Closed Claim

A closed claim is a mining claim whose case BLM's Mineral & Land Records System (MLRS) shows as "Closed." The MLRS help center defines it as "A dead case. No further action on this case is probable," including "cases that has been abandoned, rejected applications, relinquished, expired, terminated or forfeited cases." See Disposition Code for the other values.

How mining claims close

• Abandonment or relinquishment by the owner, by a notice to the county or borough and the BLM state office (BLM brochure "Mining Claims and Sites on Federal Lands"). See Abandonment.
• Forfeiture by operation of law for a missed recording, fee, waiver, or annual filing (43 CFR 3830.91(a)). See Forfeiture.
• Location on land closed to mineral entry at the time of location (43 CFR 3830.91(b)). An MLRS article says a mining claim awaiting its land status check may be "set to 'Closed' if your claim/site is on lands not open to mineral location."
• A contest. BLM Manual Section 3870 says that in a mining claim contest, BLM prays "that the claim(s) be declared null and void."

The Closed disposition does not say which. BLM's rules give "abandoned and void," "null and void," "void ab initio," and "forfeited" "the same effect" (43 CFR 3830.5), so the reason and date are in the case actions and decisions.

Closed but contested

A BLM decision can be appealed under 43 CFR parts 4 and 1840 (43 CFR 3830.100). MLRS shows such mining claims as "On Appeal," or "Appeal/Stay Granted" where "IBLA has granted a Stay of BLM's Decision."

What survives closure

• Reclamation and other legal duties (43 CFR 3830.91(c)). BLM's brochure says claimants must reclaim "even if the claim or site is declared abandoned and void or forfeited by the BLM."
• No revival by amendment. An amendment may not "Relocate or re-establish mining claims or sites you previously forfeited or BLM declared void for any reason" (43 CFR 3833.21(b)(2)).
• Oregon adds a cleanup rule: when BLM declares a lode claim invalid, or the last holder of record drops it without a transfer, "all claim location posts not made of natural materials shall be removed from the public domain of the United States" (ORS 517.010(3)).

Is the ground open again?

Not automatically. A new mining claim on the same ground is judged by the land status on its own date of location (43 CFR 3830.91(b)). If the land was withdrawn while the old mining claim stood, a new location is barred: "Mining claims and sites located on lands after the effective date of a withdrawal are null and void from the beginning" (BLM brochure).

Why it matters in mining claim research

Closed mining claims are the history of an area: who held it, when, and when they let it go. Research reads each closed case for its closure date and reason, then checks the land status on that date before treating the ground as available for a new location.