Apply for a quartz mining lease

Quartz leases are the most secure form of mineral title in the Yukon.

  1. Get a claim.
  2. Confirm a vein or lode in your claim.
  3. Apply to lease the subsurface.

Typically, if you're thinking about production, you'll apply for a lease to:

  • secure title to the claim; and
  • remove the annual work requirement.

Quartz leases are issued for 21 years. You can renew for additional 21-year terms if you followed the conditions of your lease and the legislation.

Preparing for a lease

  1. You must have done $500 worth of work on your claim.
    • This can be a combination of work and payment-in-lieu.
    • You must provide a spreadsheet detailing the work for each claim you wish to lease.
  2. You must have found a vein or lode within the limits of your claim.
  3. We'll ask our chief geologist certify the find and provide a report.
  4. The claim must be surveyed by a Canada lands surveyor.
  5. Complete a Notice of Intent to Apply for a Certificate of Improvements.
  6. Submit the notice to your local Mining Recorder's Office.
  7. We'll post a copy of the preliminary survey plan and your notice in the Mining Recorder's Office.
  8. You must post a copy of the preliminary survey plan and your notice on your claim.
  9. You must advertise a copy of the notice in a Yukon newspaper for at least 60 consecutive days before you can apply for the lease.
  10. Send the original newspaper clippings to the Mining Recorder's Office.

Apply for the lease

  1. Complete an application for Certificate of Improvements.
  2. Submit the form to the Mining Recorder's Office.
  3. We'll review the application. We allow 20 days to pass in case someone starts a court action.
  4. If there is no court action, we notify you and the federal Surveyor General Branch that no protests have been received.
  5. We'll issue you a certificate outlining that the above processes are complete.
  6. Once the legal survey is approved by the Surveyor General Branch, we'll issue you the Certificate of Improvements.
  7. Write a letter requesting a quartz lease for your claim. Submit it to the Mining Recorder's Office.
  8. Include your lease fees. The fees include:
    • a $10 application fee; and
    • a 21-year rental fee of:
      • $50 for 51.65 acres (20.9 hectares) or less; and
      • $5 for each acre over 51.65 acres (20.9 hectares).

If you do not request a lease and pay your fees within 3 months, your claim will lapse.

Working your lease

Before doing any work on your lease, you need to complete the proper notifications or mining land-use approvals.

Review the activity thresholds to determine the class of your operation.

Follow the process for class that best fits your operation:

Mineral activities in the Peel River watershed

The 2019 Peel Watershed Regional Land Use Plan guides the management of the region. This includes:

  • environmental protection;
  • social considerations; and
  • economic development.

The cornerstone of the plan is sustainable development.

We will evaluate proposed mineral activities in the Peel Watershed region for conformity to the plan. The plan will also inform assessment and regulatory steps.

Read our brochure to see a summary of the standards for all classes of mineral activities throughout the Peel Watershed region.

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