Apply for a mineral lease

A mineral lease (ML) gives you the right to occupy the title area.

It also gives you exclusive rights to conduct all the following activities in the title area:

• mine for minerals and other activities specified in the Mineral Titles Act 2010
• explore for minerals
• evaluate, process or refine minerals
• treatment of tailings and other material
• store waste and other material
• remove minerals
• any other approved activities specified in the lease
• mine extractive minerals
• conduct tourist fossicking.

If you hold a mineral lease for mining, you can also apply for an ancillary mineral lease to carry out associated activities such as a treatment plant. You can't mine on an ancillary mineral lease.

Summary

Area covered by an ML

No limit.

Lease term

It can be granted for a term the minister considers appropriate. It may be renewed more than once.

Conditions

In addition to the conditions on mineral titles, you must also do all of the following:

• provide annual reports about reserves and production to the Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade between July 1 and July 14 every year
• meet the terms of any contractual arrangement entered into about developing, mining and processing mineral deposits in the lease area
• carry out work in a way that interferes as little as possible with the rights of other occupiers of land around the lease area.

How to apply

To apply, follow the steps below:

Step 1. Fill in the form and prepare supporting materials

Use this form to apply for a mineral lease.

Mineral lease (approved form 3) DOCX (122.4 KB)
Mineral lease (approved form 3) PDF (798.4 KB)

Read about the required supporting materials.

Step 2. Submit your application and pay the fee

To find out how much you must pay, read about rents, fees and other costs.

You must include the application fee when submitting your application.

After you apply

Find out how your application is assessed.

Process

Find out the grant process of an ML:

• over Aboriginal land PDF (1.2 MB)
• over freehold land PDF (1.2 MB)
• over native title affected land PDF (1.1 MB).

Tell the landowner/manager

You must notify landowners when you apply for a mineral title and there are specific processes you must follow.

When you apply for any mineral title, you must tell each landowner affected by the application. You must do this within 14 days of submitting the application to the department.

Read more about landowner notification under mineral title: grant of tenure.

How to renew

You may apply to renew all or part of a mineral lease before the end of its term.

Any renewal period will be decided by the department.

You can renew an ML more than once.

Find out how to renew a mineral title.

Contact

If you have any questions, contact the mining titles team.