Public-domain · open source
OpenJurist

30 U.S.C. § 42

Section 42 · Patents for nonmineral lands: application, survey, notice, acreage limitation, payment

Amended 1 time on record

Applied in 19 court decisions — leading case Manning v. United States (1998)

Most recently applied in Earthworks v. DOI (June 2024)

How often courts cite this section

196019802000202020243086-390enacted · 1960 · 86-390Manning v. United Statesleading · 1998 · Manning v. United States
citing decisions per year

Court decisions citing this, by year.Markers show enactment, consequential amendments, and circuit splits over this section — watch for a citation surge after a change or a disagreement. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.

(a) Vein or lode and mill site owners eligible

Where nonmineral land not contiguous to the vein or lode is used or occupied by the proprietor of such vein or lode for mining or milling purposes, such nonadjacent surface ground may be embraced and included in an application for a patent for such vein or lode, and the same may be patented therewith, subject to the same preliminary requirements as to survey and notice as are applicable to veins or lodes; but no location made on and after May 10, 1972 of such nonadjacent land shall exceed five acres, and payment for the same must be made at the same rate as fixed by sections 21, 22 to 24, 26 to 28, 29, 30, 33 to 48, 50 to 52, 71 to 76 of this title and section 661 of title 43 for the superficies of the lode. The owner of a quartz mill or reduction works, not owning a mine in connection therewith, may also receive a patent for his mill site, as provided in this section.

(b) Placer claim owners eligible

Where nonmineral land is needed by the proprietor of a placer claim for mining, milling, processing, beneficiation, or other operations in connection with such claim, and is used or occupied by the proprietor for such purposes, such land may be included in an application for a patent for such claim, and may be patented therewith subject to the same requirements as to survey and notice as are applicable to placers. No location made of such nonmineral land shall exceed five acres and payment for the same shall be made at the rate applicable to placer claims which do not include a vein or lode.

Editorial notes U.S. Code · Office of the Law Revision Counsel

References in Text

Sections 21, 22 to 24, 26 to 28, 29, 30, 33 to 48, 50 to 52, 71 to 76 of this title and section 661 of title 43, referred to in subsec. (a), were in the original “this chapter”, meaning chapter 6 of title 32 of the Revised Statutes, consisting of R.S. §§2318 to 2352.

Codification

R.S. §2337 derived from act May 10, 1872, ch. 152, §15, 17 Stat. 96.

Amendments

1960—Pub. L. 86–390 designated existing provisions as subsec. (a) and added subsec. (b).

/30/usc/42 · .json · Public domain