The Nevada State Office, Cadastral Survey office has the administrative responsibilities for the U.S. Mineral Surveyor Program. A U.S. Mineral Surveyor is a special government employee who, after receiving of an order from the state office which administers the public land where the claim is located, has the authority to survey the legal boundaries of the mineral deposits on the public domain.
Mineral Surveyors are appointed under 30 United States Code 39 by the Chief, Cadastral Surveyor of the BLM in Washington, D.C. New Mineral Surveyor appointments are made when an identified public need exists. That is, when there is more work than there are mineral surveyors to conduct that work, in a certain area of the country. When a need has been identified, the BLM will administer an examination, and upon successfully passing the examination, the applicant will be issued an appointment.
The last Mineral Survey Examination was administered in 1986 in Anchorage, Alaska. It lasted two days and contained four parts. The first three parts were given on the first day and consisted of: (1) multiple choice questions, (2) a practical problem, and (3) the preparation of field notes and associated mineral survey plat. A solar observation was taken and computed on the second day.
Applicants for the Mineral Surveyor Examination must be current licensed professional land surveyors and provide the BLM with the names of three references whom the agency may contact.
Currently, we are assessing the public's need for additional Mineral Surveyors. One of the primary factors in making that decision is the pending legislation to supplement the Mining Act of 1872. It is not likely the next U.S. Mineral Surveyor examination will be given before Congress acts on this legislation.
Under Current Mineral Patent Moratorium and its relationship to the Mineral Survey Program:
The President has signed The Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009 (HR 1105, Public Law 111-8), which contains a moratorium on spending appropriated funds for the acceptance or processing of mineral survey patent applications. This moratorium is an extension of the 1995-2008 moratoria and is effective through September 30, 2009. The Act does not reference the mineral patent survey, nor has the BLM been directed to interrupt the mineral survey program.
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