BLM Public Land Mining Claim Fees Due in September
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The deadline for filing annual mining claim fees with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is Tuesday, September 1, 2015. All mining claimants who wish to retain mining claims on federal public lands through 2016 must pay a maintenance fee or file a maintenance fee waiver certificate on or before September 1, 2015. The maintenance fee for a lode claim, tunnel site, or mill site is $155 per claim/site. For placer mining claims only, the fees are $155 for every 20 acres or portion thereof. For example, if a placer mining claim consists of 46 acres, the claimants will pay $465 for the maintenance fee -- $155 for each 20 acre portion of the placer mining claim and another $155 for the remaining 6 acres. Each payment must be accompanied by a written list of the claim name(s) and BLM serial number(s) (CAMC numbers) for which the maintenance fee is being paid. All Maintenance Fee Waiver Certificates and maintenance fees must be filed or paid at the BLM State Office at 2800 Cottage Way, Room W-1623, Sacramento, CA 95825 or on-line with a credit card through the BLM's Payment Portal at: https://www.blm.gov/eppcore/home. Filings made by mail need to be postmarked on or before September 1, 2015. Miners who file the 2016 Small Miner's Waiver will be required to file an Affidavit of Assessment Work (Proof of Labor) Form, including the $10 processing fee per CAMC number on or before December 30, 2015. "The Information Access Center is available to answer questions regarding any concerns on filings and maintaining active claims," said Debra Marsh, BLM Adjudication Branch Chief. "Miners risk losing their claims unless appropriate forms and fees are filed by the deadline." The Sacramento Information Access Center Public Room is open for payment and/or filings from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Cash, check or credit card can be presented to make payment either in person, by mail, on-line, or by phone. Claims for which no maintenance fee has been paid or waiver has been filed or postmarked on or before September 1 will be declared forfeited and voided. The "Mining Claims/Sites Filing Instructions for 2016," can be found at: http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/info/iac/miningfacts.html. For more information on the filing deadline, the claim fee or the Maintenance Fee Waiver Certification (a.k.a. small miner waiver), please call the BLM State Office Information Access Center Public Room at (916) 978-4400 or visit the BLM California Public Room website at: http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/info/iac.html.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.