The following federal regulations are based on laws that affect mining activities only on Federal Lands or that lie within the boundaries of the National Parks.
Three federal agencies regulate most of the mining operations on federal lands. Neither the Forest Service nor the Park Service administers the rules that address the acquisition of mineral rights for Coal, Oil and Natural Gas, Non-Energy Leasable Minerals (Hard Rock Minerals) or minerals subject to the Mining Law. That responsibility rests with the Bureau of Land Management, which also regulates operations on lands it administers. Mineral materials, that is sand and gravel and stone used for common purposes is sold be the agency that manages the lands.
The BLM regulations that address mining operations on federal lands are:
- 43 CFR Part 3400 - Coal mining
- 43 CFR Part 3500 - Non-coal mining
- 43 CFR Subparts 3802 and 3809 - Hard-rock mining
- 43 CFR 3600 - Stone, Sand & Gravel (Mineral Materials)
The Forest Service regulations covering all mining operations on the National Forests are:
- 36 CFR Part 228 – Subparts A, C & D - §228.1 through §228.80
The National Park Service regulations which regulate mining on lands within the National Parks are:
- 36 CFR Part 9, Subpart A – Mining and Mining Claims, §9.1 through §9.18
