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laws allow States to establish their own laws regarding the manner in which mining claims and sites are located. Most States have statutes and regulations adding to the Mining Law of 1872, as amended, concerning the actual staking and recording of mining claims. Staking require- ments include the placement, size, and acceptable materials for a comer post or a discovery monu- ment. Check with the proper State agency(s) before locating claims. State agencies may include the State geological survey, the State mineral resource department, or the State lands commission. Generally, staking a mining claim includes (1) erecting comer posts or monuments and (2) posting a notice of location on a post or monu- ment in a wnspicuous place (see Figures 1 and 2). The conspicuous place on the claim is usually the point of discovery. Several States also require side-line or end-line posts or monuments for claims. Claims and sites described by legal subdivision in some States do not require the erection of comer monuments (see Figure 2). However, all claims and sites must have a location (sites) or discovery (claims) monument. Be sure to check what the law requires in the State where the claims and sites are to be located. For a specific tract of land, check the official land rewrds at the BLM State or District Office responsible for administering the land area. Rather than looking randomly though the records for lands open to location, it is better to restrict your seazch to a general area of interest. Topographic map(s) of the area (published by the U.S. Geological Survey) provide the legal description (meridian, township, range, section, lo[) of such lands. Visit the local BLM office or the BLM State Office and check maps, the BLM Master Title Plats, mining claim records, and files. Ultimately, it is up to the locator to deter- mine if there are prior existing claims on the ground. 14 Claimant's Rights If a claim or site meets all the Federal and State requirements, the claimant has a possessory right to develop and extract the minerals. However, the claim or site cannot be used for other pur- poses. The claimant has the right to use so much `of the surface of the claim or site as is reasonably necessary for mining and milling purposes, including (1) access across federally managed surface to and from the claim, (2) use of as much of the Umber on the claim as isitecessary for the mining operation, and (3) construction of fences and gates to protect the immediate area of operations and equipment. Also allowed are temporary and permanent structures for storing equipment, housing for full-time employees, and testing and processing facilities. See the ap- proval requirements for structures and occupancy in the Surface Management section of this pamphlet. Mining claims and sites are considered real property. The interests in them and associated rights may be bought, sold, transferred, leased, rented, willed, or inherited. RECORDING A MIPTING CLAIM OR SITE Claims and sites must be recorded with both the county and the proper BLM STATE OFFICE. In Alaska, claims may also be recorded with the BLM office in Fairbanks. County: State laws usually require filing the original location notice or certificate in the county recorder's or the county clerk's office. The proper county is generally the one th which the claim is located. Each State has its own requirement for when a location notice must be filed and recorded. This period is usually within 15