BLM (Bureau of Land Management)

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is the agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior that administers the public lands and the federal mineral estate. BLM states that it manages 245 million acres of public lands and 700 million acres of mineral estate, more surface land and more subsurface mineral estate than any other government agency in the United States.

Origin

BLM was established in 1946, when a government reorganization merged the General Land Office with the U.S. Grazing Service. The General Land Office had been created in 1812. Its records of the original transfer of title out of federal ownership are still held by BLM.

What BLM does for mining claims

• Records the notice or certificate of location for every mining claim and site on federal land
• Collects the location fee and the annual maintenance fee
• Receives small miner waiver certifications and affidavits of assessment work
• Records transfers of interest and amended locations
• Administers the surface management regulations for operations on public lands (43 CFR subpart 3809)

BLM's role is not limited to land where BLM manages the surface. BLM states that it is responsible for the subsurface on both public land and National Forest System land, so a mining claim on a national forest is recorded with BLM as well.

Where mining claims can be located

BLM lists 19 states with federally administered lands where a mining claim or site may be located: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

The three kinds of federal minerals

• Locatable minerals are acquired by locating a mining claim. They include metallic minerals such as gold, silver, lead, copper, zinc, and nickel, and certain nonmetallic minerals.
• Leasable minerals have been leased by the federal government since 1920. They include oil and gas, oil shale, geothermal resources, potash, sodium, phosphate, and coal.
• Salable minerals are common varieties of sand, gravel, stone, pumice, pumicite, and cinders. They were removed from the Mining Law in 1955 and are disposed of by sales contract or free-use permit.

MLRS, the record system

BLM's Mineral & Land Records System (MLRS) is its online platform for mineral and land records. MLRS replaced and integrated several older BLM systems, including LR2000, and the serial numbers in LR2000 were transferred into it. Mining claim filings and fee payments can be made through MLRS, with payment handled through pay.gov, and public reports are drawn from it.

Where filings go

Filings for a mining claim go to the BLM State Office with jurisdiction over the land. A filing with BLM does not replace the filing with the local recording office. Both are required.