Official Government Website

The IDL regulates surface mining and the surface effects of underground mining in the state of Idaho. Surface mining is the extraction of minerals from the ground by removing the soil and rock over the mineral deposits. Underground mining is the extraction of minerals from beneath the surface of the ground by means of an adit, shaft, tunnel, decline, portal, bore hole, drill hole for solution mining, or such other means of access beneath the surface of the ground, other than a pit.

The Idaho Mined Land Reclamation Act, passed in 1971, requires reclamation of affected lands to return them to a productive condition.

Read more about the Mined Land Reclamation Act and see the Mined Land Reclamation Act FAQs.

Read more about IDL procedures on the Agency Guidance Documents page. 


Forms


Statutes and Rules

Statutes:

Rules:

IDAPA 20.03.03 Rules Governing Administration of the Reclamation Fund, is currently going through the rulemaking process. For more information, please visit the IDL Rulemaking Page

Contacts

Department Contact – Boise Staff Office

Eric Wilson, Bureau Chief
Resource Protection and Assistance Bureau
Regulatory Minerals Program
(208) 334-0261
ewilson@idl.idaho.gov

For questions specific to a location, please contact the nearest Supervisory Area


Additional Resources

About Mining

Abandoned Mine Lands

Dredge & Placer Mining

Minerals Leasing

Rockhounding


Mining Claims

The IDL does not regulate patented and unpatented mining claims. Mining claims are federally managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). If you have questions about purchasing a claim or about a claim you own or manage, please go to the Idaho BLM Mining Claims website.

For information on locating mining claims in Idaho, please visit this informational website.

For information about what a mining claim is, please visit this informational website.

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