Seven Things to Know About the Expanded Mineral & Land Records System

The new module for the BLM’s Mineral & Land Records System (MLRS) is now live! It incorporates all remaining LR2000 as well as initial ACRES / ALIS cases (ACRES is the Alaska Case Reporting Enterprise System. ALIS is the Alaska Land Information System). 

MLRS now handles: 

• Mining Claims 
• Fluid Minerals 
• Geothermal Energy 
• Land Use Authorizations (including Alaska) 
• Realty Billing (including Alaska) 
• Solid Minerals 
• Land Tenure 
• And more! 

Here are seven key things to know about what the newly expanded MLRS offers: 

1. MLRS provides an online platform to access and process select transactions from the convenience of your computer or mobile device.   

• You can create an account along with building a profile to access case information online. 
• You can access a consolidated list view of case filings and bills to help manage the status of associated cases as well as any payments or fees that may be pending.  
• You can initiate submission of land use authorizations.  
• Communications site users can continue submissions of the eSF-299 form.  
• You can access case file attachments.  
• MLRS provides you with access to a knowledge base full of learning materials and answers to frequently asked questions. 
• Note: For Alaska, the latest MLRS module only includes Case Types 2800 and 2900 (i.e., Land Use Authorizations and Realty Billing). Remaining Alaska case types will be included with the next MLRS module, tentatively slated for launch in 2024.  

2. MLRS provides a secure online experience.  

• MLRS uses Login.gov to ensure your private information is secure, and user credentials are verified using two-factor authentication.  
• MLRS uses Pay.gov to allow individuals and businesses to make secure online payments of fees to the BLM. 

3. MLRS improves the billing experience for both BLM staff and customers. 

• MLRS supports access for the designated billee to see transaction history (i.e., when or if payments were received) and receipts from the Collections and Billings System (CBS). 
• Digital tracking puts relevant bill details at your fingertips and synchronizes communication as needed. The system supports viewing a bill record's real-time status. 
• MLRS allows you to conveniently pay for application filing fees online where payment confirmation is immediately displayed. 

4. MLRS includes changes to Case Actions from LR2000 and Alaska’s ACRES / ALIS to make things easier for customers. 

• MLRS will simplify and decrease the number of case actions that can be added into a case. A case action lifecycle refers to updates within a case action, as opposed to multiple individual but related case actions. LR2000 and ACRES / ALIS had multiple case actions to describe a single action on a case.  
• MLRS provides a Case Action History section that allows you to see changes such as the Case Action Status.  

5. MLRS has improved reporting for both BLM staff and customers. 

• MLRS provides the necessary information to run existing reports that you already use. 
• New data fields are present to increase accuracy of reports.  
• To access reports, visit https://mlrs.blm.gov, scroll down, and click on Reports. Or go to the Reports page directly at https://reports.blm.gov/reports/MLRS.

6. The MLRS research map opens new possibilities. For example, you can: 

• Research existing cases based on location or serial number. 
• Open the serial register page (case history) for a BLM case from the research map. 
• Navigate to General Land Office records based on the map location. 
• Use national BLM geospatial layers such as surface management agency, public land survey system and administrative units to review map data. 
• Use a range of tools to adjust the layer order, opacity, and labeling to view current information on areas of interest. 

7. MLRS comes with a new serial number format. The new MLRS serial numbers include a two-letter abbreviation for the geographic state, two-letter abbreviation for the BLM administrative state, and a nine-digit number. 

• It provides a consistent serial number format for all BLM cases. 
• MLRS serial numbers allow easier searching of the database and decreased errors when identifying cases. 
• Cases can still be searched for using the legacy/existing serial number and you are able to keep this serial number on all existing signage. 

Note: Mining Claims serial numbers follow the same format but omit the Geo State. 

Want more info? 

• Visit the MLRS Information Page at https://blm.gov/mlrs. 
• Learn more by reading this brochure: Mineral & Land Records System: Remaining LR2000 & Initial ACRES / ALIS Cases. 
• Create an MLRS account today and get started at https://mlrs.blm.gov. 
• Watch the following short MLRS Release 3 Video  (unpublished but that will be the URL)] to see what MLRS can do for you!