Mining Claim Resources
Everything you need to file, research, maintain, and extract value from an unpatented BLM mining claim — from first discovery to first ounce.
Step-by-Step
How to Make a Mining Claim
Making your own gold or silver mining claim is more accessible than most people think. Here's the complete process from land research to filed claim.
Most National Forest land and BLM-managed public land is open for mineral entry. Exceptions include wilderness areas, national parks, and land already withdrawn from mineral entry. Use the Nevada Division of Minerals open map or BLM LR2000 to check land status in your target area — they overlay existing claims on a Township/Range/Section map and are updated several times per year.
🔍 Free — no cost to researchSearch the LR2000 database for your target Township/Range/Section. If claims already exist in your section, visit the county recorder's website to pull their location maps and see if any overlap your intended boundaries. The Diggings is another excellent cross-reference with approximate GPS locations and claimant names.
📋 Free — county recorder records are publicPhysically visit the location. Erect a state-approved discovery monument at the point of discovery and mark all four corners of the claim with posts or cairns. Attach your Notice of Location to the discovery monument. There are specific state guidelines for how corner monuments must be constructed — check your state's Bureau of Mines for exact requirements. See an example of a correct location map here.
⛏ Cost: stakes & materials onlyPrepare your Certificate of Location (COL) and an accurate location map drawn to your state's standards. File with both the BLM and the county recorder. First-year claims must also pay annual assessment fees of $165 per 20 acres to the BLM, OR file a small miners exemption if you hold fewer than 10 claims. Some counties also require a notarized Notice of Intent to Hold filed before the end of the calendar year.
💰 Fees: $225 BLM + $60-75 county + $165/20ac assessment
Research Tools
Researching Mining Claims & Gold Mines
The best gold mines are found with good research. These are the databases and tools actively used to find, evaluate, and stake productive mining claims.
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Annual Requirements
Maintaining Your Mining Claims
Keep your mining claim active and in good standing with these annual filing requirements. Missing the September 1st BLM deadline can result in automatic forfeiture.
All BLM assessment fees must be paid before September 1st each year to keep your mining claim active. Missing this deadline forfeits the claim. Mark it in your calendar — it cannot be extended or waived after the fact.
First-Year Requirements
In the first year of a new mining claim, you must complete both of the following:
- Pay the $165 annual assessment fee to the BLM before September 1st — OR file a small miners exemption if you hold fewer than 10 claims total ($10 per claim)
- File a Notice of Intent to Hold with the county the claim is located in — this is a notarized document required in some counties before the end of the calendar year. Contact your county recorder's office for their specific requirements.
Ongoing Annual Requirements
After the first year, annual maintenance is straightforward: pay the BLM assessment fees before September 1st and you can hold the claim indefinitely. Some claimants have held the same mining claims for 80+ years and passed them on to heirs. Since a mining claim is a tradable asset — like a deed to property — its value can appreciate significantly with changes in precious metal prices.
For the full schedule of BLM mining claim fees and payment instructions, visit the BLM Mining Claim Fees page.
Ore Testing
Fire Assay & Mining Equipment
Knowing exactly how much gold and silver is in your ore — in real time — is the difference between a profitable operation and a costly guess. Here's how to do it right.
Commercial labs charge $30–$50 per sample with 10-sample minimums and weeks of turnaround. For ~$2,000 in equipment (oven, crucibles, cupels, litharge), you can do your own. After just 40–50 samples the setup pays for itself, and subsequent assays cost approximately $3 each. Over a few seasons, this saves thousands.
Recommended Assay Resources
Ore Processing
Floatation & Milling
Extracting gold, silver, copper, and zinc from lode deposits requires crushing, gravity concentration, and chemical processing. Here's how to think about small-scale milling.
Extracting precious metals from lode deposits often involves a combination of crushing, gravity concentration, and flotation chemistry. Lead, zinc, silver, gold, and copper can all be extracted from sulfide and oxide ores using the flotation method — the same process used by industrial mines, scaled down for small operations.
Educational Video Resources
Key Terms
Mining Claim Glossary
Essential terminology for anyone buying, selling, or working a mining claim in the American West.
By State
State-by-State Mining Claim Resources
Direct links to county recorders, BLM field offices, and state mineral divisions for each state where active gold and silver mining claims are available.
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