How to Stake a Claim on Gold

So lets say that you have hit the big one and have managed to find a rich gold deposit. The first thing you will want to do in this case is claim it for your own.

If you have found a deposit you feel is worthwhile searching through more, there are certain things you can do in order to protect what you have found. First thing you need to know also is that there are two types of gold mines; one such place is called a placer and the other is called a lode. Depending on where you find it there are a whole set of policies and regulations.

Some placer claims will give up to twenty acres per each person that is signing the location notice. Placer gold is free gold that can be found in gravels and alluvial deposits. In these cases you will be required to place a Notice of Location on a post, rock or tree in the place that shows the name of the claim, name of the person claiming it, date and the amount of area that has been claimed. The boundaries of the claim also need to be marked so that they are easy to trace again. You will also need to identify exact location of your claim by having a reference of a landmark such as a specific tree or rock etc., and obviously you will need to file a copy of the Location.

Notice with the local county recorder after ninety days of the date of location.

A lode claim has a different type of procedure. Lode gold is found in a vein and this needs to be mined and separated from its mother rock. The claim might be of as much of 1,5000 feet along the sides of the vein, and 300 feet on each side of the middle of the vein. Within around ninety days of the location of any lode mining claim, you will need to place a post or stone monument on the corner of each claim. The posts should be at least four inches in diameter and the monuments of stone need to be at least eighteen inches in height.

You will also need to posted a claim of a Notice of Location and a lode Location Notice needs to be filed within ninety days. Obviously this is the basics of the rules, and in many states and depending on where you live the laws on these types of things vary and change somewhat. Find out all the necessary information in your state.

It is definitely recommended to look into all the information and regulation regarding claims because it will help to protect you if you do end up finding a very rich mine.