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Is there any BLM Land for sale in Colorado? No How do I learn about BLM land for sale in Colorado? It will be announced on our home page and this page, we do not maintain a mailing list as land is sold very infrequently. Are there ways that I can buy BLM land? Realistically, how often is BLM land in Colorado offered for sale to the general public? Very infrequently. It is rare and unusual for BLM to offer public land in Colorado for sale. In addition to the large tracts of land BLM administers-primarily on the Western Slope, there are many small parcels of land scattered throughout the state. We really don't have the resources to manage these small parcels effectively. They are often not accessible to the public; they're not necessarily meeting a public need or serving a significant purpose. But it's not practical to say, "Let's just sell them." Currently, our policy is to dispose of public lands through exchange rather than sale. Wouldn't it be easier to sell public land than exchange it? Offering public land for sale is not simple. Before we can sell even small parcels, we have to analyze environmental impacts, mineral, cultural, and threatened and endangered species considerations. We have to survey the land and then appraise it. All of these things take time. In planning our daily work, we have to consider what will be the most effective use of our employees' time. Preparing small tracts of land for sale to the public usually does not benefit the greatest number of citizens and their needs.But, I've heard that I can get free land from BLM. There is no free public land. Americans have always had to pay in cash, in military service, or in the case of homesteads, by living on and developing the land before they received title. Congress abolished homesteading in 1976 with passage of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, which made it a national policy to retain most public lands in federal ownership. Today, BLM manages these public lands for all Americans, who enjoy numerous economic benefits from these lands, including revenue from mineral leasing, livestock grazing, forest products, rights of way, as well as recreational opportunities such as camping, hiking, hunting, and fishing. All right, so I can't get it for free, I've seen an advertisement that says I can buy low-cost land from BLM. Is that true? Will filing a mining claim enable me to buy land for about $1 an acre? No. On the rare occasion BLM offers land for sale, it is always at fair market value, as the law requires. Fair market value is determined for each parcel by using established appraisal procedures, based on the value of comparable properties. A private advertisement may ask you to send in money for information about how to buy land for as little as $1.25 an acre. Read the ad carefully, and be cautious about sending money to the advertiser. On that very rare and unusual instance when we actually do offer land for sale, BLM will provide you accurate information free of charge. Your best source is the BLM Field Office with jurisdiction over the area you are interested in. BLM field offices announce the availability of such land through the local media. We also will post the information on BLM Colorado's home page: www.co.blm.gov How does the BLM select land that might be offered for sale? Through our land-use planning process, BLM identifies parcels in one of the following categories:
However, the influence of growing cities and towns of the West is spreading closer to BLM-managed public lands that were once remote. The public, especially Westerners, appreciate BLM open space. Consequently the agency evaluates its prospective land sale parcels even more carefully than in the past. May I select a specific parcel of BLM-managed public land that I am interested in purchasing? No. You may bid only for those parcels that the BLM offers to sell on a competitive-bid basis. In your agency you talk about "patents." What does that mean?There are land and mineral patents. A patent is a legal document that transfers title for land and/or minerals from the federal government to nonfederal ownership. I've heard that if I re-record a patent for land on which my home sits, with the County Clerk and Recorder, I won't have to pay taxes, won't need to deal with zoning laws, and won't need a passport. Is that true? No. Land title passed from the federal government to nonfederal ownership becomes subject to taxation, planning, and zoning under state and local government laws. What if I have an unpatented mining claim, then do I own the land? Will filing a mining claim enable me to buy land for about $1 an acre? No. The General Mining Law of 1872 still provides for the location of mining claims on federal lands. A properly located and maintained mining claim affords the claimant an exclusive right to extract minerals, but having an unpatented mining claim does not provide any surface rights for non-mining activities such as the right to camp year-round, build a home, or stop others from entering the land. Since 1994, Congress has placed a moratorium on the issuance of mineral patents, and BLM is no longer accepting mineral patent applications. How can I get additional information? Contact a BLM State Office in your area of interest. A clickable map is available at the BLM main home page. Two additional Web sites you may find useful: Tax Delinquency Sales
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