PRIA, Government Policy, Made Personal

Summary

Miners in each mining district may make rules, as long as those rules do not conflict with U.S. law or the laws of the State or Territory, about how to locate and hold a mining claim. Each claim must be clearly marked on the ground so its boundaries can be found. Records made after May 10, 1872 must name the locators, give the date, and describe the claim by a natural object or permanent marker. For claims with a waiver under section 28f and located after May 10, 1872, at least $100 of work or improvements must be done each year until a patent issues. For claims located before May 10, 1872, $10 of work or improvements is required each year for every 100 feet along the vein until a patent issues. If owners share a claim, the required work may be done on any one of the shared claims. If someone fails to do the work, the claim can be relocated unless the original locators resume work before relocation. Co-owners who pay can notify a delinquent owner in writing or by publishing in the nearest newspaper once a week for 90 days; if the delinquent does not pay within 90 days, his share goes to the paying co-owners. For unpatented claims located since May 10, 1872 (including Alaska), the yearly work period starts at 12:01 a.m. on the September 1 after the claim date. Money spent running a tunnel to develop lodes owned by the tunnel owner counts as work on those lodes, whether they were located before or after May 10, 1872, and no surface work is then required. The annual period that would have ended December 31, 1921 continues until 12:00 noon on July 1, 1922.

Title 30, §28

Mineral Lands and Mining, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

The miners of each mining district may make regulations not in conflict with the laws of the United States, or with the laws of the State or Territory in which the district is situated, governing the location, manner of recording, amount of work necessary to hold possession of a mining claim, subject to the following requirements: The location must be distinctly marked on the ground so that its boundaries can be readily traced. All records of mining claims made after May 10, 1872, shall contain the name or names of the locators, the date of the location, and such a description of the claim or claims located by reference to some natural object or permanent monument as will identify the claim. On each claim located after the 10th day of May 1872, that is granted a waiver under section 28f of this title, and until a patent has been issued therefor, not less than $100 worth of labor shall be performed or improvements made during each year. On all claims located prior to the 10th day of May 1872, $10 worth of labor shall be performed or improvements made each year, for each one hundred feet in length along the vein until a patent has been issued therefor; but where such claims are held in common, such expenditure may be made upon any one claim; and upon a failure to comply with these conditions, the claim or mine upon which such failure occurred shall be open to relocation in the same manner as if no location of the same had ever been made, provided that the original locators, their heirs, assigns, or legal representatives, have not resumed work upon the claim after failure and before such location. Upon the failure of any one of several coowners to contribute his proportion of the expenditures required hereby, the coowners who have performed the labor or made the improvements may, at the expiration of the year, give such delinquent co-owner personal notice in writing or notice by publication in the newspaper published nearest the claim, for at least once a week for ninety days, and if at the expiration of ninety days after such notice in writing or by publication such delinquent should fail or refuse to contribute his proportion of the expenditure required by this section, his interest in the claim shall become the property of his co-owners who have made the required expenditures. The period within which the work required to be done annually on all unpatented mineral claims located since May 10, 1872, including such claims in the Territory of Alaska, shall commence at 12:01 ante meridian on the first day of September succeeding the date of location of such claim. Where a person or company has or may run a tunnel for the purposes of developing a lode or lodes, owned by said person or company, the money so expended in said tunnel shall be taken and considered as expended on said lode or lodes, whether located prior to or since May 10, 1872; and such person or company shall not be required to perform work on the surface of said lode or lodes in order to hold the same as required by this section. On all such valid claims the annual period ending December 31, 1921, shall continue to 12 o’clock meridian July 1, 1922.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Codification R.S. § 2324 derived from act May 10, 1872, ch. 152, § 5, 17 Stat. 92. Pub. L. 110–161, which directed the amendment of section 28 of title 30, United States Code, “in section 28”, was executed by making the amendment to R.S. § 2324, which is classified to this section, to reflect the probable intent of Congress. See 2007 Amendment note below.

Amendments

2007—Pub. L. 110–161 substituted “shall commence at 12:01 ante meridian on the first day of September” for “shall commence at 12 o’clock meridian on the 1st day of September”. See Codification note above. 1993—Pub. L. 103–66 inserted “that is granted a waiver under section 28f of this title,” after “On each claim located after the 10th day of May 1872,”. 1958—Pub. L. 85–736 changed period for doing annual assessment work on unpatented mineral claims, substituting “1st day of September” for “1st day of July”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Assessment Work Years, 1957–58 and 1958–59 Pub. L. 85–736, § 2, Aug. 23, 1958, 72 Stat. 829, provided that the period commencing in 1957 for the performance of annual assessment work under this section shall end at 12 o’clock meridian on the 1st day of July 1958, and the period commencing in 1958 for the performance of such annual assessment work shall commence at 12 o’clock meridian on the 1st day of July 1958, and shall continue to 12 o’clock meridian on Sept. 1, 1959.

Executive Documents

Admission of Alaska as StateAdmission of Alaska into the Union was accomplished Jan. 3, 1959, on issuance of Proc. No. 3269, Jan. 3, 1959, 24 F.R. 81, 73 Stat. c16, as required by section 1 and 8(c) of Pub. L. 85–508, July 7, 1958, 72 Stat. 339, set out as notes preceding section 21 of Title 48, Territories and Insular Possessions.