Title 30, Mineral Lands and MiningRelease 119-102
§27 Mining Tunnels; Right to Possession of Veins on Line With; Abandonment of Right
Title 30 › CHAPTER 2 — MINERAL LANDS AND REGULATIONS IN GENERAL › § 27
Summary
Digging a tunnel to find or work a vein gives the tunnel owner rights to any veins found in that tunnel along its line up to 3,000 feet from the tunnel face, the same as if they were found on the surface. Other people's claims after the tunnel starts are invalid while work continues; stopping work for six months ends those rights.
Full Legal Text
Title 30, §27
Mineral Lands and Mining, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Where a tunnel is run for the development of a vein or lode, or for the discovery of mines, the owners of such tunnel shall have the right of possession of all veins or lodes within three thousand feet from the face of such tunnel on the line thereof, not previously known to exist, discovered in such tunnel, to the same extent as if discovered from the surface; and locations on the line of such tunnel of veins or lodes not appearing on the surface, made by other parties after the commencement of the tunnel, and while the same is being prosecuted with reasonable diligence, shall be invalid; but failure to prosecute the work on the tunnel for six months shall be considered as an abandonment of the right to all undiscovered veins on the line of such tunnel.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
Codification R.S. § 2323 derived from act May 10, 1872, ch. 152, § 4, 17 Stat. 92.
Short Title
This section is popularly known as the Tunnel Site Act.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
30 U.S.C. § 27
Title 30, Mineral Lands and Mining
Last Updated
Aug 21, 2026
Release point: 119-102