The BLM – Eastern States Office is the largest land title records repository in the world. We maintain approximately 10,000 different tract books containing land records for the 13 Public Land States under our jurisdiction: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, and Wisconsin. We also maintain more than five million Federal Land conveyance documents including homesteads, cash sales, miscellaneous warrants, swamp lists, state selections, and railroad lists. The BLM provides for acquisition, use, disposal, and adjustment of land resources; determines the boundaries of Federal land; and maintains historic records for these ownership transactions.
Every month, BLM – Eastern States receives an average of 250 requests for certified copies of the land records from the public (title attorneys, individuals researching their genealogy, etc.)
BLM – Eastern States has acquired public lands in the states of Maryland and Virginia, under Section 205 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) of 1976, 43 U.S.C. 1715, as amended. Though Maryland and Virginia are not public land states by law. For more information about your public lands in Maryland and Virginia, please visit the Lower Potomac Web page.
Through the Land Use Planning Process, BLM – Eastern States is completing a review of all special and lighthouse properties in the East. These lands will be disposed of, through Recreation and Public Purposes (R&PP) transfers, or retained and managed through strong partnerships with other government agencies, preservation nonprofits, or volunteer organizations. | Frequently Asked Questions: CLICK HERE | Additional Links of Interest:This site offers researchers a source of information on the initial transfer of land titles from the Federal government to individuals. In addition to verifying title transfer, this information will allow the researcher to associate an individual (Patentee, Assignee, Warrantee, Widow, or Heir) with a specific location (Legal Land Description) and time (Issue Date).
- The LR2000 contains applicant and land use data on leases, permits, contracts, agreements, unpatented mining claims, and other use authorizations issued or recorded by the BLM. Use authorizations pertain to oil and gas, coal, sand, gravel, grazing, communication sites, and rights-of-way.
- The Geocommunicator is an interactive map viewer that permits users to search and display LR2000 records including: oil and gas, geothermal, solid mineral and coal leases, mining claims, stipulations and conveyances, as well as download and dynamically map Public Land Survey System (PLSS) data. Users can also view grazing allotment and pasture boundaries on this site.
- This web-based forms application provides customers in private and government sectors with BLM, Department of Interior, and various other forms that are easy to use in both printed and, where possible, electronic format.
- Each eForm can be filled out and submitted electronically, saving customers the cost of postage and handling and/or travel expenses associated with filing a paper copy in a Field or State Office.
- Customers can also track the status of eForms online.
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Programs