---
kind: "section"
citation: "30 U.S.C. § 1417"
title: "30"
title_heading: "Mineral Lands and Mining"
number: "1417"
heading: "Duration of licenses and permits"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/30/1417"
units:
  - "Chapter 26 — Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources"
  - "Subchapter I — Regulation of Exploration and Commercial Recovery by United States Citizens"
---

# §1417. Duration of licenses and permits

- (a) **Duration of a license—** Each license for [exploration](/usc/30/1403.md?p=5) shall be issued for a period of 10 years. If the [licensee](/usc/30/1403.md?p=8) has substantially complied with the license and the [exploration](/usc/30/1403.md?p=5) plan associated therewith and has requested extensions of the license, the [Administrator](/usc/30/1403.md?p=12) shall extend the license on terms, conditions, and restrictions consistent with this chapter and the regulations issued under this chapter for periods of not more than 5 years each.
- (b) **Duration of a permit—** Each permit for [commercial recovery](/usc/30/1403.md?p=1) shall be issued for a term of 20 years and for so long thereafter as [hard mineral resources](/usc/30/1403.md?p=6) are recovered annually in commercial quantities from the area to which the recovery plan associated with the permit applies. The permit of any [permittee](/usc/30/1403.md?p=9) who is not recovering [hard mineral resources](/usc/30/1403.md?p=6) in commercial quantities at the end of 10 years shall be terminated; except that the [Administrator](/usc/30/1403.md?p=12) shall for good cause shown, including force majeure, adverse economic conditions, unavoidable delays in construction, major unanticipated vessel repairs that prevent the [permittee](/usc/30/1403.md?p=9) from conducting [commercial recovery](/usc/30/1403.md?p=1) activities during an annual period, or other circumstances beyond the control of the [permittee](/usc/30/1403.md?p=9), extend the 10-year period, but not beyond the initial 20-year term of the permit.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 96–283, title I, § 107, June 28, 1980, 94 Stat. 567.)