How does the process work?

A mining claim is a 20-acre parcel of land that grants the claimant the right to develop and extract minerals, both metallic (ie: gold, silver, etc) and nonmetallic (ie: gemstones, diamonds) from federal lands. There are two types of claims: 1) lode claims that typically are staked to cover intact bedrock mineralization such as a classic gold vein, and 2) placer claims that cover mineral deposits that are not in-place such as a placer gold deposit in a stream valley. Mining claims are renewed annually for a modest fee. All mining claims have a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) serial number and can be found on the U.S. BLM MLRS website database.   The staking and recording process for mining claims can be complicated for a new prospector but our claims and the necessary paperwork have been professionally drafted and staked by experienced geologists.

Why buy a mining claim?

Buying a mining claim is the best way to get started on your mining and prospecting adventure.  Our claims are in established areas with historic mining activity and were carefully selected by experienced exploration geologists that are proven gold finders. Many of these claims have been guarded by the Outwest team for years and are the result of years’ worth of research, geologic study and sampling. Buying a claim that is professionally staked and recorded also reduces your upfront work and the risk of making a mistake in the process that would invalidate your claim. Outwest often performs detailed archival research on the history of our properties, and we have compiled data packages for our claims that will help guide your prospecting activities.

How will ownership of my claim be transferred?

The ownership of mining claims staked on federal lands is transferred with a BLM document known as a “Quit Claim Deed”, which Outwest Mining will prepare.  Once payment for the mining claim has been received, Outwest will record the new claim transfer paperwork with the Bureau of Land Management and the local county’s Clerk and Recorder office.  Outwest will pay all recording and transfer fees. The BLM will officially transfer the ownership of the purchased claim from Outwest to you. Although timelines can vary, it will usually take up to 3 weeks for the claim transfer paperwork to be recorded, registered and returned by mail by both entities. However, Outwest will grant you the right to begin prospecting and mining your claim immediately. Once the transfer of claim ownership is complete, we will send you all the original stamped filing documents (location certificates and maps) and the stamped Quit Claim Deed. After that the mining claim is officially yours! Note that you will be responsible for filing the annual renewal for your claim on or before September 1 every year thereafter and we would be happy to assist you with that process at no charge.