Requirements that must be met

[LRC_Admin]

Personal requirements:
In order to be an eligible claimant, you must be:

A U.S. citizen who has reached the age of legal discretion in your state;
A legal immigrant who has declared an intention to become a U.S. citizen; or
A corporation organized under the laws of a U.S. state.
An authorized agent may locate the claim for you and there is no limit on the number of claims you may hold.

Land Qualifications:
Land open to mineral entry:
The land must be federally administered land open to mineral location. Claims generally cannot be filed on private land, state land, national parks, national monuments, wilderness areas, military reservations, or land withdrawn from mineral entry. You should check the land’s status before staking.

Locatable mineral:
The claim must be based on a federally locatable mineral, such as certain deposits of gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, uranium, or other valuable minerals. Common sand, gravel, stone, and similar materials usually fall under different federal rules.

Discovery or valid mineral basis:
You generally need to make a discovery of a valuable mineral within the claim boundaries. The mineral must be physically exposed or otherwise established as present; merely believing that valuable minerals may exist is not enough for a perfected claim.

Properly marked boundaries:
Claim boundaries must be clearly and distinctly marked so they can be readily identified. Colorado also has state requirements concerning monuments, staking, recording, and claim descriptions.

Correct size and type:
The claim must comply with federal and state size limits. A lode claim is generally limited to 1,500 feet along the vein and up to 600 feet on either side; a placer claim is generally limited to 20 acres per individual, subject to additional rules for associations and corporations.