RCW 79.14.360 Conversion to mining contract.
The holder of any prospecting lease shall have a preference right to a mining contract on the premises described in the lease if application therefor is made to the department at least one hundred eighty days prior to the expiration of the prospecting lease.
A lessee applying for a mining contract shall furnish plans for development leading toward production. The plans shall address the reclamation of the property. A mining contract shall be for a term of twenty years.
The first year of the contract and each year thereafter, the lessee shall perform development work in cost amounts as set by the board. The lessee may make payment to the department in lieu of development work.
The lessee may at any time give notice of intent to terminate the contract if all of the covenants of the contract including reclamation are met. The notice of termination of contract shall be made by giving written notice together with copies of all information obtained from the premises. The contract shall terminate sixty days thereafter if all arrears and sums which are due under the contract up to the time of termination have been paid.
The lessee shall have sixty days from the termination date of the contract in which to remove improvements, except those necessary for the safety and maintenance of mine workings, from the premises without material damage to the land or subsurface covered by the contract. However, the lessee shall upon written request to the department be granted an extension where forces beyond the control of the lessee prevent removal of the improvements within sixty days.
Any lessee not converting a prospecting lease to a mining contract shall not be entitled to a new prospecting lease on the lease premises for one year from the expiration date of the prior lease. Such lands included in the prospecting lease shall be open to application by any person other than the prior lessee, and the lessee's agents or associates during the year period described above.
[ 2003 c 334 § 405; 1987 c 20 § 7; 1965 c 56 § 7; 1927 c 255 § 159; RRS § 7797-159. Prior: 1901 c 151 § 4. Formerly RCW 79.01.632, 78.20.060.]
NOTES:
Intent—2003 c 334: See note following RCW 79.02.010.
Copyright ©2024 LegalFix. All rights reserved. LegalFix is not a law firm, is not licensed to practice law, and does not provide legal advice, services, or representation. The information on this website is an overview of the legal plans you can purchase—or that may be provided by your employer as an employee benefit or by your credit union or other membership group as a membership benefit.
LegalFix provides its members with easy access to affordable legal services through a network of independent law firms. LegalFix, its corporate entity, and its officers, directors, employees, agents, and contractors do not provide legal advice, services, or representation—directly or indirectly.
The articles and information on the site are not legal advice and should not be relied upon—they are for information purposes only. You should become a LegalFix member to get legal services from one of our network law firms.
You should not disclose confidential or potentially incriminating information to LegalFix—you should only communicate such information to your network law firm.
The benefits and legal services described in the LegalFix legal plans are not always available in all states or with all plans. See the legal plan Benefit Overview and the more comprehensive legal plan contract during checkout for coverage details in your state.
Use of this website, the purchase of legal plans, and access to the LegalFix networks of law firms are subject to the LegalFix Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.