Wyoming State Office
| Contacts: | Tyson Finnicum | |||
| 307-775-6045 |
BLM Announces Mining Claim Fee Deadlines and Assessments
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has issued a rule that changes the way maintenance fees for placer mining claims are assessed. The rule implements the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2012 which requires the BLM to collect maintenance fees for placer mining claims based on the total acreage contained in the claim, rather than by the claim.
Claimants will now pay the maintenance fee (currently $140) for every 20 acres or portion thereof, contained in the placer claim.
The maintenance fee for other types of claims - lode claims, mill sites and tunnel sites - continues to be $140 per claim or site. This action does not affect small miner’s maintenance fee waivers. At the direction of Congress, the maintenance fee has been adjusted twice since 1993– it was raised to $125 in 2004 and to $140 in 2009 - and is based on the Consumer Price Index.
Timely-received 2013 maintenance fees are acceptable as long as they are at least $140 per claim. Affected claimants will receive a 30-day cure notice stating that they are required to do one of the following: (1) pay the remainder of the fee; (2) amend the acreage to reduce the size of the claim; or (3) relinquish the claim entirely. After Dec. 31, 2012, the recordation of any new placer claim received without the full fees will be rejected.
Since the deadline to pay maintenance fees and file for maintenance fee waivers for Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 falls on days when BLM offices are officially closed, the BLM has extended the date to Tuesday, Sept. 4.
The deadline for filing affidavits of annual assessment work or intent to hold notices in accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA) has been extended to Monday, Dec. 31.
Both deadlines include documents or payments in envelopes postmarked on or before the extended date. The proper BLM office must timely receive the postmarked documents within 15 calendar days of the extended date.
For more information regarding the fee increase, please visit http://blm.gov/vlkd. For local information, contact BLM Wyoming at 307-775-6256, or visit www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/programs/mineral_resources/Mining_Claims.html.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, recreational and other activities on BLM-managed land contributed more than $130 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 600,000 American jobs. The Bureau is also one of a handful of agencies that collects more revenue than it spends. In FY 2012, nearly $5.7 billion will be generated on lands managed by the BLM, which operates on a $1.1 billion budget. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.
Wyoming State Office 5353 Yellowstone Road Cheyenne, WY 82009