State guides › Idaho
How to stake a mining claim in Idaho
Lode and placer claims on federal land in Idaho follow the federal mining law and Idaho Code 47-601 to 47-619. Here is what Idaho requires, from discovery to the annual filings.
Lay out a Idaho claim on the map
Lode claims
A lode claim may be up to 1,500 feet long and 600 feet wide (300 feet on each side of the middle of the vein), with parallel end lines.
- Post the written notice at one corner of the claim (Corner No. 1) when you make the location (Idaho Code 47-602).
- Before recording, set a substantial monument or a post at least 4 feet high and 4 inches square or in diameter at each corner or angle, marked with the name of the claim, the number of the corner and the direction of the boundary lines, and mark the boundary lines so they can be readily traced. Use a witness monument where a corner cannot be set in its true position (Idaho Code 47-602).
Placer claims
Placer claims are 20 acres per locator, up to 160 acres for an association of 8, described by aliquot parts of at least 10 acres and complete lots.
- Post the written notice at one corner of the claim (Corner No. 1) when you make the location (Idaho Code 47-602).
- Same as lode claims: a substantial monument or a post at least 4 feet high and 4 inches square or in diameter at each corner or angle, marked with the claim name, corner number and the direction of the boundary lines (Idaho Code 47-602).
Monument markings
Mark each monument with the name of the claim, the number of the corner, and the direction of the boundary lines. Monument types Idaho accepts:
- post at least 4 feet high (above ground) and 4 inches square or in diameter
- substantial stone monument
- capped (closed-top), unperforated metal post at least 4 feet high and 4 inches in diameter
The notice or certificate of location
The notice states the locators, the claim name and whether lode or placer, the date, the mining district (if any) and county, the directions and distances describing the claim, and the direction and distance from the notice corner to a natural object or permanent monument (Idaho Code 47-602). One location per notice (47-608).
Recording with the County Recorder
Record a copy of the notice of location, with the locator's affidavit, with the County Recorder within 90 days after location; failure is abandonment (Idaho Code 47-604, 47-611).
Fees: $10 for the first page and $3 for each additional page; $1 for an oath administered by the recorder (Idaho Code 31-3205).
Notarization
One of the named locators must swear the locator's affidavit (a jurat) before a notary or the county recorder (Idaho Code 47-611). An agent who is not a named locator cannot make it.
Document format
- Pages no larger than 8½ × 14 inches (Idaho Code 31-3205). Counties commonly require a 3-inch blank space at the top of page 1 for the recording stamp.
Claim map
Idaho does not require a map with the notice; BLM does.
Filing with BLM
Within 90 days of location, file a copy of the recorded notice, a map, and the processing, location and initial maintenance fees ($274 per lode claim or per 20 acres of placer, as of October 11, 2026) with the BLM State Office or online in MLRS.
Every year
If you pay the BLM maintenance fee there is no Idaho county filing. If you do assessment work, record an affidavit of labor within 60 days after the end of the assessment year (about October 31) (Idaho Code 47-606).
Federally, pay the $200 maintenance fee per claim by September 1, or file a small miner waiver and the annual affidavit or notice of intent to hold by December 30.
What is different in Idaho
- The notice is posted at a CORNER (Corner No. 1), not at the discovery, and the description runs from that corner.
- Each corner monument is marked with the claim name, the corner number AND the direction of the boundary lines.
- A sworn locator's affidavit (citizenship and that the ground is open) must be on or attached to the notice.
- Missing the 90-day recording deadline is abandonment.
- A notice that claims more than one location is void.