LANDS & REALTY:
The BLM Eastern States Office is the largest land title records repository
in the
world. We maintain approximately 10,000 different tract books containing land records
for the 13 Public Land States under its jurisdiction: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Illinois,
Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, and Wisconsin.
We also maintain more than five million Federal Land conveyance documents including homesteads,
cash sales, miscellaneous warrants, swamp lists, state selections, and railroad lists. The
BLM provides for acquisition, use, disposal, and adjustment of land resources; determines the
boundaries of Federal land; and maintains historic records for these ownership transactions.
BLM Eastern States receives an average of 250 requests for certified copies of the land
records from the public (title attorneys, individuals researching their genealogy, etc.) every
month.
BLM Eastern States is currently in the process of determining the actual acreage of the
public domain it administers through a Lands Identification Project and land use planning
efforts. Although the exact acreage of public domain in the East is unclear, our best
estimate places surface acreage at about 30,000 acres. Complexities for identifying
lands in the East are magnified by the vast geographic area, terrain, and difficulty
in locating boundaries which often requires resolving title issues dating back to the
Public Land Ordinance of 1785. Lands Identification Project has prioritized eight
states that still have federally owned lands (Mississippi, Alabama, Michigan, Minnesota,
Wisconsin, Florida, Louisiana and Arkansas) in accordance with the Eastern States land
use plans. The efforts will be identifying certain tracts that can be actively managed
with potential partners and identifying unmanageable tract for disposal through exchanges
and sales. After validation of all the public domain states we will have a complete
inventoried list federally own lands in the East and it will be accessible to the public
via the Internet.
In addition, Eastern States has acquired public lands in the states of Maryland and
Virginia, under Section 205 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) of
1976, 43 U.S.C. 1715, as amended. Maryland and Virginia are not public land states by
law. For more information, please visit the
Lower Potomac Web page.
BLM Eastern States is currently in the process to do a complete review of all special
and lighthouse properties through the land use planning process. These lands will be
disposed of, through Recreation and Public Purposes (R&PP) transfers, or retained
and managed through strong partnerships with other government agencies, preservation
nonprofits, or volunteer organizations.
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Additional Links:
The LR2000 System (http://www.blm.gov/lr2000)
- The LR2000 contains applicant and land use data on leases, permits, contracts, agreements,
unpatented mining claims, and other use authorizations issued or recorded by the BLM. Use
authorizations pertain to oil and gas, coal, sand, gravel, grazing, communication sites, and
rights-of-way.
GeoCommunicator ( http://www.geocommunicator.gov )
- The Geocommunicator is an interactive map viewer that permits users to search and display
LR2000 records including: oil and gas, geothermal, solid mineral and coal leases, mining
claims, stipulations and conveyances, as well as download and dynamically map Public Land
Survey System (PLSS) data. Users can also view grazing allotment and pasture boundaries on
this site.
Public eForms (http://www.blm.gov/blmforms)
- This web-based forms application provides customers in private and government sectors with
BLM, Department of Interior, and various other forms that are easy to use in both printed and,
where possible, electronic format.
- Each eForm can be filled out and submitted electronically, saving customers the cost of
postage and handling and/or travel expenses associated with filing a paper copy in a Field
or State Office.
- Customers can also track the status of eForms online.
General Land Office Website (http://www.glorecords.blm.gov)
- This site offers researchers a source of information on the initial transfer of land titles
from the Federal government to individuals. In addition to verifying title transfer, this
information will allow the researcher to associate an individual (Patentee, Assignee,
Warrantee, Widow, or Heir) with a specific location (Legal Land Description) and time
(Issue Date).
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