Claim owners · Arizona
Selling mining claims in Arizona
Arizona has more than 55,000 mining claims on BLM land. Claims are recorded with the county recorder where they sit and filed with the BLM Arizona State Office in Phoenix. Before selling, confirm the BLM fee or waiver is current and that the county record holds the location notice, its map and each year’s affidavit.
Before you sell
What to check for Arizona claims
| BLM office | BLM Arizona State Office, Phoenix |
|---|---|
| Federal fee | BLM maintenance fee of $200 per lode claim, or per 20 acres of placer, by September 1 each year, or a small miner waiver if you hold 10 or fewer claims. |
| County filing each year | BLM Arizona says claimants must also file an affidavit of assessment work or a notice of intent to hold with the county recorder. State law allows an affidavit of annual work, or of maintenance-fee payment, to be recorded before December 31 (A.R.S. 27-208). Confirm with the county recorder. |
| New locations | Location notice recorded with the county within 90 days, with a map attached, and the claim monumented within 90 days (A.R.S. 27-203). A copy goes to the BLM within 90 days of location. |
| Transfers | Deed recorded with the county recorder, then filed with the BLM. |
| Permits and reclamation | Arizona State Mine Inspector: reclamation plans and financial assurance for mining and for exploration disturbing more than 5 acres of private land. Work on BLM land also follows BLM surface rules. |
| Commonly claimed | Copper, molybdenum, gold and silver. |
Rules and fees change. Confirm them with the BLM and the county recorder before relying on them.
How a sale of Arizona claims usually works
- Check each claim on the BLM’s records system. How to check a claim.
- Pull the county record: location notice, map and annual affidavits.
- Gather deeds, BLM receipts and any sample, assay or production records.
- Agree the structure and terms in writing.
- Every claimant of record signs the deed; it is recorded with the county recorder.
- File the recorded deed with the BLM state office, with a processing fee per claim for each new owner. The BLM does not recognize the buyer until the transfer is filed, and keeps treating the seller as the owner of record.
- Agree who pays the next September 1 BLM fee and files the next county affidavit.
Things that trip up Arizona sellers
- County records are indexed by section, township and range; a wrong legal description makes claims hard to find and harder to sell.
- If an amendment changed a claim’s boundaries, a new or amended map must be recorded (A.R.S. 27-202).
Sources: A.R.S. 27-203; A.R.S. 27-208; BLM, mining in Arizona; BLM, 2027 mining claim season fees; 43 CFR part 3833 (recording and transfers). General information, not legal advice.
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