Ten Things to Know About BLM’s Mineral & Land Records System

The Mineral & Land Records System (MLRS) is a new online platform provided by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) designed to deliver state-of-the-art mineral and land records transactions, tracking, mapping, and more for BLM customers and staff. Today, with MLRS you can manage your mining claims online from the comfort of your own home or office. Future modules will include various other case types.

Here are ten things to know about the MLRS mining claims module:

1. The MLRS team used human-centered design to build the application. 
Human-centered design emphasizes understanding and focusing on the needs of a product’s end users. Since 2019, the MLRS team has met with small miners and large businesses across the U.S., and even invited customers to test a pilot program in 2020 to make sure we’re meeting the mining community’s needs. 

2. MLRS is for small miners, businesses, AND land/mineral consultants. 
Whether you are a small miner, a medium- or large-sized mining company, or a land/mineral consultant working on behalf of a client, doing business with the BLM has never been easier. You can pay all your maintenance fees at once and track your or your client’s claims in one place – keeping you organized and efficient!
•    Learn how to create a personal account here.
•    Learn how to create a business account here.
•    Learn how to manage a client’s claims as a consultant here. 

3. The MLRS research map gets more accurate as more users input their claim information.
MLRS allows you to upload GIS files depicting your claim location or to enter stake-point coordinates to create a shape. As more claimants enter this information, the research map will begin to show details past the simple quarter-quarter. 

4. Physical staking is still required.
You must still stake the boundaries of your claim/site and mark the corners and location monument (discovery point) according to state law. A notice of location should be posted on the claim/site at the location monument. 

5. County filings are still required.
You have 90 days from the date of location to file a notice or certificate of location and map describing the location of your claim/site with the proper BLM state office. You can use MLRS to file these documents. You must also file them with the local recording office in the county or borough in which the claim/site is located. Check with your state for the filing deadline. 

6. The BLM still adjudicates your submissions.
MLRS makes submitting online possible, but all actions go to the BLM office for adjudication. Submission via MLRS does not bypass adjudication, but it does make it faster and easier to track and manage! 

7. MLRS keeps identity and payment information secure.
MLRS uses Login.gov as the Identity Provider (IDP) to ensure your private information is secure, and user credentials are verified using two-factor authentication. Payment information is protected through the secure Pay.gov website, to which MLRS users are routed when making payments. 

8. You can still run reports. 
If you found LR2000 reports useful, then we have great news! You can pull reports in a similar fashion from MLRS. To access reports, visit https://mlrs.blm.gov, scroll down, and click on BLM Reports. Or go to the Reports page directly at https://reports.blm.gov/reports/MLRS.  

9. Use the MLRS Map Service or download the MLRS Data Set.
You may wish to use MLRS data for your own research compilation. To do so, navigate to the service link where you can view the data in the ArcGIS Online Map Viewer (which may be all that you need), or go further and add the MLRS dataset into other GIS software.  

10. We have a team standing by to help you. 
If you can’t find what you’re looking for in the extensive MLRS Help Center, submit your questions at https://phd.blm.gov/ and someone from the MLRS team will respond. Select "Mineral and Land Records System (MLRS)" from the Application dropdown and fill out the fields with as much detail as possible. 

Want more info? Watch this three-minute video to see what MLRS can do for you. Then create an MLRS account and get started at https://mlrs.blm.gov.