Small miner waiver. Placer Claim question?

[Desertpilot]

Im looking to locate a few more claims and was curious to know if I filed a 40ac placer claim if it would count as one or two claims towards my 10 claim small miner waiver? Not sure if the limit is based on acreage or actual number of claims? Example 40ac counting as two 20ac placer claims? Just trying to do this smartly and get the most acreage possible with my 10 claim limit. 

 

Thanks

DP 

[snakejim]

43 minutes ago, Desertpilot said:

Im looking to locate a few more claims and was curious to know if I filed a 40ac placer claim if it would count as one or two claims towards my 10 claim small miner waiver? Not sure if the limit is based on acreage or actual number of claims? Example 40ac counting as two 20ac placer claims? Just trying to do this smartly and get the most acreage possible with my 10 claim limit. 

 

Thanks

DP 

You can't claim 40 acres yourself. You can only file a claim for 20. You can get 40 if you have a partner to claim the other 20. You can have up to 7 partners + yourself=8 x 20 acres=160 as one claim called an association placer claim. Sorry, but you have to take partners to get larger than a 20 acre claim.

[Jim P.]

Snakejim is correct, I'll just add that any association placer claim of up to 160 acres still counts as a single claim under the small miner exemption.

Later...Jim P.

Edited July 8, 2019 by Jim P.

[Desertpilot]

Thanks,

Thats the answer Im looking for. I understand the rules for placer claims over 20ac just couldn't find a answer to the small miner waiver question I had with my online BLM research. 

DP 

Edited July 8, 2019 by Desertpilot

[chrisski]

So for me the problem with the small miners waiver on claims bigger than 20 acres, is either each person needs to sign the claim, or a power of attorney for the person needs to be on file with the BLM.  As long as whoever you share the claim with will give you a Power of Attorney for it or you can hunt seven other people down, this year and all years to come, you'll be OK.  I remember seeing in the BLM records on line about the power of attorney being on file.

Edited July 12, 2019 by chrisski

[snakejim]

6 hours ago, chrisski said:

So for me the problem with the small miners waiver on claims bigger than 20 acres, is either each person needs to sign the claim, or a power of attorney for the person needs to be on file with the BLM.  As long as whoever you share the claim with will give you a Power of Attorney for it or you can hunt seven other people down, this year and all years to come, you'll be OK.  I remember seeing in the BLM records on line about the power of attorney being on file.

I have hunted them down each year to sign the waiver, and it's a bit of a pain. If one of them dies, it's a nightmare!

[chrisski]

22 hours ago, snakejim said:

I have hunted them down each year to sign the waiver, and it's a bit of a pain. If one of them dies, it's a nightmare! 

Always wondered about that.

[snakejim]

8 minutes ago, chrisski said:

Always wondered about that.

It's not so bad if there is a surviving spouse or other heir to the estate.

A friend of mine had one of his partners die and can't find an heir.  I assume he can pay the maintenance fee this year in lieu of doing the maintenance fee waiver? There is a process where you have to place an ad in the local newspaper and run it for a certain period of time, asking for someone to claim the estate. If "No show", then more "BS" follows.

[Bedrock Bob]

22 hours ago, snakejim said:

I have hunted them down each year to sign the waiver, and it's a bit of a pain. If one of them dies, it's a nightmare!

I guess that all depends on how they died. And if they died before, during or after you hunted them down.