§ 27-203 — Completing lode, placer or millsite locations; recording location notice; monumenting; map, plat or sketch requirements; abandonment of claims; recorder duties and fees

A. The locator of a lode, placer or millsite claim shall:

1. Cause to be recorded in the office of the county recorder of the county in which the claim is located an executed copy of the location notice to which notice shall be attached a map, plat or sketch of the claim, within ninety days from the time of the location. If the posted notice of location does not contain the section, township and range in which the notice is posted such information shall be added to the notice prior to recording pursuant to this section if the land has been surveyed. If the land has not been surveyed, the locator shall identify to the best of his ability the projected, protracted or extended section, township and range in which the notice of location of the claim is posted.

2. Monument the claim on the ground within ninety days from the time of the location so that its boundaries can be readily traced.

B. The map, plat or sketch required by subsection A shall be:

1. In legible form and not more than eight and one-half inches by fourteen inches.

2. On a scale of one inch equals not more than two thousand feet.

3. Based upon the performance of a survey performed commensurate with the abilities of the locator. It shall set forth the boundaries and position of the claim with such accuracy as would permit a reasonably knowledgeable person to find and identify the claim on the ground. The locator may show contiguous claims on the map, plat or sketch if the claim being located is clearly identified. Nothing contained in this section shall require a locator to employ a professional surveyor or engineer for the preparation of the map, plat or sketch required by this section.

C. The plat or map of any claim shall contain the following information:

1. The name of the claim.

2. Whether the claim is a lode, placer or millsite claim.

3. The locality of the claim with reference to the section, township and range in which the claim is located with a course and distance tie from a corner of the claim or contiguous group of claims to a monument of the public land survey if the land has been surveyed. If the land has not been surveyed, a corner of the claim or claim group shall be tied by course and distance to an established survey monument of a United States government agency or United States mineral monument. If no such monument can be found through the exercise of reasonable diligence, the map shall show the course and distance from one corner of the claim or claim group to some prominent natural objects or other permanent monuments described on such map.

4. The scale of the map.

5. The county in which the claim is situated.

6. A north arrow.

7. The type of corner and location monuments used.

8. Bearing and distance between corners.

D. If the claim is a placer or millsite claim with exterior limits conforming to legal subdivisions of the public survey, the map, plat or sketch shall give the legal description of the claim instead of the requirements of paragraphs 3 and 8 of subsection C.

E. Failure to do all the things within the times and at the places specified in subsections A, B, C and D shall be an abandonment of the claim, and all right and claim of the locator shall be forfeited.

F. The county recorder shall keep proper indices of mine location notices and maps by the cadastral subdivisions of the United States bureau of land management or general land office. The county recorder shall receive the fees prescribed in section 11-475 for recording a mine location notice and map, plat or sketch appended to such notice.