Terms of Use
Mining Claims Map (“the app”, “we”, “us”) is run by Mining Claims Maps. By using the app you agree to these terms. If you don't agree, please don't use it.
1. What the app is
The app shows public information about mining claims, land status and maps in one place. It is an information tool only. It is not legal advice, not a survey, and not proof of who owns or may use any piece of ground.
2. Map data is approximate
Claim shapes, land status and other layers come from public sources, mainly the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Census Bureau, and basemaps from Esri and others. This information:
- is often approximate: BLM draws many claims as whole survey squares much larger than the real claim;
- can be out of date, incomplete or wrong;
- covers federal land only: state and private land claims are not included;
- can't show whether you are on or off a claim. Only the corner posts on the ground, the recorded location notice and BLM's official records can do that.
Before you stake, prospect, dig or cross any ground, check BLM's records, the county records and the markers on the ground, and use a licensed land surveyor when it matters. An empty spot on the map does not mean the ground is open.
3. Boundaries updated from an owner's records
Some claims are redrawn in the app at the request of a person who says they hold the claim. These claims are labeled in the app, and BLM's original outline stays visible as a dashed line. For these claims:
- The boundary is information supplied by the person who says they own the claim. We only check that the name on their ID matches the claimant on BLM's record and that they sent a filing, receipt, location notice or survey for that claim.
- It has no legal basis. We do not check title, whether the claim is valid, properly located or maintained, or whether the boundary is correct. A redrawn boundary does not change BLM's records, the county's records or anyone's rights.
- We don't settle disputes. Disagreements about claim boundaries or ownership are between the people involved, BLM and the courts. We are not a party to them.
- We may decline any request, and change or remove any redrawn boundary at any time, for any reason.
If you think a redrawn boundary is wrong, email us (see Contact) and we'll look at it.
4. Asking us to redraw a claim
If you ask us to redraw a claim, you confirm that you are the claimant on BLM's record, or are authorized to act for them, and that what you send is true and unaltered. Send only what we ask for. See the Privacy section for what we do with it.
5. Stay safe and stay legal
Old mines, shafts and tailings are dangerous. Stay out of them. Respect private land, closed areas and other people's claims, and follow federal, state and local rules. You are responsible for what you do on the ground.
6. Using the app
You may use the app for your own lawful purposes. Please don't:
- bulk-download, scrape or copy map content or data out of the app, except by saving areas for offline use inside the app;
- try to get around limits, break, overload or misuse the app or the services it relies on;
- use the app to harass anyone or to make false claims about anyone's property.
7. The app is ours
The app's code, design, layout, text, icons, tour and tips belong to Mining Claims Maps and are protected by copyright. You may use the app as these terms allow, but you may not copy, save, change, republish or sell the app or any part of it, or build an app or website from it, without our written permission. This doesn't cover the maps and data from other providers (see section 8), or what you make in the app yourself: your notes, photos, waypoints, trails, posts and boundaries are yours.
8. Other people's maps and data
Basemaps, imagery and data shown in the app belong to their providers, including Esri and its licensors, USGS, BLM, the Census Bureau, Thunderforest and OpenStreetMap contributors, Macrostrat and Mapbox. Their credits are shown on the map. Those providers make no promises to you about their content and are not responsible to you for it, and their own terms also apply to your use of it.
9. Accounts and what you save
You don't need an account to use the app. If you make one, keep your password safe. Notes, photos, waypoints, trails, boundaries and offline areas are kept on your device. When you're signed in, your notes, waypoints, trails, posts and boundaries are also kept with your account; photos and offline areas are not. If you clear the app's data or lose the device, anything not in your account is gone unless you saved a backup file.
10. No warranty
The app and everything in it are provided “as is” and “as available”, without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including accuracy, completeness, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement. We don't promise the app will always work or be available, including with no signal.
11. Limit of liability
To the fullest extent the law allows, we (and our data and map providers) are not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive damages, or for any loss of profits, data, property or use, arising from your use of the app or reliance on anything in it, including disputes between claimants and anything shown in a redrawn boundary. Our total liability for any claim about the app is limited to the amount you paid us in the 12 months before the claim, or $50 if you paid nothing.
12. Your responsibility to us
If someone makes a claim against us (or our map and data providers) because of how you used the app, or because something you sent us was false, you agree to cover the resulting costs, including reasonable legal fees.
13. Changes
We may update these terms. The date at the top shows the latest version. If you keep using the app after a change, the new terms apply.
14. Law
These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Idaho, and any dispute about them will be handled in the courts of that state.
15. Contact
Email .
Privacy
What stays on your device
Your notes, photos, waypoints, trails, recent searches and saved offline areas are stored in your browser on your device. We don't receive them. Your GPS location is used on your device to show where you are and to warn you when you may be on a claim; it isn't sent to us.
What reaches us or our service providers
- Account: if you create one, your email address and a scrambled form of your password are kept by Supabase, our account provider.
- Your posts, trails, notes and boundaries: when you're signed in, the waypoints, trails, claim notes and boundaries you make are kept with your account too, so they show up on your other devices. Photos are not; they stay on the device where you took them.
- Watch list: if you watch claims, their case numbers, names, locations and last-seen BLM status are kept with your account so the app can check them for changes. Removing a claim, or your account, deletes them.
- Map and data requests: to draw the map, your device asks each map and data provider for the area you're looking at. Like any website, they see your IP address and that area. These include Esri, USGS, BLM, the Census Bureau, Macrostrat, Thunderforest (through our server) and Google Fonts.
- Search: what you type in the search box goes through our server to Mapbox to find places.
- Directions: if you ask for directions, your start and end points are sent to the OSRM routing service.
- Email: feedback and boundary requests you email us arrive in our Gmail inbox.
- Shared links: when you share a claim, your notes, marked posts, boundary and nearby trails travel inside the link itself; we don't store them. Anyone you give the link to can see what's in it. Photos are never included.
Boundary change requests
We ask for as little as possible: a photo of your ID with everything blacked out except your name, and a filing, receipt, location notice or survey for the claim. We use them only to check that the name matches BLM's record. After checking, we delete the photos and papers and keep only a short note of what we checked and when (for example, “location notice, Idaho County, checked 2026-11-05”) along with the boundary we drew. Those notes and a history of each redrawn boundary are kept so we can answer questions about it later. The note shown in the app says what kind of document was checked, never your name.
What we don't do
We don't sell your information, and we don't use it for advertising. If we add ads or paid plans later, we'll update this page before they start.
Cookies and storage
The app uses your browser's storage to remember your settings, keep your saved data and keep you signed in. It doesn't use tracking cookies.
Children
The app isn't meant for children under 13, and we don't knowingly collect their information.
Your choices
You can clear everything the app keeps on your device from your browser settings. To delete your account, or to ask what we hold about you, email us.
Contact
Email .