Mining in King County WA

 Mining in East King County, Washington State

⛏ Old King County WA Mining Districts (above)
King County "Cultural Resources Protection Project, Phase 3 Volume I (2017)"

"Few places in the world present a denser growth of vegetation than does the western slope of the Cascade Mountains. In many places it is a jungle which one can see but a few rods ahead of him.
Prospecting in such a country is done under the most adverse circumstances." 
- Henry Landes, WA State Geologist, 1898
🌲🍃🌄

Table of Contents:

I. County
II. Federal
- MLRS Online
- Gold Panning
- Rock Hounding
III. State






I. KING COUNTY, Washington - Mining Rules


Check land ownership using King County Assessor Parcel Viewer:

WA Mining claim(s) must be filed with a County auditor:
"All location notices, bonds, assignments and transfers of mining claims shall be recorded in the office of the county auditor of the county where the same is situated within thirty days after the execution thereof." -RCW 78.08.040


Campbell Global (CG) and subsidiaries own much of King County WA Snoqualmie forest and subsurface/mineral rights. CG Permits/Leases for activities sold here: 
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CG Snoqualmie Forest Property (above)


Indigenous people regained a significant amount of Snoqualmie forest in north King County:

Snoqualmie Tribe Land - King County WA 2025 (above)
Snoqualmie Indian Tribe 
Tulalip Tribes Land - King County 2025 (above)
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II. FEDERAL - DOI Bureau of Land Management (BLM) & USDA Forest Service (FS) Mining Rules

⛏   19 states contain federally-administered lands where one may create a mining claim. You will need a lease and significant equipment/resources to mine minerals in East King County on federal or public land. Gold panning by hand is allowed without a permit, with some restrictions (see: State)

Active U.S. Mines, all States, 2022: 489,100
⚒  2025 Active Claims, WA: 1,832
Active Claims, King County, WA FEB 2025: 34 

- The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), under the Department of the Interior (https://www.doi.gov/) manages the surface of public BLM land https://www.blm.gov/

- The U.S. Forest Service (FS), under the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), manages the surface of National Forest System land https://www.fs.usda.gov/ (online map see https://www.fs.usda.gov/ivm/)

👉Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is responsible for the subsurface on both public and National Forest System land. Most federal land subsurface rights are already owned as public land, or retained by private parties.

see: BLM GEOSPATIAL BUSINESS PLATFORM https://gbp-blm-egis.hub.arcgis.com/

🔻
BLM information packet on how to place a mining claim or site on public land.
(Download BLM Mining Claim Packet 2022)
https://www.blm.gov/sites/default/files/docs/2022-08/orwa-mining-claim-packet.pdf
🔺


Federal / County / State Lands - King County (above)
https://gismaps.kingcounty.gov/iMap/
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Snoqualmie National Forest / Alpine Wilderness (above)
https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/mbs/recarea/?recid=79416

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🌎 

Mineral and Land Records System

Question: Is it possible to determine the exact location of a claim using BLM MLRS?

Answer: No! 

The exact location... of any claim ... can be found by locating claim markers on the ground.

BLM Mineral & Land Records System (MLRS) - online mineral & land records
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Search BLM MLRS reports data for more mining claim information
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see also:
BLM General Land Office (GLO) Records:
Historical Data
https://glorecords.blm.gov/
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BLM OR/WA has most existing 🌄Land Status and Cadastral Survey Records:
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🚮GOLD PANNING

👉Gold panning is allowed ✅ on FEDERAL lands near most WA 🌊State-owned Aquatic lands (rivers); Gold Panning requires a FREE permit ("Gold and Fish" (WDFW) Pamphlet)

🌊 "In-stream activities" = not generally regulated by BLM / Forest Service on Federal lands; 
👉... If WA DNR requires written Hydraulic Project Approval (HPA) instead of the free pamphlet ... or ... if you conduct "highbanking" operations (above ordinary high water line), BLM requires: a Notice of Intent ... or ... Plan of Operations.

👎🚫Gold panning is not allowed on 🌲WA State Trust lands (see State section below)⛔
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CFR Title 36
Parks, Forests, and Public Property
MINING and MINERALS

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-36/chapter-II/part-228
PART 228—MINERALS; Subpart A—Locatable Minerals
§ 228.1 Purpose.
"It is the purpose of these regulations to set forth rules and procedures ... which confer statutory right to enter upon the public lands to search for minerals ..." 
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§ 228.4 Plan of operations—notice of intent—requirements.
(1) A notice of intent to operate is not required for:
(i) Operations which will be limited to the use of vehicles on existing public roads or roads used and maintained for National Forest System purposes;
(ii) Prospecting and sampling which will not cause significant surface resource disturbance and will not involve removal of more than a reasonable amount of mineral deposit for analysis and study which generally might include ... gold panning
(iii) Marking and monumenting a mining claim;

Casual collecting means the collecting of a reasonable amount of common resources for non-commercial personal use, either by surface collection or the use of non-powered hand tools, resulting in only negligible disturbance to the Earth's surface and other resources.

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💎Rock Collecting / Rock Hounding💎

Recreational rock hounding is:
- Collection of small amounts of common minerals / stones (quartz, agate, obsidian) for noncommercial use, without the use of hand tools.
- Casual gold panning or use of detectors for gold nuggets / other metals; Casual digging / dredging/excavating with hand powered or battery powered tools.

- U.S. Forest Service (FS):
https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/r3/recreation/regulations/?cid=fsbdev3_022266
👍 FS Allows recreational rock hounding on most National Forest lands.
⛔No digging with hand tools or machines allowed
FS limits amounts of material removed to 10 pounds; No Permit Required if collecting samples on the surface
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- Bureau of Land Management (BLM):
👍 BLM Allows a limit for personal use of minerals, semi-precious gemstones, and other rocks, to 25 pounds daily (yearly limit 250lbs)
⛔No digging with hand tools or machines allowed
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- Washington State Department of Natural Resources (WA DNR):
👍 WA DNR Allows casual gathering of rocks / minerals on 🌲State Trust lands without a permit.(https://www.dnr.wa.gov/rockhounding)
⛔No digging with hand tools or machines allowed
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💎Mineral Collecting Resources
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(MISC. FEDERAL)
Requirements for reclamation and bonding for mineral operations on National Forest System lands. https://www.fs.usda.gov/geology/bond_guide_042004.pdf
Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement https://www.osmre.gov/
U.S. Army Core of Engineers (Seattle District) https://www.nws.usace.army.mil/
U.S. Geological Survey https://www.usgs.gov/
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service https://www.fws.gov/
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III. STATE - Washington State Mining Rules

🗻Washington's most valuable mineral resources are sand and gravel!

Gold is primarily produced in the northeast corner of the state.

Section of WA DNR map (above)
East King County / I-90 with legends

Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) manages:

    1.🌊 State-owned Aquatic land; "Lands" beneath navigable waters - of the entire state!
👍 ✅🚮Gold panning allowed - Permit required (see: WAC 220-660-300); Rock collecting allowed without permit

FREE Hydraulic Project Approval (HPA) permit pamphlet:
🔻
🔺

    2. 🌲 State Trust land; Granted trust lands which include leasing for mining and timber.
👎🚫 🚮Gold panning is not allowed on WA State Trust lands. Please do not trespass off trail, or disturb any stream habitats! Rock hounding is okay; no digging!

👍Beach prospecting / gold panning is allowed year-round in the Seashore Conservation Area, nearly the entire WA State coastline, from Oregon to the Makah Indian Reservation!

📑Washington Discover Pass required at State operated sites (https://www.discoverpass.wa.gov/)

see also: 
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RCW 90.48.615 Motorized or gravity siphon aquatic mining—Prohibited acts.
RCW 78.44 - SURFACE MINING (ON STATE OR LOCAL PUBLIC LANDS)
https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=78.44
RCW 78.44.081 - Reclamation permits required—Applications.
RCW 76.48.031 Specialized forest products permits—Required
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Washington Administrative Code
(WAC) 220-660-300
https://app.leg.wa.gov/WAC/default.aspx?cite=220-660-300
"Mineral prospecting."
(see full text WAC 220-660-300 for more)

(5) Mineral prospecting in fresh waters with timing restrictions:
(a) A person may mineral prospect in fresh waters of the state only during the times identified in subsection (7) of this section. A person must have the Gold and Fish pamphlet on the job site and comply with the provisions listed below.
(b) When mineral prospecting with timing restrictions, a person may use only the following mineral prospecting equipment:(i) Pans; 
(m) A person may not excavate from toe of the slope, from an unstable slope or any slope that delivers, or might deliver, sediment to the wetted perimeter or frequent scour zone. See Figures 5 and 6
Figure 5 (above): Dashed line indicate excavation not permitted.

Figure 6 (above): Dashed lines indicate excavation not permitted.

(7)⏰Authorized work times by specific state waters for mineral prospecting and placer mining projects:
Table 1
Authorized Work Times by Specific State Waters for Mineral Prospecting and Placer Mining Projects
King County, if not named below: 
July 16 - September 30✅
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Lake Washington tributaries August 1 - 31
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July 16 - August 15
Greenwater River, White River

 July 16 - September 30
Patterson Creek

July 16 - Feb 28
Bear Creek, Coney Creek, Denny Creek, Deep Creek, Goat Creek
Illinois Creek, Lennox Creek, Steele Creek, Yellow Creek

August 1 - 31
Rapid River - Mouth to Meadow Creek

August 1 - September 15
Raging River

August 1 - Feb 28
Rapid River - Upstream Meadow Creek    

August 1 - 31
Issaquah Creek, Kimball Creek, Sammamish River 
Cedar River - Mouth to Forks and Upstream of Forks
Green (Duwamish) River - Mouth to Sawmill and Upstream Sawmill Crk

Beckler River - Mouth to Boulder Creek    August 1 - 15
Beckler River - Upstream Boulder Creek    July 16 - Feb 28
Foss River -Mouth to Forks    July 16 - August 31
East Fork Foss - Mouth to Burn Crk    July 16 - August 15
East Fork Foss  - Upstream Burn Crk    July 16 - Feb 28
West Fork Foss - Mouth to falls at river mile 2.0    July 16 - August 31
West Fork Foss - Upstream falls at river mile 2.0    July 16 - Feb 28
Index Creek - Mouth to Mud Lake Crk August 1 - 31
Index Creek - Upstream Mud Lake Creek incl. Salmon Crk July 16 - Feb 28
Money Creek- Mouth 0.5m upstream Kimball Crk August 1 - 31
Money Creek - 0.5m upstream Kimball Crk August 1 - Feb 28
Miller River - Mouth to Forks    August 1 - 15
Miller River - Upstream Forks    August 1 - 15
West Fork Miller River   July 16 - Feb 28
East Fork Miller River - Mouth to Great Falls Crk    July 16 - August 15
East Fork Miller River - Upstream Great Falls Crk    July 16 - Feb 28
Skykomish River South Fork - Mouth to Sunset Falls    August 1 - 15
Skykomish River South Fork - Upstream Sunset Falls    August 1 - 15
Snoqualmie River - Mouth to Falls     August 1 - 15
Snoqualmie River - Falls to mouth South Fork    July 16 - Feb 28
Middle Fork Snoqualmie - Mouth to Taylor Crk  July 16 - Feb 28
Middle Fork Snoqualmie - Upstream Taylor Crk  July 16 - Feb 28
North Fork Snoqualmie - Mouth to Lennox Crk  July 16 - Feb 28
North Fork Snoqualmie - Upstream Lennox Crk  July 16 - Feb 28
South Fork Snoqualmie July 16 - Feb 28
Tolt River - Mouth to Forks    August 1 - 31
North Fork Tolt - Mouth to Yellow Crk  July 16 - September 15
North Fork Tolt - Upstream Yellow Crk July 16 - Feb 28
South Fork Tolt - Mouth to dam July 16 - September 15
South Fork Tolt - Upstream Tolt Reservoir    July 16 - Feb 28
Tye River - Mouth to Alpine Falls    August 1 - 31
Tye River - Upstream Alpine Falls    July 16 - Feb 28
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