Title 30Mineral Lands and MiningRelease 119-73not60

§705 Purchase Price of Conveyed Interest; Installment Payments

Title 30 › Chapter 20— CONVEYANCES TO OCCUPANTS OF UNPATENTED MINING CLAIMS › § 705

Last updated Apr 5, 2026|Official source

Summary

Before any sale, the Secretary must set the interest’s fair market value as of the appraisal date, not counting improvements added by the applicant or earlier owners, and consider their claims, including past use. Price cannot be more than fair market value or less than $5 per acre. Installments may be allowed.

Full Legal Text

Title 30, §705

Mineral Lands and Mining — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

The Secretary of the Interior, prior to any conveyance under this chapter, shall determine the fair market value of the interest to be conveyed, exclusive of the value of any improvements placed on the lands involved by the applicant or his predecessors in interest. Said value shall be determined as of the date of appraisal. In establishing the purchase price to be paid by the applicant for the interest, the Secretary shall take into consideration any equities of the applicant and his predecessors in interest, including conditions of prior use and occupancy. In any event the purchase price for any interest conveyed shall not exceed its fair market value nor be less than $5 per acre. The Secretary may, in his discretion, allow payment to be made in installments.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

30 U.S.C. § 705

Title 30Mineral Lands and Mining

Last Updated

Apr 5, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60