The Clock is Ticking -- Claim Filing Deadline September 1

August 28, 2020

by Scott Harn, Editor

The mining claim filing deadline is approaching fast for claimholders to file their small miner's exemption or pay their annual fees to retain their mining claims. 

I've spoken with many claimholders in California who have not received forms directly from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) as they have in past years. Though the BLM states that reminders and forms were sent out, they have not been received. It could be due to postal delivery problems or some other reason, but this does not alleviate your obligation to pay your maintenance fees or file your maintenance fee waiver certificate under the small miner's exemption in a timely manner.

As we mentioned in our August 2020 issue, claimants can pay their annual maintenance fees online through the Mining Claim Maintenance Fee Payment Portal found at  https://payp.blm.gov/eppcore/home for all states except Alaska.

We strongly recommend that you either make a the drive to deliver your required forms to your BLM office in person or send them by registered mail—postmarked on or before September 1—so you have a documented, defensible position if BLM states they did not receive your payment/paperwork and tries to void your claim.

Greg Fox, one of loyal readers in California, was able to obtain electronic copies of the BLM filing papers for California for the current filing period. You can download and view the electronic file (pdf) here: 2021 Mining Season Package