Title 47 — MINES AND MINING

47-701. Reservation of mineral deposits to state — Terms defined. (1) The terms "mineral lands," "mineral," "mineral deposits," "deposit," and "mineral right," as used in this chapter, and amendments thereto shall be construed to mean and include all coal, oil, oil shale, gas, ph…

47-701A. Definition. As used in section 47-701, Idaho Code, the term "salable minerals," means a mineral substance that can be taken from the earth and that has a value in and of itself separate and apart from the earth and includes, but is not limited to, building stone, cinders…

47-702. Right of exploration and withdrawal. (1) All lands belonging to the state of Idaho in which the mineral deposits, excepting oil and gas and geothermal resources, are owned by the state, and which have not been located, leased, or withdrawn in accordance with the terms of …

47-703. Exploration locations on state lands. (1) Location for exploration purposes may be made upon lands belonging to the state of Idaho in which the mineral rights are reserved or belong to the state, including the beds of all navigable rivers in the state of Idaho and all por…

47-703A. Exploration on state lands — Bond. (1) With the exception of casual exploration as defined in subsection (6)(a) of this section, prior to motorized exploration on state lands, an operator shall first submit to the director of the department of lands, an exploration and r…

47-704. Leases of mineral rights in state lands. (1) The state board of land commissioners may lease in tracts of sizes as the board may deem fair for prospecting, exploration, and mining of mineral deposits, except for leases for oil, gas and other hydrocarbons that may be conta…

47-705. Appraisal of improvements — Term construed. Should any one apply to lease for prospecting and mining purposes the mineral deposits belonging to the state upon which improvements have been made, before the lease shall issue, to other than the owner of the improvements ther…

47-706. Forfeiture of improvements. If any mineral lease has been cancelled for a period of one (1) year and a new lease has not issued the improvements upon the property shall revert to and become the property of the state.

47-707. Forfeiture of leases. All leases of mineral deposits shall be conditional upon payment of the rental in advance annually, and upon the payment of the royalty provided for in the lease and upon the violation of any of the conditions of the lease, the board may at its optio…

47-708. Rights and liabilities of lessees. A lessee of valuable mineral deposits shall have the right at all times to enter upon the lands described in his lease for prospecting and mining, provided he shall not injure, damage, or destroy the improvements of the surface owner; an…

47-709. Mines operated under lease — Inspection by board. The state board of land commissioners shall cause inspection to be made by a competent person or persons of all mines or works operated under leases for the production of minerals as often as the board shall deem necessary…

47-710. Forms, rentals, royalties, and fees. The board shall by rules and regulations prescribe the form of application, the form of lease, the amount of filing and recording fees, the annual rental, the amount of royalty, the basis upon which the royalty shall be computed, and s…

47-711. Sale of state lands containing mineral deposits. (1) Lands in which minerals are contained and the surface of which has a value for other purposes may be sold as a single estate under the provisions of chapter 3, title 58, Idaho Code, relating to the sale of state lands, …

47-712. Applications to purchase — Certificates of purchase. All applications to purchase those state lands that have not been identified as having the potential highest and best use for development purposes, such as residential, commercial or industrial purposes approved subsequ…

47-713. Effect of partial invalidity of chapter. If any clause, sentence, paragraph, or part of this chapter shall, for any reason, be adjudged by any court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, such judgment shall not affect, impair, or invalidate the remainder thereof, but s…

47-714. Leases of navigable river beds authorized. The board of land commissioners of the state of Idaho is hereby specifically authorized to lease for mining purposes the beds of navigable rivers of the state of Idaho between the high water marks thereof, said leases to be given…

47-715. Collection of royalties by board of land commissioners. The board of land commissioners of the state of Idaho is hereby authorized to collect royalties and other payments to the state of Idaho under mineral leases provided for by this chapter.

47-716. Applicable only to deposits in natural state. The provisions of this chapter authorizing the leasing of the beds of the navigable rivers in the state of Idaho shall apply only to deposits in their natural state and shall not apply to dumps and tailings.

47-717. Removal of commercial quantities without lease unlawful. It shall be unlawful for any person, association, firm or corporation to remove in commercial quantities any ores, minerals, or deposits from state lands before securing a lease for said lands from the state board o…

47-718. Violations — Remedies — Penalties. (1) In addition to any other penalties and remedies of this chapter and at law, any person, firm, or corporation who violates any provisions of this chapter or rules adopted pursuant thereto, or who fails to perform the duties imposed th…