BLM announces adjustments to mining location and maintenance fees

WASHINGTON –The Bureau of Land Management today announced upcoming fee adjustments for the location (or “staking”) and maintenance of mining claims, mill sites, and tunnel sites. The location fee will increase from $40 to $49, and the maintenance fee will rise from $165 to $200. The final rule adjusting these required fees will publish in the Federal Register Monday, July 1. 

Since Fiscal Year 1993, mining claimants staking new claims or sites have been required to pay a one-time location fee. Claimants must also pay an annual maintenance fee in lieu of performing annual assessment work and making annual filings. 

Federal statute requires that the BLM adjust these fees every five years to reflect changes in the Consumer Price Index, or CPI. The last fee increase was in 2019; the latest adjustments are based on the change in the CPI from Dec. 31, 2018, through Dec. 31, 2023, as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

The adjusted annual maintenance fee is due on or before Sept. 1, 2024, for existing claims and sites. For lode claims, mill sites, and tunnel sites, the annual maintenance fee will be $200 per claim or site. For placer claims, the fee for each claim will be $200 for every 20 acres. For instance, if a placer claim contains 40 acres, the fee would be $400; if a placer claim contains 45 acres, the fee would be $600. 

Mining claimants must begin paying the new location and initial maintenance fees for any mining claim or site located on or after Sept. 1, 2024. Those who have already paid their annual maintenance fee for the 2025 assessment year will be given an opportunity to pay the additional amount without penalty, upon notice from the BLM.