mining claim fees change?

The law requires a Consumer Price Index adjustment every five years, or sooner if judged reasonable, with notice by July 1 of that year.

Does a mining claim give me ownership of the land?

No. An unpatented claim gives a right to explore and develop a valuable mineral deposit, without exclusive surface rights. Title to the land remains with the United States.

More from Farmonaut: contact us, blm mining claim fees 2026 essential filing map guide.