A mining claim is a parcel of land for which the claimant has asserted a right of possession and the right to develop and extract a discovered, valuable, mineral deposit. This right does not include exclusive surface rights (see Public Law 84-167).

There are three basic types of minerals on federally-administered lands: locatable, leasable, and salable. Mining claims are staked for locatable minerals on public domain lands.

Locatable minerals include both metallic minerals (gold, silver, lead, etc.) and nonmetallic minerals (fluorspar, asbestos, mica, etc.). It is nearly impossible to list all locatable minerals because of the complex legal requirements for discovery.

The Nevada Division of Minerals Open Data website hosts several datasets useful to mineral exploration companies, including: mining claims data, historic mining districts, historic and current producers, mineral occurrences, notice and plan level filings and more.

This is a platform for exploring and downloading Mining Claims, Plan, and Notice GIS data. Unpatented mining claims, plans and notices are presented in this map on a per section basis for Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. All maps are interactive with feature pop-ups designed to guide the user to the appropriate places to view data and run queries.  The user can also add their own data to the map.  This website is new and it is anticipated that it will be improved upon as time allows.  The developer is donating time to keep the site up and going, so updates will be as time allows, but it is our goal to update the data at least once a month.

This website was created by Lucia Patterson and is sponsored by New Frontier Drilling.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manages more than 245 million acres of public land, primarily located in 12 western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of subsurface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM’s multiple-use mission is to sustain the health, diversity and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The BLM accomplishes this mission by managing activities, such as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, cultural, and other resources on public lands.

The Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) of 1976 provides that the public lands remain under the stewardship of the Federal Government, unless disposal is in the national interest and consistent with publicly approved land use plans, and that their resources be managed under a multipleuse concept that will best meet the present and future needs of the American people. Since mining is one of the multiple uses of BLM public lands, this pamphlet provides information on activities that fall under the Mining Law of 1872, as amended.

A guide to mining claim procedures in Nevada, 2019. NBMG SP-6.

Produced by the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology (NBMG).

A table showing mining claim filing requirements, 2019.

Produced by the Nevada Division of Minerals (NDOM).

Mining historical data all contained within a single map file. 

Nevada mining claims distribution map as of May 28, 2022. Data from the Bureau of Land Management MLRS database.

Map created by the Nevada Division of Minerals.

Nevada mining districts with historically produced commodities map.

Map created by the Nevada Division of Minerals.

Nevada mining districts with historically produced critical minerals map.

Map created by the Nevada Division of Minerals.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is publishing this rule to streamline the regulations on locating, filing, and maintaining mining claims or sites by consolidating provisions that were scattered in various portions of Groups 3700 and 3800 into ten consecutive parts placing the provisions in logical order, clarifying conflicting language, eliminating duplication, and removing obsolete provisions. These revisions are part of BLM’s overall effort to rewrite regulations in plain language to make them easier for the public to use and understand and to provide better customer service.