Exploration and Prospecting

Guidelines

This tab contains the Land Quality Division's "Guidelines" for coal and non-coal operations.  The following is a break down of which Guidelines apply to what type of operations (coal, non-coal or both):

  • Coal Operations: Guidelines 6A, 6AR, 9, 13, 14, 18, 20-23 and 25;
  • Non-coal Operations: Guidelines 2, 4, 6, 12A, 16 and 19; and 
  • Both Coal and Non-coal Operations: Guidelines 1, 1A, 3, 5, 8, 10-12, 15, 17 and 24.

Guidelines are based upon applicable provisions of the Environmental Quality Act, LQD Regulations and they contain statements of LQD policy and preferred procedures.  Except for specifically referenced statutory provisions and regulations guidelines are not subject to rulemaking procedures and are therefore not to be interpreted as regulatory requirements.  The documents below are guidelines only and should not be interpreted by permittees, interested parties, DEQ/LQD staff or other local, state or Federal governmental agencies as mandatory.

**  Please note that Guideline 1 is currently under revision but the information regarding overburden remains applicable until the completion of Guideline 1B.  Sections regarding topsoil and subsoil have been superseded by Guideline 1A and the information contained in Guideline 1 should be disregarded for those sections.  Guideline 1A may be viewed below.  

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MOUs

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Standard Operating Procedures

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Enforcement Actions

Rules and Regulations

All official Wyoming State Rules and Regulations are kept at the Wyoming Secretary of State's Office. Click here to view all current Rules and Regulations. 

 

Exploration and Prospecting

The LQD regulates minerals exploration by dozing or trenching using motorized equipment, or a suction dredge whose intake diameter is greater than 3 inches or whose motor is greater than 10 h.p. LQD does not regulate recreational exploration involving minor surface disturbances that are infrequent in nature.  

Coal Drilling Notifications

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Coal License to Explore

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Non-Coal Drilling Notifications

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Non-Coal License to Explore

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If the exploration project does not meet the definition of “recreational”, a License to Explore for Minerals by Dozing (LE) will be required by LQD (see Guideline 16 and Guideline 19).  If federal lands are involved, a Plan of Operations from either the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) or U.S. Forest Service (USFS) will be required.

Hand panning is the only activity allowed in any Class 1 stream, including the Sweetwater River.  Class 1 waters are those surface waters in which no water quality degradation by point source discharges will be allowed.  A complete listing of Wyoming Class 1 waters may be found in Attachment B of LQD Guideline 19.

LE Forms
Licenses to Explore renew annually and an Annual Report is required.   A License to Explore does not authorize the production or sale of minerals. Only those materials necessary for assay and testing purposes may be removed.  

Gold Exploration
If you are unsure whether a License to Explore is required for your specific gold exploration site, please refer to An Introduction to Regulations for Gold Prospecting.

Prospecting in Sage-Grouse Core Area
Depending on the project location, there may be additional requirements per the Governor’s Executive Order 2019-3, Greater Sage-Grouse Core Area Protection.

The Wyoming Core Area map can be viewed here.