Title 30 — Mineral Lands and MiningRelease 119-73

§1417 Duration of licenses and permits

Title 30 › Chapter CHAPTER 26— - DEEP SEABED HARD MINERAL RESOURCES › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER I— - REGULATION OF EXPLORATION AND COMMERCIAL RECOVERY BY UNITED STATES CITIZENS › § 1417

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Exploration licenses last 10 years. If the holder followed the plan and asks, the Administrator must renew them in up to 5‑year terms. Commercial recovery permits last 20 years and only continue if hard minerals are produced annually. If no commercial recovery by year 10, permit ends unless the Administrator extends it for good cause (e.g., disasters, bad economy, construction delays, major repairs), but not past 20 years.

Full Legal Text

Title 30, §1417

Mineral Lands and Mining — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Each license for exploration shall be issued for a period of 10 years. If the licensee has substantially complied with the license and the exploration plan associated therewith and has requested extensions of the license, the Administrator shall extend the license on terms, conditions, and restrictions consistent with this chapter and the regulations issued under this chapter for periods of not more than 5 years each.

(b)Each permit for commercial recovery shall be issued for a term of 20 years and for so long thereafter as hard mineral resources are recovered annually in commercial quantities from the area to which the recovery plan associated with the permit applies. The permit of any permittee who is not recovering hard mineral resources in commercial quantities at the end of 10 years shall be terminated; except that the Administrator shall for good cause shown, including force majeure, adverse economic conditions, unavoidable delays in construction, major unanticipated vessel repairs that prevent the permittee from conducting commercial recovery activities during an annual period, or other circumstances beyond the control of the permittee, extend the 10-year period, but not beyond the initial 20-year term of the permit.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

30 U.S.C. § 1417

Title 30 — Mineral Lands and Mining

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73