Am
I entitled to free land from the BLM?
- No. While that was true at one time, there is no free land.
What
about homesteading?
- Congress abolished homesteading in 1976 with passage of the Federal
Land Policy and Management Act, which made it national policy
to retain the public lands in Federal ownership. Today, the BLM
manages the public lands for all Americans, who enjoy numerous
benefits from these lands, including recreational opportunities,
such as camping, hiking, hunting, and fishing.
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I
have seen an advertisement that says I can obtain low-cost land
from the BLM. Is this true?
- No. The BLM occasionally
sells land - but only at fair market value, as required by law.
The advertisement by private companies not associated with the
Federal government may ask you to send in money for information
about how to buy land for $1.25 an acre (or a similarly low figure).
The BLM recommends that you read carefully any advertisement on
this subject and be cautious about sending money. The BLM will
provide you free and accurate information about land sales.
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How
does the BLM select land that might be sold?
- Through its land-use planning
process, the BLM identifies parcels of land for potential sale
that fall into one of the following categories:
- scattered and isolated
tracts that are difficult or uneconomical to manage;
- tracts acquired by
the BLM for a specific purpose that are no longer needed for
that purpose; or
- land where disposal
will serve important public objectives, such as community
expansion and economic development.
- However, the growing cities
and towns of the West are spreading closer or even next to once-remote
BLM-managed public lands. As a result, the public in general -
and Westerners in particular - appreciate the open space guaranteed
by BLM, which means that the agency considers its land sales even
more carefully than in the past.
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May
I select a specific parcel of BLM-managed public land that I am
interested in purchasing?
- No. You may bid only for
those parcels that the BLM has decided to sell on a competitive-bid
basis.
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Are
there any lands for sale in the East?
- No. Sales of BLM managed
lands take place only in the Western States: Arizona,
California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon,
Utah, and Wyoming.
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Does
the BLM sell buildings?
- No. The General Services
Administration administers the sale of all surplus Federal property.
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I
heard that I could get land if I have a mining claim. Is that true?
- No. Although current law
allows you to stake a mining claim on Federal lands that are open
to mineral entry, beginning in 1994 and in each subsequent year,
Congress declared a moratorium on applying for a mineral patent
to a properly located and recorded mining claim. While this moratorium
is in effect, the BLM cannot accept mineral patent applications.
You may obtain further information on locating mining claims from
any BLM State Office.
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How
can I get a copy of a land or mineral patent?
- You may obtain microfilm
copies of land and mineral patents from any BLM State Office Information
Center at a cost of $1.10 per page. In addition, some land patent
records are available for selected states on the BLM's Web site
(http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/).
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How
can I get additional information?
- You should contact your local BLM office. You can obtain the address
from the BLM's Web site or call
202-452-5125.
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