US Code

Public Law 119-88 (05/04/2026)

Chapter 2 Mineral Lands and Regulations in General

Browse 0 units and 54 sections in Chapter 2 Mineral Lands and Regulations in General of Title 30.

Sections in Chapter 2

§ 21 Mineral lands reserved § 21a National mining and minerals policy; “minerals” defined; execution of policy under other authorized programs § 22 Lands open to purchase by citizens § 23 Length of claims on veins or lodes § 24 Proof of citizenship § 25 Affidavit of citizenship § 26 Locators’ rights of possession and enjoyment § 27 Mining tunnels; right to possession of veins on line with; abandonment of right § 28 Mining district regulations by miners: location, recordation, and amount of work; marking of location on ground; records; annual labor or improvements on claims pending issue of patent; co-owner’s succession in interest upon delinquency in contributing proportion of expenditures; tunnel as lode expenditure § 28–1 Inclusion of certain surveys in labor requirements of mining claims; conditions and restrictions § 28–2 Definitions § 28a Omitted § 28b Annual assessment work on mining claims; temporary deferment; conditions § 28c Length and termination of deferment § 28d Performance of deferred work § 28e Recordation of deferment § 28f Fee § 28g Location fee § 28h Co-ownership § 28i Failure to pay § 28j Other requirements § 28k Regulations § 28l Collection of mining law administration fees § 29 Patents; procurement procedure; filing: application under oath, plat and field notes, notices, and affidavits; posting plat and notice on claim; publication and posting notice in office; certificate; adverse claims; payment per acre; objections; nonresident claimant’s agent for execution of application and affidavits § 30 Adverse claims; oath of claimants; requisites; waiver; stay of land office proceedings; judicial determination of right of possession; successful claimants’ filing of judgment roll, certificate of labor, and description of claim in land office, and acreage and fee payments; issuance of patents for entire or partial claims upon certification of land office proceedings and judgment roll; alienation of patent title § 31 Oath: agent or attorney in fact, beyond district of claim § 32 Findings by jury; costs § 33 Existing rights § 34 Description of vein claims on surveyed and unsurveyed lands; monuments on ground to govern conflicting calls § 35 Placer claims; entry and proceedings for patent under provisions applicable to vein or lode claims; conforming entry to legal subdivisions and surveys; limitation of claims; homestead entry of segregated agricultural land § 36 Subdivisions of 10-acre tracts; maximum of placer locations; homestead claims of agricultural lands; sale of improvements § 37 Proceedings for patent where boundaries contain vein or lode; application; statement including vein or lode; issuance of patent: acreage payments for vein or lode and placer claim; costs of proceedings; knowledge affecting construction of application and scope of patent § 38 Evidence of possession and work to establish right to patent § 39 Surveyors of mining claims § 40 Verification of affidavits § 41 Intersecting or crossing veins § 42 Patents for nonmineral lands: application, survey, notice, acreage limitation, payment § 43 Conditions of sale by local legislature § 44, 45 Omitted § 46 Additional land districts and officers § 47 Impairment of rights or interests in certain mining property § 48 Lands in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota; sale and disposal as public lands § 49 Lands in Missouri and Kansas; disposal as agricultural lands § 49a Mining laws of United States extended to Alaska; exploration and mining for precious metals; regulations; conflict of laws; permits; dumping tailings; pumping from sea; reservation of roadway; title to land below line of high tide or high-water mark; transfer of title to future State § 49b Mining laws relating to placer claims extended to Alaska § 49c Recording notices of location of Alaskan mining claims § 49d Miners’ regulations for recording notices in Alaska; certain records legalized § 49e Annual labor or improvements on Alaskan mining claims; affidavits; burden of proof; forfeitures; location anew of claims; perjury § 49f Fees of recorders in Alaska for filing proofs of work and improvements § 50 Grants to States or corporations not to include mineral lands § 51 Water users’ vested and accrued rights; enumeration of uses; protection of interest; rights-of-way for canals and ditches; liability for injury or damage to settlers’ possession § 52 Patents or homesteads subject to vested and accrued water rights § 53 Possessory actions for recovery of mining titles or for damages to such title § 54 Liability for damages to stock raising and homestead entries by mining activities