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Legislation & Regulation

Annual Claim Fees Due September 3, 2013

August 2013 by Scott Harn

The deadline for filing annual mining claim fees with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is Tuesday, September 3, 2013. All mining claimants who wish to retain mining claims on federal public lands through 2014 must pay a maintenance fee or file a maintenance fee waiver certificate on or before September 3, 2013.

Because September 1 falls on a Sunday this year, and Monday, September 2, is a holiday, the BLM will accept yearly filings through September 3.

The BLM last year issued a rule that changes the way maintenance fees for placer mining claims are assessed. The rule implements the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2012 (FY 2012 Act), which requires the BLM to collect maintenance fees for placer mining claims based on the total acreage contained in the claim, rather than by the claim.

Claimants will now pay the maintenance fee (currently $140) for every 20 acres or portion thereof, contained in the placer mining claim. For example, if a placer mining claim consists of 46 acres, the claimants will pay $420 for the maintenance fee—$140 for each 20-acre portion of the placer mining claim and another $140 for the remaining 6 acres.

The maintenance fee for other types of claims—lode claims, mill sites and tunnel sites—continues to be $140 per claim or site. At the direction of Congress, the maintenance fee has been adjusted twice since 1993—it was raised to $125 in 2004 and to $140 in 2009.

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. Filings made by mail need to be postmarked on or before September 3, 2013.

Miners who file the 2014 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, 2013.