Mineral Surveys, Mineral Patent Applications, Adverse Claims, Protests, and Contests (43 CFR Parts 3860 and 3870)

On its face, the General Mining Law (30 U.S.C. 29, 30, and 39) authorizes a holder of an unpatented claim for hardrock minerals to apply for fee title (patent) to the federal land (as well as minerals) embraced in the claim. Since 1994, a rider on the annual appropriation bill for the Department of the Interior has prevented the BLM from processing mineral patent applications unless the applications were grandfathered under the initial legislation. While grandfathered applications are rare at present, the approval to collect the information continues to be necessary because of the possibility that the moratorium will be lifted.

The latest form for Mineral Surveys, Mineral Patent Applications, Adverse Claims, Protests, and Contests (43 CFR Parts 3860 and 3870) expires 2022-02-28 and can be found here.

Certificate of Title on Mining Claims, or Title Abstract (43 CFR 3862.1-3)

Federal Enterprise Architecture: Natural Resources - Conservation, Marine and Land Management

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