--- kind: "unit" title: "30" title_heading: "Mineral Lands and Mining" key: "ch2" level: "chapter" label: "Chapter 2" heading: "Mineral Lands and Regulations in General" release: "119-102" date: "2026-07-12" url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/30/ch2" sections_count: 54 --- # Chapter 2 — Mineral Lands and Regulations in General Title 30 — Mineral Lands and Mining ## Sections - [§21. Mineral lands reserved](/usc/30/21.md) - [§21a. National mining and minerals policy; “minerals” defined; execution of policy under other authorized programs](/usc/30/21a.md) - [§22. Lands open to purchase by citizens](/usc/30/22.md) - [§23. Length of claims on veins or lodes](/usc/30/23.md) - [§24. Proof of citizenship](/usc/30/24.md) - [§25. Affidavit of citizenship](/usc/30/25.md) - [§26. Locators’ rights of possession and enjoyment](/usc/30/26.md) - [§27. Mining tunnels; right to possession of veins on line with; abandonment of right](/usc/30/27.md) - [§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](/usc/30/28.md) - [§28–1. Inclusion of certain surveys in labor requirements of mining claims; conditions and restrictions](/usc/30/28-1.md) - [§28–2. Definitions](/usc/30/28-2.md) - [§28a. Omitted](/usc/30/28a.md) - [§28b. Annual assessment work on mining claims; temporary deferment; conditions](/usc/30/28b.md) - [§28c. Length and termination of deferment](/usc/30/28c.md) - [§28d. Performance of deferred work](/usc/30/28d.md) - [§28e. Recordation of deferment](/usc/30/28e.md) - [§28f. Fee](/usc/30/28f.md) - [§28g. Location fee](/usc/30/28g.md) - [§28h. Co-ownership](/usc/30/28h.md) - [§28i. Failure to pay](/usc/30/28i.md) - [§28j. Other requirements](/usc/30/28j.md) - [§28k. Regulations](/usc/30/28k.md) - [§28l. Collection of mining law administration fees](/usc/30/28l.md) - [§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](/usc/30/29.md) - [§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](/usc/30/30.md) - [§31. Oath: agent or attorney in fact, beyond district of claim](/usc/30/31.md) - [§32. Findings by jury; costs](/usc/30/32.md) - [§33. Existing rights](/usc/30/33.md) - [§34. Description of vein claims on surveyed and unsurveyed lands; monuments on ground to govern conflicting calls](/usc/30/34.md) - [§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](/usc/30/35.md) - [§36. Subdivisions of 10-acre tracts; maximum of placer locations; homestead claims of agricultural lands; sale of improvements](/usc/30/36.md) - [§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](/usc/30/37.md) - [§38. Evidence of possession and work to establish right to patent](/usc/30/38.md) - [§39. Surveyors of mining claims](/usc/30/39.md) - [§40. Verification of affidavits](/usc/30/40.md) - [§41. Intersecting or crossing veins](/usc/30/41.md) - [§42. Patents for nonmineral lands: application, survey, notice, acreage limitation, payment](/usc/30/42.md) - [§43. Conditions of sale by local legislature](/usc/30/43.md) - [§45. Omitted](/usc/30/45.md) - [§46. Additional land districts and officers](/usc/30/46.md) - [§47. Impairment of rights or interests in certain mining property](/usc/30/47.md) - [§48. Lands in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota; sale and disposal as public lands](/usc/30/48.md) - [§49. Lands in Missouri and Kansas; disposal as agricultural lands](/usc/30/49.md) - [§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](/usc/30/49a.md) - [§49b. Mining laws relating to placer claims extended to Alaska](/usc/30/49b.md) - [§49c. Recording notices of location of Alaskan mining claims](/usc/30/49c.md) - [§49d. Miners’ regulations for recording notices in Alaska; certain records legalized](/usc/30/49d.md) - [§49e. Annual labor or improvements on Alaskan mining claims; affidavits; burden of proof; forfeitures; location anew of claims; perjury](/usc/30/49e.md) - [§49f. Fees of recorders in Alaska for filing proofs of work and improvements](/usc/30/49f.md) - [§50. Grants to States or corporations not to include mineral lands](/usc/30/50.md) - [§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](/usc/30/51.md) - [§52. Patents or homesteads subject to vested and accrued water rights](/usc/30/52.md) - [§53. Possessory actions for recovery of mining titles or for damages to such title](/usc/30/53.md) - [§54. Liability for damages to stock raising and homestead entries by mining activities](/usc/30/54.md)