When a company buys claims from another party rather than staking new ground, the seller's filing history is the asset — and the closing attorney needs it examined before anything signs. The Leadfile Examination automates the bulk of that review: every required filing and maintenance fee across the entire life of the claims, reconstructed from the BLM record and translated out of action codes, with the gaps flagged. Findings are then confirmed against the stamped lead file documents once they are obtained from BLM.
What This Report Answers
- What is the full filing history? Complete serial register review covering location, amendment, maintenance fee payment, FLPMA annual filing, and disposition actions from original location to present — reconstructed per assessment year, so a missed year is visible rather than buried.
- Is this claim in good standing? Current status verification including maintenance fee compliance, FLPMA filing status, and any pending BLM actions or contests.
- Who does BLM show as the claimant of record? The claimant BLM currently recognizes, and the recorded actions that changed it. This establishes standing in the federal record — it is not a chain of title, and the distinction matters (see below).
- Are there any red flags? Identification of gaps in the filing record, late fee payments, missing FLPMA filings, conflicting actions, or disposition events that may affect the claim's validity or marketability.
- What do the BLM action codes mean? Every action code on the serial register is decoded and explained in context — not just defined, but interpreted in terms of what it means for the claim's standing and its exposure.
What this establishes — and what it doesn’t
A Leadfile Examination establishes a claim’s standing in the federal record: what BLM required, what was filed, what was paid, what is missing, and who BLM currently recognizes as claimant. For an acquisition, that is the exposure the buyer is taking on, and it is the part that can be reconstructed at scale.
It is not a chain-of-title examination. Title to an unpatented mining claim is conveyed by instruments recorded at the county, and the BLM record does not reliably capture them. Anyone telling you they can produce a chain of title out of BLM data alone is describing something the data cannot support. County-level title work is a separate engagement, and ChoraQuest performs it — it is just not this report.
Automated findings are confirmed against the stamped lead file documents once obtained from BLM, so what reaches the closing file has been checked against the agency’s own paper.
What Ships
The Report
Plain-language examination narrative, serial register action timeline, per-assessment-year compliance ledger, current standing, and risk flags. Print-ready and branded.
The Map
Professional GIS layout showing the claim's PLSS location, adjacent claims, land status, and any overlapping or conflicting entries.
The Workbook
Full serial register action log with decoded action codes, maintenance fee payment history, per-assessment-year filing compliance, and a tab per lead file.
The Data
Claim polygon, PLSS section geometry, and adjacent claim boundaries as open spatial data for your GIS platform.
Who Needs a Leadfile Examination
- Closing attorneys handling a mining claim acquisition, who need the seller's federal filing record examined and documented before the deal closes.
- Landmen running acquisition due diligence who need the federal compliance record established before they start the county work.
- Mining companies verifying the status and compliance of claims in their portfolio or in a target acquisition.
- Claim holders who need an independent examination of their own claims to confirm good standing and identify any compliance gaps before they become problems.
- Investors and acquirers who need claim-level title verification before closing a mineral asset transaction.
Data Sources
- BLM MLRS (Mineral and Land Records System) — live serial register page data, action codes, disposition history, claimant records, and fee payment status.
- BLM CadNSDI — PLSS geometry for claim location context.
- Federal land status — 43 CFR mineral entry status, withdrawals, and restrictions affecting the claim's legal land description.
Request a Leadfile Examination
Provide the BLM case serial number or MTRS location. We deliver the complete examination as a finished package.
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