Oregon/Washington Public Room

map showing BLM district boundaries in Oregon and Washington

Street Address

Oregon-Washington State Office
Bureau of Land Management
Edith Green-Wendell Wyatt Federal Building, 11th Floor
1220 S.W. 3rd Avenue
Portland, OR 97204

Phone: 503-808-6008
Fax: 503-808-6422
Email: blm-orwa-public-room@blm.gov

If you are looking for information about a specific area of BLM land in Oregon or Washington, or to report an event on Public Land, please reference the field office boundaries map first to determine which local office has jurisdiction over the area. Then contact that local office first: BLM offices in Oregon and Washington

The Bureau of Land Management's Oregon/Washington formal Public Room is located on the 11th floor of the Edith Green Wendell Wyatt Federal Building. To contact the public room you may leave a message by telephone or email or visit the office. Messages are checked and returned during normal business hours of 8 am to 4:30 pm Monday through Friday. Now, beginning July 9, 2024, the Public Room is open for walk-in customers Tuesday and Thursdays between 8 am and 3:30 pm.

We are available to assist customers with research and interpretation of BLM records and answer general inquiries regarding all BLM programs. We offer the following information and records at our facility. Contact our office for research, copy fees, and map prices.

         

Records and Information Available

Land Record Copies Including:

  • Master Title Plats
  • Use Plats
  • Historical Indices
  • Original Land Document Microfiche
  • Mining District Sheets

Cost Recovery Handbook

Copies of Cadastral Survey Records Including:

  • Plats
  • Field Notes
  • Mineral Surveys

Copies from Case Files for:

  • Lands
  • Mining Claims
  • Leasable Minerals

     
Mining Claims and Sites

Mining Claim Packet             Buying A Mining Claim             Mining Claims on federal lands

An informational brochure can be found at: https://www.blm.gov/sites/default/files/PublicRoom_Mining_Claims_Brochure-2019.pdf

The table of fees for new Mining Claims and other filings can be found at: https://www.blm.gov/programs/energy-and-minerals/mining-and-minerals/locatable-minerals/mining-claims/fees.

Mineral and Land Record System (MLRS)

We encourage the filing of new claims, payment of maintenance fees and the submission of mining claim filings online through the Mineral and Land Records System (MLRS) at https://mlrs.blm.gov/s/.

A couple quick notes on using the MLRS system:

  1. Maintenance Fee Waiver Certifications (waivers) should not be filed in MLRS. It will allow you to create the filing, but it will be rejected unless we receive the original document with the required information on or before the deadline.
  2. If you are paying maintenance fees in MLRS, you are not required to upload any maintenance fee payment forms.
  3. For all other filings, a document is required and may be uploaded to MLRS or sent to our office by regular mail.
  4. If you wait until the last couple weeks before the deadline to file in MLRS – there will be delays and hiccups in the system. Contact our office if you suspect a problem or encounter issues.
  5. We recommend customers log into the system 24 hours after your transaction to ensure it was processed.

How do I pay the maintenance fees or submit filings in MLRS?

  1. Log into MLRS.
  2. Select the appropriate filing or payment from the 'Take Action' menu.
  3. Select one or multiple claims that require maintenance fees, the system will calculate the total amount due for the claim(s) selected.
  4. Follow the prompts on the screen to upload documents and/or enter the payment information.

Maintenance Fees and Annual Filings

Maintenance Fee payments or qualifying Maintenance Fee Waiver Certification documents are due September 1st every year for the upcoming assessment year. Oregon/Washington claimants have an option to purchase county specific forms for their annual maintenance filing(s) through a third party vendor, Stevens-Ness Law Publishing Co.

In the future a nationwide annual reminder will come by email from the Mineral and Land Records System (MLRS). This will not replace our reminder packet which will be posted here annually. However, the Oregon-Washington State Office is no longer mailing packets to all claimants. Please note by enrolling in MLRS you will also receive in real time email updates as documents are received, processed, and accepted.

BLM Forms

We do accept expired forms; however; the updated forms are available online at: https://www.blm.gov/services/electronic-forms by clicking on the title fluid and solid minerals, mining claims, and scrolling down the list by form number.

  • 3830-002 Maintenance Fee Waiver Certification
  • 3830-004 Affidavit of Annual Assessment Work
  • 3830-005 Maintenance Fee Payment Form for Lode Claims, Mill Sites, and Tunnel Sites
  • 3830-005a Maintenance Fee Payment Form for Placer Mining Claims
  • Notice of Intent to Hold
  • Mining Claim Packet

Please contact the Public Room if you want forms mailed to you.

Appeals

The Office of Hearings and Appeals (OHA), Interior Board of Land Appeals (IBLA) is the delegated authority to conduct hearings and decide appeals from decisions issued by the Bureau of Land Management. Form 1842-001 explains the appeal process for decisions issued by the Oregon-Washington State Office.

Bonding

Please refer to the information handout discussing the bonding process for hard rock mines on public lands.
Maps & Publications

Oregon/Washington Maps: https://www.blm.gov/maps/frequently-requested/oregon-washington

State of Oregon Large 500k Wall Map $15.00 (includes shipping):

state of oregon map
 

State of Washington Large, 500k Wall Map $15.00 (includes shipping):

state of washington map

For more information on Surface Management Maps (100k $4.00) and the Pacific Northwest Recreation Map Series, please visit https://www.blm.gov/maps/frequently-requested/oregon-washington/pacific-northwest-recreation-map-series.

Land Records

The BLM OR/WA Land Records site provides online access to our Master Title Plats, Historical Indices, and Survey Plats.

OR/WA BLM Land Records and Survey Information: https://www.blm.gov/or/landrecords/survey/ySrvy1.php

BLM General Land Office Records: https://glorecords.blm.gov/default.aspx

GLO Records Land Catalog: https://glorecords.blm.gov/LandCatalog/Catalog

Reporting Applications: https://reports.blm.gov/

Explanatory township: https://www.blm.gov/or/landrecords/files/MTP_Help.pdf

LR2000 Case Type Code Reference Material: https://reports.blm.gov/content/lr2000/reference-codes/

BLM OR/WA Land Records Abbreviations: https://www.blm.gov/or/landrecords/files/abbreviations.pdf

GIS Viewers/Data

BLM OR/WA External Data Viewer: https://apps.geocortex.com/webviewer/?app=36678252db204f2b86506fe9579fca14

BLM Geospatial Business Platform Hub: https://gbp-blm-egis.hub.arcgis.com/

Recreation

America the Beautiful Pass: https://www.blm.gov/programs/recreation/passes

Northwest Forest Pass: the US Forest Service, Region 6, pass is no longer sold at the Oregon State Office. For additional information please visit the website at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/r6/passes-permits/recreation/?cid=fsbdev2_027010.

Site Reservations: to reserve a site for an upcoming trip, visit http://www.recreation.gov or contact the site directly to make a reservation.

Recreation Permits and Fees: https://www.blm.gov/programs/recreation/permits-and-fees

Recreation Program: https://www.blm.gov/programs/recreation/recreation-programs

Rock Collecting

Through the following searchable public room list, find and download our frequently requested documents, brochures, maps, activity books, and more.

2020

What's New?

The 2024 Oregon/Washington Mining Claim Packet is now available!

Mining Claim Packet