C.F.R. » Title 43 » CHAPTER II—BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR › SUBCHAPTER C—MINERALS MANAGEMENT (3000) › PART 3832—LOCATING MINING CLAIMS OR SITES › Subpart A—Locating Mining Claims or Sites

43 C.F.R. § 3832.11

How do I locate mining claims or sites?

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(a) You must follow both state and Federal law.

(b) Your lode or placer claim is not valid until you make a discovery within the boundaries of the claim.

(c) To locate a claim or site, you must—

(1) Make certain that the land on which you are locating the claim or site is Federal land that is open to mineral entry

(2) Stake and monument the corners of a mining claim or site which meets applicable state monumenting requirements and the size limitations described in § 3832.22 for lode and placer claims, § 3832.32 for mill sites, and § 3832.42 for tunnel sites;

(3) Post the notice of location in a conspicuous place on the claim or site. The notice must include:

(i) The name or names of the locators;

(ii) The date of the location; and

(iii) A description of the claim or site;

(iv) The name or number of the claim or site, or both, if the claim or site has both;

(4) Record the notice or certificate of location in the local recording office and the BLM State Office with jurisdiction according to the procedures in part 3833;

(5) Follow all other relevant state law requirements; and

(6) Comply with the specific requirements for lode claims, placer claims, mill sites, or tunnel sites in this part.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 6 cases (2 in the last 5 years), 2013–2025 · leading case: Pete Lien & Sons, Inc. v. Zellmer, 2015 SD 30 (S.D. 2015).
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Pete Lien & Sons, Inc. v. Zellmer, 2015 SD 30 (S.D. 2015). · cites it 23× “no such location shall include more than twenty acres for each individual claimant”); 43 C.F.R. § 3832.11 (2014) (a proper location includes: discovery, staking and monu- *455 meriting “the corners of a mining claim or site which meets applicable state monu-menting…”
Target Strike Inc. v. Marston & Marston, I, 524 F. App'x 939 (5th Cir. 2013). “43 C.F.R. § 3832.11 (c)(2). A notice of location including the name of the locator and a description of the claim must also be posted in a “conspicuous place” on the claim.”
Chittenden v. United States, 126 Fed. Cl. 251 (Fed. Cl. 2016). “Pursuant to regulations implementing the Mining Act, when an individual discovers a valuable mineral deposit on federal land, he or she can formally “locate” the mine by staking out the claim, posting notice at the site describing the area claimed, and recording the notice with…”
Graves v. Bernhardt (D. Ariz. 2019). · cites it 2× “See 43 C.F.R. § 3832.11 (c)(3). 11 On July 2, 2015, Mr.”
Saltzman v. United States (Fed. Cir. 2025). “July 13, 2022) (per curiam); 43 C.F.R. § 3832.11 (b); see also 43 C.F.”
Saltzman v. United States (Fed. Cir. 2025). “July 13, 2022) (per curiam); 43 C.F.R. § 3832.11 (b); see also 43 C.F.”
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