LodeFinder

Dropped BLM mining claims

Dropped mining claims in Alaska, scored daily.

When a claimant in Alaska misses BLM's annual maintenance-fee deadline — the biggest wave falls around September 1 — their claim is forfeited and the ground reopens to location. LodeFinder re-pulls BLM's national closed-claims records every day, isolates the newly-dropped claims in Alaska, scores each 0–100, and can email you the morning ground drops inside an area you're watching.

Alaska has by far the largest volume of closed and dropped claims in the country — filtering and scoring are essential to make it usable.

What you can do here with LodeFinder

LodeFinder surfaces and scores public BLM records; it is not legal, investment, or professional advice. BLM is the authoritative source — a claim shown as dropped or open must be verified with BLM, and the proper location and recording steps followed, before you act or spend money. A mining claim conveys mineral rights only.

Frequently asked questions

How many dropped mining claims are there in Alaska?

LodeFinder's historical archive holds 119,883 closed BLM mining claims on file for Alaska — claims that have lapsed and rolled off BLM's live one-year layer, kept searchable here for free. The count of freshly-dropped claims scored right now is shown at the top of this page and updates every morning as BLM's national records refresh. BLM is the authoritative source; verify any claim before you act.

Where do I record a mining claim in Alaska?

You record a new mining claim in two places: with the local county recorder (in Alaska, the state recording district) for the area where the claim sits, and with the BLM state office that administers federal minerals in Alaska. The county charges its own recording fee, and BLM charges federal filing and maintenance fees — about $274 at last check. Fee amounts and filing requirements change, so verify the current details with BLM and the county recorder before you file.

When do most mining claims drop in Alaska?

The biggest wave each year clusters around September 1, BLM's annual maintenance-fee deadline: claimants who don't pay the fee or file a qualifying small-miner waiver by then forfeit their claims, and the ground reopens to location. Claims lapse year-round too, but the September 1 window is the largest. LodeFinder re-checks BLM's records every morning and scores each new Alaska drop 0–100. Verify any claim with BLM before you act.

Dropped claims in other states