Demystifying the LR2000

DEMYSTIFYING THE LR2000

Mining Claims & the BLM's LR2000

PART ONE - Understanding the Serial Register Page

by Ruby Miner

Another MinerDiggins Adventure

Right to reproduce granted provided text is unmodified and attribution is included.

If you are searching for Mining Claims information from the BLM you will need to use the LR2000 (Legacy Rehost 2000) reporting system. I have created this series of Tutorials to help you navigate this important resource.

For any single Mining Claim, the most important report to obtain from the LR2000 is the "Serial Register Page". This ONE report summarizes the important information about a Mining Claim. It will tell you what type of claim it is, when it was located, who owns it and much more.

Understanding the Serial Register Page

The Serial Register Page for any Mining Claim can be accessed from the BLM Website .

The next Tutorial in this series will help you obtain this report for the Claim you are researching.

The Serial Register Page has three basic parts. The Header, the Body and the Footer. The Header tells you all the basic information about the Claim.

The Header

1. Authority - 05-10-1872;017STAT0091;30USC26,28,34

The first field on the report cites the BLM's legal authority. For Mining Claims, the Authority is the Mining Law of 5/10/1872 which was codified into the Statues at Large, Volume 17, page 91 and the United States Code, Chapter 30, sections 26, 28 and 34. This is the legal basis for any action the BLM takes regarding this Mining Claim.

2. Case Type - There are four Case Types for Mining Claims.

384101: Lode Claim
384201: Placer Claim
384301: Tunnel Site
384401: Millsite Claim

3. Claim Name - This is the name of the Claim as submitted by the Claimant.

4. Case Disposition - There are four Disposition Codes for Mining Claims.

A : Case is ACTIVE
C : Case is CLOSED
V : Serial Number has been Voided
I : Insufficient Information on the Case

5. Name & Address - This is the name and address of all current Claimants.

6. County / State

7. District - This is the BLM district management office.

8. Mer Twp Rng Sec - Meridian, Township, Range and Section. This should list ALL of the MTRS in which any portion of the Claim lies. However, I have found that unclear filings by the Claimant can easily result in this information being incorrect.

9. Subdivision - This lists the Quarter Sections where the claim lies. This information can often be incorrect as the MTRS noted above.

10. Serial Number - This is the Serial Number assigned by the BLM.

11. Lead File Number - The lead file is used when groups of related claims are filed together.

The Body

The body of the Serial Register Report lists all date related actions that have occurred on the Claim.

You will notice that each transaction has a three digit "Code" listed. This code can be used to do broad searches on the LR2000 for similar types of transactions.

Location & Recordation

The top of the page will show two of the most important dates for a Mining Claim.

Location Date (403) - This is the defining date of the Mining Claim. It is the date the discovery monument is erected and the location notice is posted on the ground.

Recordation Notice (395) - This is the date the BLM received Notice that the Claim has been Located and the Claim Disposition becomes Active.

County Recordation (404) - This is the date the Claimant filed with the County Recorder. It usually appears at the bottom of the page. If the BLM has the Book & Page number of that filing, it will be shown in the right column.

Other Transactions

There are many other types of Transactions that may be listed on this report. Here are some examples:

Maintenance Fee (482)- This shows the receipt of payment of the Annual Claim Maintenance Fee due on September 1st. The column on the right indicates the year the fee covers. In this example the fee was paid on 08/19/1993 for the year 1994. This will tell you whether or not the Claimant has paid his fee in the required time frame.

Transfer of Interest (396)- This occurs when a Claimant transfers (sells or quit claims) his interest in the Claim to another. A filing must be made with the BLM. On this claim, there have been two transfers made. Jack Culp was the original locator. He transferred to Rick D'Agostino in 2005, who transferred to the current claim owner, Bertie Metzger in 2006.

Land Status Checked (669)- This is the date the BLM checked the land status to verify mineral and surface ownership. This often leads to a claim becoming Void if the Claimant had not fully researched the land status prior to claiming.

The Footer

Don't forget to read All the way to the bottom of the page. The Footer will contains notes and clarifications made by the BLM. Sometimes this is where the best information comes from.

Note: Read the remarks by the Line Numbers on the left. They may not always be in sequence as seen below.

Read PART TWO of the Tutorial Series "Demystifying the LR2000" to learn more.