Paper
Field shorthand for posting the location notice on a mining claim, the step that pairs with staking its boundaries.
Detailed Definition
In field usage, to "paper" a mining claim is to post its location notice on the ground. Staking marks the boundaries; papering puts the written notice on a post or monument where it can be seen.
The federal rule
BLM's regulations require the locator to "post the notice of location in a conspicuous place on the claim or site," naming the locators, the date of location, a description of the mining claim or site, and its name or number (43 CFR 3832.11(c)(3)). BLM's brochure "Mining Claims and Sites on Federal Lands" describes the usual practice as "posting a notice of location on a post or monument in a conspicuous place—usually the point of discovery." The contents and recording deadlines are covered under Location Notice.
Where state law puts the notice
State codes are more specific about where the paper goes:
- Alaska: for a lode claim, "at the northeast corner of the claim" (AS 27.10.030)
- Utah: on the monument erected "at the place of discovery" (Utah Code 40-1-2)
- Arizona: on the location monument on the centerline of a lode claim (A.R.S. 27-202(A)); for a placer claim or mill site, on a separate monument at one corner within the mining claim (A.R.S. 27-205)
- New Mexico: for a placer claim, at a designated corner "marked by a post at least four feet high, securely set in the ground, or by a substantial stone monument" (NMSA 69-3-1(B))
- Montana and Washington (placer): at the point of discovery (MCA 82-2-101; RCW 78.08.100)
Posting starts the clock
In several states the posting date is the date other deadlines run from:
- Utah: record the notice "within 30 days after the date of posting the location notice upon the claim" (Utah Code 40-1-4)
- Montana: mark the boundaries within 30 days after posting, and record "within 60 days after posting the notice of location" (MCA 82-2-101, 82-2-102)
- Alaska: record the certificate of location "within 90 days after the date of posting the notice of location on the claim" (AS 27.10.050)
- New Mexico: the date of posting is the date of location (NMSA 69-3-1(C))
Arizona ties the right itself to the posted monument and notice: "Until the requirements of subsection A are complied with, no right of location is acquired" (A.R.S. 27-202(B)).
From paper on a post to paper title
The posted notice becomes the recorded certificate. The U.S. Bureau of Mines' Dictionary of Mining, Mineral, and Related Terms (1968) describes the recorded certificate of location as "the beginning of the locator's paper title," "the first muniment of such title," and "constructive notice to all the world."
Why it matters in mining claim research
The posting date often fixes the date of location, and every state and federal deadline runs from it. When a mining claim file is reviewed, the posting date on the notice is checked against the county recording date and the BLM filing date to confirm each filing was on time. See also Stake, Location Notice, and Discovery Monument.
Related Terms
Mining Claim Staking
The process of locating a mining claim on the ground under state law and recording it with the county and BLM within 90 days of the date of location.
Location Notice
The notice a locator posts on a mining claim and records with the county and BLM, giving the locators, the date of location, and a description of the ground claimed.
Monument
A physical object, such as an iron post, marked stone, or tree, that marks the location of a surveyed corner on the ground and serves as the primary evidence of its position.
Stake
To mark the boundaries of a mining claim on the ground with posts or monuments, as federal law and the law of the state where the mining claim lies require.
Certificate of Location
The document recorded in the county and filed with BLM to establish a mining claim. Some states call it a certificate and require it in addition to the notice posted on the ground.
County Recording
Recording a mining claim's location notice or certificate, and later documents, in the local recording office of the county or borough where the mining claim lies, as state law requires.
Staking Package
The set of maps, location notices, monument lists, and recording documents prepared before fieldwork so mining claims can be staked, posted, and recorded correctly and on time.