The United States ranks fourth, behind China, Australia and Russia. The Nevada mining industry supported an average 15,136 direct employees in 2020, with about 75,000 additional jobs related to providing goods and services needed by the mining industry.

The rights granted by a mining claim are valid against a challenge by the United States and other claimants only after the discovery of a valuable mineral deposit. This means: You are leasing, from the government, the right to extract minerals. No land ownership is conveyed.

To Research Active Mining Claims in Nevada Please visit our Open Data Site Nevada Mining Claims Listing page to view the interactive map.

Lode claims are usually located as parallelograms with the side lines parallel to the vein or lode. Descriptions are by metes-and-bounds surveys (giving the length and compass bearing of each boundary line from a central point or monument to each corner post, and then sequentially around the perimeter of the claim).

Nevada Mining Claim Listings As of October 2, 2023 there were 274,795 active, filed, and submitted mining claims, within the state.

Experts estimate that there are nearly 200,000 abandoned mines in Nevada, with roughly 50,000 potentially posing safety hazards to the public.

In the state of Nevada, individuals striving for title or ownership rights of a piece of neglected property must have occupied said property for at least five years. During that period of time, they must have had color of title and/or paid property taxes.

PER CLAIM FEE $165 for lode claims, mill sites, and tunnel sites. For placer claims, $165 for each 20 acres or portion thereof.

In the United States, a placer claim grants to the discoverer of valuable minerals contained in loose material such as sand or gravel the right to mine on public land. Other countries such as Canada, Mexico, and Australia grant similar rights.