How to use ClaimStaker

ClaimStaker lays out unpatented mining claims on BLM survey data and prepares the paperwork your state and BLM require.

1. Set up the project

Choose the state. ClaimStaker finds the county from the map once you draw a claim. Enter the date of location (the day you post the notice) and, where the state needs it, the date of discovery.

2. Lay out placer claims

• Zoom in until the quarter-quarter sections (40 acres) appear, then choose New placer.
• Click 10-acre parts to add or remove them; hold Shift and drag to paint several. Click a government lot to add it whole.
• Choose how many locators the claim has: 20 acres each, up to 160 acres for 8 locators. Parts must share a side, not just a corner, and must fit the Snow Flake envelope.
• The claim turns green when it passes the federal rules. Problems are listed in the panel.

3. Lay out lode claims

• Choose New lode and click the map where Corner No. 1 goes. Type the bearing and distance from Corner 1 to Corner 2, and the width; corners follow at right angles. Drag Corner 1 to move the claim or Corner 2 to turn it.
• Or use Place from a tie: pick a section corner (shown as "NW cor. Sec. 25"), type the bearing and distance from Corner No. 1 to that corner, then the bearings around the claim.
• Drag the white diamond to set the discovery point. ClaimStaker writes the description from the discovery, as federal rules require.

4. Fill an area, or add claims beside one

Fill an area covers a drawn area with valid claims. The arrows in a claim's panel add the same claim on that side.

5. Prepare paperwork

Add locators with mailing addresses, choose your monument type, and select Prepare paperwork. You receive, for each claim, the notice or certificate to record with the county, a notice to post on the claim and a claim map, plus a filing checklist with every deadline and fee, in Word and PDF, and a GPX file of monument positions for your GPS.

6. In the field and at the office

1. Post the notice and set the monuments as the checklist describes.
2. Sign (and notarize where required) and record with the county by its deadline.
3. File with BLM within 90 days with the map and fees.
4. Pay the BLM maintenance fee (or file a small miner waiver) by September 1 each year, and make any annual county filing.

Questions

Is ClaimStaker legal advice?

No. ClaimStaker is software that lays out claims and fills in forms from what you enter, using the federal and state requirements we have researched. It is not a law firm or a surveyor. For complex situations, consult an attorney or a mining claim professional.

Do I need a surveyor?

No. Federal rules say you are not required to employ a professional surveyor or engineer to locate a claim or draw its map (43 CFR 3832.12(a)(2)(iv)). Some states have extra map rules, which the checklist explains.

Why are placer parts 10 acres and not smaller?

Placer claims are described by aliquot parts of at least 10 acres and complete lots (30 U.S.C. 36). In George Kendall, 184 IBLA 71 (2013), the Interior Board of Land Appeals held that 2.5- and 5-acre parts do not conform. Smaller parts are allowed only for a fraction bounded by prior claims; ClaimStaker offers a fraction mode for that case.

What is the Snow Flake rule?

A placer claim must be compact: a claim by one or two locators fits within one square 40-acre parcel, three or four within two contiguous 40-acre parcels, five or six within three, and seven or eight within four (43 CFR 3832.12(c)(3); Snow Flake Fraction Placer, 37 L.D. 250).

Which states are supported?

Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

Does ClaimStaker check whether land is open to claiming?

Not yet. You must confirm that the land is federal land open to mineral entry and not already claimed, for example in BLM's Mineral & Land Records System (MLRS).

What counts toward my plan's allowance?

A claim counts the first time you prepare its paperwork. Downloading it again, renaming it or changing its locators does not count again; moving it or changing its shape makes it a new claim.

Can I download my paperwork again later?

Yes. Every claim you prepare is kept in your account under Prepared claims, and you can download it again at no charge.

Where does the map data come from?

Survey data comes from the BLM Cadastral National Spatial Data Infrastructure (PLSS), base maps from the USGS National Map, place names from the USGS Geographic Names Information System and counties from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Still stuck? Email [email protected].