Provincial Recording Office

Who We Are

The Provincial Recording Office, a unit within the Mining Lands Section, is the registry office for the recording of all staked mining claims and other legal documents pertaining to mining claims in the Province. Its mandate is to

• provide direction to help the public understand the Mining Act and its regulations
• provide information and advice on staking
• provide information about fees and forms required under the Mining Act
• sell prospectors licences
• ensure that a mining claim meets the Claim Staking Regulation requirements before recording the claim in the electronic registry and adding the claim to the electronic claim map database.
• settle disputes between claim holders on compliance with the provisions of the Mining Act
• register legal documents affecting a mining claim, for example a transfer or a lien   
• receive and register exploration (assessment) work filed to hold a mining claim in good standing
• process applications to lease mining claims

Note:  A claim holder does not own the mineral rights.  They have the “exclusive” right to explore the claim.  A mining lease provides the right to mine the minerals. 

Our Clients

• claim stakers
• the mineral exploration industry
• any person or company who has questions regarding the status of mineral rights
• any person, company, association or Aboriginal community who wants to understand the process of obtaining Crown mineral rights
• the Ontario Government, which develops policies to best serve the public interest and which promotes Ontario’s mineral resources to investors

What We Provide

• Prospector’s licences both new (Form #0220 – Application for Prospectors Licence) and renewals (Form #0222 – Application for Renewal of Prospectors Licence) for the purpose of staking and recording mining claims
• Up-to-date registry of recorded mining claims
• Up-to-date claim maps showing the availability of Crown mineral rights open for staking
• Forms required under the Mining Act
• Instructions on How to Lease a Mining Claim  
• Extensions of Time (form #0044E – Application for Extension of Time to Perform and/or File Assessment Work), transfers of mining claims (form #0239E)
• Disputes Against a Recorded Mining Claim (form #0237) and holding hearings regarding the disputes
• Expert advice about the Mining Act and its regulations
• Recent News bulletins regarding mining lands and legislation  (see below)

Field Offices

Services related to Ontario’s Mining Act are provided in various part of the Province through Mining Lands Consultants’ offices and select Government Information Centres.

What Mining Lands Consultants Provide

Mining Lands Consultant offices are field offices of the Provincial Recording Office. They are located in Thunder Bay, South Porcupine and Kirkland Lake

Mining Lands Consultants Offices offer Mining Act forms, collection of fees, faxing and mailing services to the Provincial Recording Office on behalf of clients, computer terminals accessible to clients, information on staking.  

Contact Information

Mining Lands Consultants

Location	Address	Contact Numbers
Kirkland Lake	10 Government t Rd. East, Box 100 Kirkland Lake, Ontario P2N 3M6	(705) 568-4521
Thunder Bay	435 James Street South, Suite B003 Thunder Bay, Ontario P7E 6S7	(807) 475-1311
South Procupine	Ontario Government Complex P.O. Box 3060, Hwy 101 East South Porcupine, Ontario PON 1H0	Telephone: (705) 235-1600 Fax: (705) 235-1610

Mining Lands Services and Products from Government Information Centres:

• mining claim tags
• Mining Act forms
• Application for Prospector’s Licence, but the Provincial Recording Office processes the application
• Internet access to Mining Lands web page
• a Commissioner for Taking Affidavits
• 1-800 client courtesy phone
• facsimile services
• mail drop-off for Provincial Recording Office or Geoscience Assessment Office
• printed copies of mining claim maps

Office Locations

Location	Address	Contact Numbers
Atikokan	108 Saturn Avenue Box 940 Atikokan, Ontario P0T 1C0	Phone:  (807) 597-2701 Fax:      (807) 597-6185
Fort Frances	922 Scott Street Fort Frances, Ontario P9A 1J4	Phone:  (807) 274-5329 Fax:      (807) 274-4438
Geraldton	208 Beamish Ave. W. Box 640 Geraldton, Ontario P0T 1M0	Phone:  (807) 854-0266 Fax:      (807) 854-0335
Kenora	810 Robertson St. Suite 104 Kenora, Ontario P9N 4J2	Phone:  (807) 468-2803 Fax:      (807) 468-2941
Kirkland Lake	10 Government Rd. East, Box 100 Kirkland Lake, Ontario P2N 3M6	Phone:  (705) 568-4511 Fax:      (705) 568-4515
Marathon	52 Peninsula Rd. Centre Block Suite 105, Box 280 Marathon, Ontario P0T 2E0	Phone:  (807) 229-1153 Fax:      (807) 229-1592
New Liskeard	280 Armstrong St. Box 6002 New Liskeard, Ontario P0J 1P0	Phone:  (705) 647-7391 Fax:      (705) 647-7993
North Bay	447 McKeown Ave, Suite 111 North Bay, Ontario P1B 9S9	Phone:  (705) 497-6822 Fax:      (705) 497-5544
Red Lake	227 Howey Street, Box 950 Red Lake, Ontario P0V 2M0	Phone:  (807) 727-2946 Fax:      (807) 727-2870
Sault Ste Marie	Roberta Bondar Place 70 Foster Drive, Suite 110 Sault Ste Marie, Ontario P6A 6V4	Phone:  (705) 945-5877 Fax:      (705) 945-5958
Sioux Lookout	62 Queen St. Box 147 Sioux Lookout, Ontario P8T 1A2	Phone:  (807) 737-1318 Fax:      (807) 737-3419
South Porcupine	Ontario Government Complex Hwy 101 East, Bag 3060 South Porcupine, Ontario P0N 1H0	Phone:  (705) 235-1666 Fax:      (705) 235-1668
Wawa	160 Mission Road, Box 1370 Wawa, Ontario P0S 1K0	Phone:  (705) 856-2354 Fax:      (705) 856-7511

Mining Lands

Recent News

• Launch delay of Electronic Assessment Work System (EAS) Application
• A Guide for Filing Assessment Work in Ontario via Compact Disc (CD)
• Notice regarding changes to the Claim Staking Regulation, Assessment Work Regulation, Forms Regulation and Section 52(1) of the Mining Act
• Geoscience Assessment Office - Changing to serve you better
• Notice to Stakers and Recorded Holders - Change of address notification
• Office Location Map
• Schedule of Fees
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Summary of Common Errors on Forms 

Government Information Centres Offering Mining Lands Services