blm-mineral-records

BLM Mineral and Land Records Skill

Queries Bureau of Land Management GIS services and reporting systems for federal mineral leases, land ownership, mining claims, and cadastral (Public Land Survey System) data. Essential for determining federal mineral rights when siting DLE projects on public lands.

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Credential

None required. All BLM GIS services and public reports are open access.

# No API key needed — BLM GIS services are public

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Data Sources

Source	Type	URL
BLM National SMA (Surface Management Agency)	ArcGIS REST MapServer	https://gis.blm.gov/arcgis/rest/services/lands/
BLM PLSS Cadastral (PLSS)	ArcGIS REST MapServer	https://gis.blm.gov/arcgis/rest/services/Cadastral/
BLM DANL (Mining Claims / Nominated Parcels)	ArcGIS REST MapServer/FeatureServer	https://gis.blm.gov/arcgis/rest/services/DANL/
LR2000 (Legacy Rehost 2000)	Web portal (no REST API)	https://reports.blm.gov/reports/LR2000
BLM National LPAD	ArcGIS REST MapServer	https://gis.blm.gov/arcgis/rest/services/lands/BLM_Natl_LPAD/MapServer

Note: The LR2000 system (case recordation for mineral leases, mining claims, rights-of-way, and withdrawals) is a web-only reporting application at https://reports.blm.gov/ under the "LR2000" section. There is no public REST API for LR2000 — queries must be run through the web interface or via the BLM GIS services listed above.

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API Structure

BLM GIS Services Folder Structure

https://gis.blm.gov/arcgis/rest/services/
  lands/                    # Land ownership, SMA, NLCS, LPAD
  Cadastral/                # PLSS township-range-section grid
  DANL/                     # Mining claims, nominated parcels
  admin_boundaries/         # BLM administrative boundaries

Key Services and Layers

Surface Management Agency (land ownership):

https://gis.blm.gov/arcgis/rest/services/lands/BLM_Natl_SMA_Cached_without_PriUnk/MapServer
  Layer 1: Surface Management Agency
  Layer 7: Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
  Layer 8: National Park Service (NPS)
  Layer 9: US Forest Service (USFS)

Fields: SMA_ID, ADMIN_DEPT_CODE, ADMIN_AGENCY_CODE, ADMIN_UNIT_NAME, ADMIN_UNIT_TYPE, ADMIN_ST, HOLD_DEPT_CODE, HOLD_AGENCY_CODE

PLSS Cadastral Survey:

https://gis.blm.gov/arcgis/rest/services/Cadastral/BLM_Natl_PLSS_CadNSDI/MapServer

Provides section-township-range grids for all PLSS states (most of western U.S.).

DANL (Nominated Parcels / Mining Claims):

https://gis.blm.gov/arcgis/rest/services/DANL/BLM_Natl_DANL_DataCollection_MapService/MapServer
  Layer 0: BLM Natl DANL Newly Nominated Parcels

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Workflow

Step 1 -- Resolve Intent

User asks about...	Strategy
Land ownership at a location	Spatial query on SMA layer with point or bounding box
Whether land is BLM-managed	Query SMA layer, filter by ADMIN_AGENCY_CODE
PLSS section-township-range	Query Cadastral service with spatial or attribute filter
Mining claims in an area	Query DANL service with spatial extent
Federal oil and gas leases	Direct user to LR2000 web portal with search guidance
Lease sale results	Direct user to LR2000 or BLM lease sale page

Step 2 -- Query GIS Services

Spatial query -- land ownership at a point (lon, lat):

# Who manages the surface at a given coordinate?
curl -s "https://gis.blm.gov/arcgis/rest/services/lands/BLM_Natl_SMA_Cached_without_PriUnk/MapServer/1/query" \
  --data-urlencode "geometry=-107.5,38.5" \
  --data-urlencode "geometryType=esriGeometryPoint" \
  --data-urlencode "spatialRel=esriSpatialRelIntersects" \
  --data-urlencode "outFields=ADMIN_DEPT_CODE,ADMIN_AGENCY_CODE,ADMIN_UNIT_NAME,ADMIN_UNIT_TYPE,ADMIN_ST" \
  --data-urlencode "f=json"

Bounding box query -- all BLM land in an area:

# Land ownership within a bounding box (minLon,minLat,maxLon,maxLat)
curl -s "https://gis.blm.gov/arcgis/rest/services/lands/BLM_Natl_SMA_Cached_without_PriUnk/MapServer/1/query" \
  --data-urlencode "geometry=-108.0,38.0,-107.0,39.0" \
  --data-urlencode "geometryType=esriGeometryEnvelope" \
  --data-urlencode "spatialRel=esriSpatialRelIntersects" \
  --data-urlencode "outFields=*" \
  --data-urlencode "resultRecordCount=50" \
  --data-urlencode "f=json"

PLSS query -- find section-township-range:

# PLSS grid at a coordinate
curl -s "https://gis.blm.gov/arcgis/rest/services/Cadastral/BLM_Natl_PLSS_CadNSDI/MapServer/1/query" \
  --data-urlencode "geometry=-107.5,38.5" \
  --data-urlencode "geometryType=esriGeometryPoint" \
  --data-urlencode "spatialRel=esriSpatialRelIntersects" \
  --data-urlencode "outFields=*" \
  --data-urlencode "f=json"

Nominated parcels / mining claims:

# Recently nominated parcels
curl -s "https://gis.blm.gov/arcgis/rest/services/DANL/BLM_Natl_DANL_DataCollection_MapService/MapServer/0/query" \
  --data-urlencode "where=1=1" \
  --data-urlencode "outFields=*" \
  --data-urlencode "resultRecordCount=10" \
  --data-urlencode "f=json"

Step 3 -- Parse Response

ArcGIS REST responses follow this structure:

{
  "features": [
    {
      "attributes": {
        "ADMIN_AGENCY_CODE": "BLM",
        "ADMIN_UNIT_NAME": "Colorado",
        "ADMIN_ST": "CO"
      },
      "geometry": { "rings": [...] }
    }
  ]
}

Step 4 -- Produce Output

Format: Land Status Table + Narrative

Present results as a markdown table (capped at ~20 rows), followed by a narrative covering:

1. Land status -- which agency manages the surface (BLM, USFS, NPS, etc.)
2. Mineral rights context -- federal surface does not always equal federal minerals; split estate is common
3. PLSS reference -- section, township, range, and meridian
4. DLE siting implications -- whether federal mineral lease would be needed

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Output Format

## Land Ownership Query: Gunnison County, CO Area

| Feature | Agency | Unit Name | Unit Type | State |
|---------|--------|-----------|-----------|-------|
| 1 | BLM | Colorado | Field Office | CO |
| 2 | USFS | Grand Mesa NF | National Forest | CO |
| 3 | NPS | Black Canyon | National Park | CO |

**Summary:** The queried area (-108.0 to -107.0 lon, 38.0 to 39.0 lat) in
western Colorado contains a mix of BLM-managed public land, US Forest Service
(Grand Mesa NF), and NPS (Black Canyon of the Gunnison). BLM-managed parcels
would require a federal mineral lease under the Mineral Leasing Act for any
DLE brine extraction operations. Contact the BLM Colorado State Office or
use LR2000 to check existing lease status.

**Note:** Surface management agency does not determine subsurface mineral
ownership. Split estate conditions (federal surface / private minerals or
vice versa) are common in the western U.S. Confirm mineral rights through
the BLM's LR2000 system or county recorder records.

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LR2000 Web Portal Guide

The LR2000 system at https://reports.blm.gov/ provides case-level detail on mineral leases, mining claims, rights-of-way, and land withdrawals. There is no REST API -- use the web interface.

Key report categories (from the BLM Reporting Application):

Category	Content
MLRS (Mineral and Land Records System)	Active mineral leases, mining claims, serial register pages
LR2000	Legacy case records -- oil/gas leases, coal leases, mining claims by state/county

To search for oil and gas leases in LR2000:

1. Navigate to https://reports.blm.gov/
2. Select "LR2000" from the Applications menu
3. Choose the report type (e.g., "Oil and Gas Leases")
4. Filter by state, county, or serial number
5. Export results as needed

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Error Handling

Issue	Cause	Action
Empty features array	No federal land at queried location (private/state land)	Expand search area or note that location is non-federal
ArcGIS 400 error	Malformed geometry or invalid spatial reference	Verify coordinate format (lon,lat for WGS84) and geometry type
Service timeout	Large spatial query returning too many features	Add resultRecordCount limit; narrow bounding box
"Layer not found"	Service restructured	Check parent service URL for current layer IDs
No PLSS data	Location outside PLSS states (original 13 colonies, TX, HI)	Note that PLSS does not cover eastern states; use metes-and-bounds references
LR2000 web portal unavailable	Federal site maintenance	Try BLM GIS services as alternative; check https://www.blm.gov/lr2000

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Caveats

1. Surface management does not equal mineral ownership. The SMA layer shows who manages the surface. Subsurface mineral rights may be held by a different entity (split estate). The LR2000 case records are the authoritative source for federal mineral lease status.

2. PLSS coverage. The Public Land Survey System covers most states west of the Ohio River, but does not cover the original 13 colonies, Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, Texas, or Hawaii. For Appalachian Basin research (WV, PA, OH), PLSS coverage varies -- OH uses PLSS but WV does not.

3. BLM data currency. GIS layers are updated periodically, not in real-time. For active lease negotiations or current claim status, verify through the BLM state office or LR2000.

4. No REST API for LR2000. The most detailed mineral lease case data is only available through the LR2000 web interface. Bulk data extraction is not supported.

5. Western U.S. focus. BLM manages ~245 million acres, primarily in 12 western states plus Alaska. BLM-managed land in eastern states is minimal. For Appalachian Basin DLE siting, state mineral rights agencies are more relevant than BLM.

6. Federal vs. state vs. private. On federal land, a mineral lease from BLM is required for extraction. On state land, contact the state land board. On private land, negotiate directly with mineral rights holders. The SMA layer helps determine which regime applies.

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Implementation Notes

• Use bash_tool with curl for ArcGIS REST queries
• Parse JSON responses with jq or python
• For spatial queries, coordinates must be in WGS84 (EPSG:4326) decimal degrees
• ArcGIS REST default spatial reference is Web Mercator (102100); specify inSR=4326 if needed
• resultRecordCount caps at service-defined max (typically 1000-2000); paginate with resultOffset
• For DLE project siting, combine this skill with pnge-state-regulatory:wvges-wells or pnge-federal-data:boem-offshore for well data overlay