To stake and file a mining claim in Washington, you make a discovery, post a notice where you found it, mark the boundaries, record the notice with the county auditor, and file with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Washington gives you 30 days from the day of your discovery to mark the boundaries and record with the county, while BLM’s deadline is 90 days from the day you post. A new lode claim costs $274 in BLM fees, plus $303.50 at the county, since Washington adds state charges to every paper it records.
A placer claim also needs $10 of work for each 20 acres within 60 days of your discovery. Washington requires a sworn statement with the county auditor every year by September 30, even if you pay BLM’s yearly fee, and any digging in or near a stream follows the state’s Gold and Fish rules.
Last checked November 10, 2026. This is a plain-words summary of Washington and federal law, not legal advice. Fees and rules change, so confirm dates and costs with your county auditor or BLM before you rely on them.
You can also download this guide as a printable PDF.
The steps at a glance
| Step | Where | Deadline | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Post your notice | At your discovery | The day you find it; this starts the clock | No fee |
| 2. Mark the boundaries | On the claim | 30 days after discovery, before you record | Your posts or stones |
| Placer work | On a placer claim | 60 days after discovery | $10 of work per 20 acres, plus $303.50 to record a statement |
| 3. Record the notice | County auditor | 30 days after discovery | $303.50 first page, $1 each added page |
| 4. File with BLM | Online in MLRS, or BLM in Portland | 90 days after posting | $274 for a lode claim |
| Keep it each year | BLM | September 1 | $200 per lode claim or per 20 acres of placer |
| Record each year | County auditor | September 30 | $303.50 first page, $1 each added page |
Start with your map
A filled closed box on your Washington map means that section has no active claims today, which makes it a good place to start looking. Its pop-up gives you what the paperwork asks for: the county, the township, range and section, and the BLM code.
One example from the November 2026 map is a closed placer box in Chelan County at T22N R17E Sec 26, Willamette Meridian, with the BLM code 33 0220N 0170E 026. A box covers a section of about 640 acres and doesn’t show a claim’s exact edges, so the map tells you where to look and your own checks tell you whether you can stake there.
Check the ground first
- Look it up in BLM’s records. Go to reports.blm.gov/reports/MLRS, choose Mining Claims – Geographic Report, enter the BLM code, and tick Active and Filed. Our step-by-step MLRS guide walks through each screen.
- Check that the land is open to mining. BLM’s Master Title Plats, on the GLO Records website, show what’s open. You can’t stake in national parks, national monuments, wilderness areas, Indian reservations or military land, and private land is off limits.
- Watch for Washington state land. Federal mining claims don’t apply there. The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) handles mineral leases on state land, and it wants applicants with schooling or years of experience in mining and the money to explore, so it isn’t set up for hobby miners.
- Walk the ground. A new claim can take up to 90 days to reach BLM’s records, so look for fresh posts and notices before you put up your own.
- Make a discovery. Every claim needs a discovery of a valuable mineral. BLM’s test is whether a sensible person would spend more time and money trying to develop a mine there, and recording a claim and paying the fees won’t make it valid without one.
Lode or placer
A lode claim covers gold in solid rock, like a quartz vein, and can be up to 1,500 feet long and 600 feet wide. A placer claim covers loose gold in sand and gravel, and can be 20 acres per person, up to 160 acres for a group of eight or more. Washington’s notice, markers and work rules differ for the two, so pick the type that fits what you found.
Step 1: Post your notice
Washington’s law says you can’t locate a lode claim until you’ve found the vein inside it, and it writes both kinds of claim for the person who made the discovery. The county deadline counts from your discovery and BLM’s counts from the day you post, so post the notice at your discovery the same day you find it. It has to give all of these:
- The name of the claim and the name of each locator
- Lode: the date of discovery
- Placer: the date of discovery and posting, which counts as your location date, and a description by legal subdivision, like a quarter section, or else one tied to a natural object or permanent monument nearby
The county copy of a lode notice needs more, so put it on the posted notice too: the date of location, how many feet you claim along the vein on each side of the discovery, the general direction of the vein, and a description tied to a natural object or permanent monument.
BLM’s Oregon/Washington office also needs the township, range, section and quarter section with the Willamette Meridian, and each claimant’s full name and mailing address. It won’t accept GPS coordinates alone, and a lode claim also needs its edges described by distance and direction, tied to a permanent object. Use a separate notice for each claim. BLM says there’s no official form, so you can write your own.
Step 2: Mark the boundaries
Mark the claim on the ground within 30 days of your discovery, and before you record the notice. Washington’s law asks for these markers on a lode claim:
- A post or stone monument at each corner, at least 3 feet high
- Posts at least 4 inches across, set firmly in the ground
- The name of the claim and the date of location on each one
- Where there’s brush or timber, cut the brush and blaze the trees along the lines
For a placer claim, the law says only to mark it so its boundaries are easy to trace, even if you describe it by legal subdivisions. To be safe, use the lode markers at every corner. BLM doesn’t allow perforated or uncapped pipe as markers, because of wildlife deaths.
A placer claim also needs work. Within 60 days of your discovery, do at least $10 worth of labor developing the claim for each 20 acres or part of 20 acres. Then record a sworn statement with the county auditor that says you did it and what kind of work it was. The law gives no deadline for that statement, so record it by day 60 to be safe. Washington’s law lists no digging for a new lode claim. If the work is in or near a stream, follow the Gold and Fish rules below.
Step 3: Record with the county auditor
Within 30 days of your discovery, record the notice with the auditor in the county where the claim sits. Washington’s law gives two different deadlines for a lode claim, 30 days and 90 days, and BLM’s packet says 90, so record within 30 days, which meets all of them. State law doesn’t ask for a map with the county copy.
Washington’s recording law sets these rules for every paper:
- Pages no bigger than 8.5 by 14 inches, in ink that copies clearly, with type of at least 8 point
- A blank margin of 3 inches at the top of the first page and 1 inch on its other sides, and 1 inch all around on later pages
- The name and address the auditor should send it back to, in the upper left corner of the first page
- A title, like Notice of Location, just below the top margin
- The locators’ names and the section, township, range and quarter-quarter section, also on the first page
- Nothing taped or stapled on, and no Social Security numbers or birth dates
If your first page can’t fit all of that, put the state’s cover sheet in front as a new first page. The auditor has the form, and it adds one more page fee. A paper that misses the margin or type rules can still be recorded with a cover sheet and a signed request, but it costs $50 more.
Washington’s law doesn’t ask for the notice to be signed in front of a notary. The sworn statements for placer work and for the yearly filing do need a notary. Bring a photo ID, like a driver’s license or passport, since the notary has to check who you are. The law also lets the auditor swear you in for $2, so ask whether your office will.
State law adds several charges to every recorded paper, so a one-page notice costs $303.50 and each added page costs $1. That’s what Kittitas, Okanogan, Snohomish and Kitsap counties charge since July 27, 2025, so older fee sheets show less. Each claim needs its own notice, so five claims cost $1,517.50 or more to record. Send the exact fee with anything you mail.
The auditor marks each paper with the day, hour and minute it arrives, not the day you mail it, so mail it well before day 30.
If you find a mistake in a lode notice later, or want to change the boundaries, Washington’s law lets you record an amended certificate of location, made the same way as a new one.
Step 4: File with BLM
BLM needs its own filing by the 90th day, and it advises recording with the county first. Send BLM a copy of the recorded notice, a map of the claim and the fees. You can file online in MLRS at mlrs.blm.gov with a login.gov account, by mail, or in person at BLM’s Oregon/Washington State Office in Portland, which handles claims in both states. Set up an appointment with its public room before you go.
A sketch works as well as a map, as long as it shows the claim well enough that someone could find it on the ground. Claims you file together can share one map, but each claim needs its own notice.
| Claim | Fees | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Lode | $25 + $49 + $200 | $274 |
| Placer, up to 20 acres | $25 + $49 + $200 | $274 |
| Placer, 21 to 40 acres | $25 + $49 + $400 | $474 |
The three fees are the processing fee, the location fee and the first maintenance fee, for claims located on or after September 1, 2026. Each added 20 acres of placer, or part of 20 acres, adds $200.
A claim that isn’t recorded with BLM and the county by the 90th day is abandoned and void under federal law, even if the ground is good. BLM says it refunds the location and maintenance fees in that case, after the appeal period. Washington’s own county deadline is 30 days from discovery, so don’t count on the full 90.
Re-staking a closed claim
Re-staking a closed claim means making a brand-new claim, and none of the old owner’s rights carry over, so all four steps apply. Check the old claim’s status in BLM’s records before you start.
Washington is stricter about re-staking a lode claim. Its law says it can only be done one of two ways:
- Sink a new discovery shaft, or do at least as much development work inside the claim, and set new boundaries the same way as for a new claim
- Or sink the old discovery shaft 10 feet deeper than it was when you started, and put up new markers or bring the old ones up to the rules in Step 2
Either way, put up a new location monument, like a solid post at your discovery that holds your notice. The law gives no size for a new shaft and no deadline, so finish the work before you record, within your 30 days. It counts a cut or tunnel with 200 cubic feet of rock taken out, or a test hole drilled 20 feet on the vein, the same as a discovery shaft, but it doesn’t say whether that sets the amount for re-staking. Digging like this on federal land can need a notice to BLM or the Forest Service first.
The law has no re-staking rule for placer claims, so treat one as a new claim, including the $10 of work for each 20 acres. Each marker carries its claim’s name, so put up your own.
Keeping your claim each year
On or before September 1 each year, pay BLM $200 per lode claim, or $200 for each 20 acres of a placer claim, or the claim is forfeited. If you stake before September 1 but file with BLM after it, you’ll owe two maintenance fees at once, one for each year, unless you qualify for the small miner waiver and file it when you record the claim.
Washington also requires a sworn statement, called an affidavit, recorded with the county auditor within 30 days after BLM’s work year ends on September 1, so record it by September 30 each year. It says either how much you paid BLM or what work you did, like how many feet of shaft, tunnel or cut, plus the section, township and range. If BLM excused both the fee and the work, it says that instead.
Sign it in front of a notary. It costs $303.50 for the first page and $1 for each added page, so ask the auditor whether one affidavit can list all your claims.
With 10 or fewer claims nationwide, you can do at least $100 of work on each claim instead of paying. File the free waiver form with BLM by September 1, on paper because it can’t be filed online, then file an affidavit of the work with BLM by December 30 at $15 per claim. The Washington county affidavit is still due by September 30.
A claim doesn’t give you a free hand on the surface. Work beyond casual use can need a notice or a plan of operations, so talk to the local BLM field office or Forest Service ranger district first.
In Washington, any prospecting in or near the water needs a Hydraulic Project Approval (HPA) from the Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). Its free Gold and Fish pamphlet counts as that approval for hand methods, so you don’t have to apply, as long as you follow its rules. It allows pans and non-motorized sluices, rocker boxes and highbankers in one of two ways:
- Year-round: in any stream or river but not lakes, with no more than 3 square feet of riffles, and no digging in the part of the stream that’s under water
- During set work times: the dates the pamphlet lists for each stream, with up to 10 square feet of riffles, and you must have a copy of the pamphlet with you
The pamphlet doesn’t cover suction dredges, motorized highbankers, power sluices or gravity siphons. Those need their own HPA and a water quality permit from the Department of Ecology, which says to apply at least 180 days ahead. State law bans them in any water that’s critical habitat for salmon, steelhead or bull trout, or would harm that habitat. Ecology’s map shows them possible only in parts of Adams, Benton, Clallam, Grant, Grays Harbor, Lincoln, Pacific, Spokane, Whitman and Yakima counties, which leaves out Chelan, Okanogan, Kittitas and the other counties with the most claims on our map.
Washington county auditors
A claim is recorded in the county where the ground is, and in Washington the county auditor records it, though King County calls that office the Recorder’s Office. Call before you mail anything, since offices move and hours change.
| County | Auditor’s office |
|---|---|
| Asotin | 135 Second Street, Asotin, WA 99402 Mail: P.O. Box 129, Asotin, WA 99402 509-243-2084 |
| Benton | 7122 W. Okanogan Pl., Bldg. E, Kennewick, WA 99336 Mail: PO Box 1000, Richland, WA 99352 509-736-2727 |
| Chelan | 350 Orondo Ave, Suite 202, Wenatchee, WA 98801 509-667-6815 |
| Clallam | 223 E 4th Street, Port Angeles, WA 98362 360-417-2220 |
| Clark | 1300 Franklin St, 2nd Floor, Vancouver, WA 98660 Mail: PO Box 5000, Vancouver, WA 98666 564-397-2208 |
| Columbia | 115 E Main Street, Dayton, WA 99328 509-382-4541 |
| Douglas | 213 S. Rainier Street, Waterville, WA 98858 Mail: PO Box 456, Waterville, WA 98858 509-888-6409 |
| Ferry | 350 E Delaware Ave #2, Republic, WA 99166 509-775-5225, ext. 2500 |
| Franklin | 1016 N 4th Avenue, Pasco, WA 99301 Mail: P.O. Box 1451, Pasco, WA 99301 509-545-3502, ext. 4 |
| Garfield | 789 Main St, Pomeroy, WA 99347 Mail: PO Box 278, Pomeroy, WA 99347 509-843-1411 |
| Grant | 35 C Street NW, Ephrata, WA 98823 Mail: P.O. Box 37, Ephrata, WA 98823 509-754-2011, ext. 2705 |
| Grays Harbor | 100 W Broadway, Suite 2, Montesano, WA 98563 360-249-4232, Option 1 |
| Jefferson | 1820 Jefferson Street, Port Townsend, WA 98368 Mail: P.O. Box 1220, Port Townsend, WA 98368 360-385-9116 |
| King | 201 S. Jackson St., Suite 204, Seattle, WA 98104 206-477-6620 |
| Kitsap | 619 Division St, Port Orchard, WA 98366 Mail: 614 Division St. MS-31, Port Orchard, WA 98366 360-337-4935 |
| Kittitas | 205 W 5th Suite 105, Ellensburg, WA 98926 509-962-7504 |
| Klickitat | 205 S Columbus Ave Room 203, Goldendale, WA 98620 509-773-4001 |
| Lewis | 351 NW North Street, Chehalis, WA 98532 Mail: P.O. Box 29, Chehalis, WA 98532 360-740-1165 |
| Lincoln | 450 Logan Street, Davenport, WA 99122 Mail: PO Box 28, Davenport, WA 99122 509-725-4971 |
| Mason | 411 N 5th St, Shelton, WA 98584 Mail: PO BOX 400, Shelton, WA 98584 360-427-9670, ext. 467 |
| Okanogan | 149 3rd Ave N Room 104, Okanogan, WA 98840 Mail: P.O. Box 1010, Okanogan, WA 98840 509-422-7240 |
| Pacific | 300 Memorial Drive, South Bend, WA 98586 Mail: PO Box 97, South Bend, WA 98586 360-875-9318 |
| Pend Oreille | 625 W 4th Street, Newport, WA 99156 Mail: PO Box 5015, Newport, WA 99156 509-447-6473 |
| Pierce | 2401 S. 35th St., Room 200, Tacoma, WA 98409 253-798-7440 |
| San Juan | 350 Court Street, 1st Floor, Friday Harbor, WA 98250 Mail: P.O. Box 638, Friday Harbor, WA 98250 360-378-2161 |
| Skagit | 700 S. 2nd St, Room 201, Mount Vernon, WA 98273 Mail: PO Box 1306, Mount Vernon, WA 98273 360-416-1704 |
| Skamania | 240 NW Vancouver Ave, Room 27, Stevenson, WA 98648 Mail: PO Box 790, Stevenson, WA 98648 509-427-3730 |
| Snohomish | 3000 Rockefeller Avenue, Everett, WA 98201 Mail: 3000 Rockefeller Ave., M/S 204, Everett, WA 98201 425-388-3483 |
| Spokane | 1116 W Broadway, Spokane, WA 99260 Mail: P.O. Box 2353, Spokane, WA 99210 509-477-2270 |
| Stevens | 215 South Oak Street, Rm 106, Colville, WA 99114 509-684-7512 |
| Thurston | 3000 Pacific Ave SE, Olympia, WA 98501 360-786-5405 |
| Walla Walla | 500 West Main St., Walla Walla, WA 99362 Mail: PO Box 1856, Walla Walla, WA 99362 509-524-2549 |
| Whatcom | 311 Grand Avenue, Suite 103, Bellingham, WA 98225 360-778-5100 |
| Whitman | 400 N Main Street, Suite 245, Colfax, WA 99111 509-397-6270 |
| Yakima | 128 N 2nd Street, Yakima, WA 98901 Mail: PO Box 12570, Yakima, WA 98909-2570 509-574-1400 |
Who to ask
- BLM Oregon/Washington State Office: Call 503-808-6030 for mining claims, or 503-808-6008 for the public room. The office is at 1220 S.W. 3rd Avenue, 11th Floor, Portland, OR 97204, open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday to Friday. It handles claims in both Oregon and Washington, and you’ll need an appointment to record in person.
- Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife: Call 360-902-2200 and ask for a habitat biologist about an HPA, or read the Gold and Fish pamphlet. The main office is at 1111 Washington St. SE, Olympia, WA 98501, open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Washington Department of Ecology: Water quality permits for suction dredges and other motorized mining, and the map of where they may be allowed, on Ecology’s placer mining page.
- Washington Department of Natural Resources: Call the Mining and Minerals Program at 360-790-8179 about mineral leases on state land, where federal claims don’t apply.
Where these rules come from
- Revised Code of Washington Chapter 78.08: discovery, notices, markers, placer work, re-staking and the yearly affidavit
- Chapter 65.04, 36.18.010, Chapter 36.22 and 42.45.050: document rules, county fees and notaries
- Revised Code of Washington 90.48.615 and WDFW’s rules for mineral prospecting: dredges, HPAs and the Gold and Fish pamphlet
- BLM’s Oregon/Washington mining claim packet and mining claim fees
- 43 U.S.C. 1744 and 30 U.S.C. 28f: the yearly filing and the maintenance fee
Our Washington gold map shows active and closed claims across the state, so you can see which sections are worth a closer look before you drive out.