The document
What a mine map is, and what it is not
A mine map is the survey the mine operator drew and filed of what was actually dug: the rooms, the tunnels, the shafts, the pillars left standing to hold the roof, the seam or vein that was taken, the depth of cover above it and the date the map was certified as a true record. Coal states have required those filings for a century or more, and West Virginia has required a final certified map of every closing mine since the Hominy Falls flooding of 1968.
A point on our search, a dot on an old survey sheet or a record in the federal mine file is not a mine map. Each one is a location, often a single opening at the surface. The workings that opening leads to can run for miles underground and only the mine map shows them. That is why the pages on this site send you to the offices below for the map itself.
The maps live in two kinds of place. The state office that regulated the mine keeps the filed maps, and twenty four states and Puerto Rico publish a route to theirs, from a viewer that takes a street address to a telephone number in a mine safety office. The federal government keeps the National Mine Map Repository in Pittsburgh for the maps a state does not hold.
In order
The route to the map, in order
- Step 1. Fix the location in the words the archive usesA street address is enough for the Pennsylvania, Ohio and Iowa viewers. Missouri, Oklahoma and the Bureau of Land Management file by township, range and section, so find the legal description of the parcel on the deed or the county assessor record first. Illinois publishes a lookup that turns an address into its township, range and section.
- Step 2. Open the state viewer where there is onePennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Utah, West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia and Minnesota put their collections on a map. What you see is the mapped working, and a click opens the map or its inventory record.
- Step 3. Write to the state officeAsk for any mine map covering the parcel and the ground around it, and for the certification date of each. Send the address, the parcel number, the county and the nearest town, and the legal description if you have it. Keep the answer, including an answer that says there is no map.
- Step 4. Search the federal repositoryThe repository is searched by state, county, company and mine name. Some images download from the results table; the rest are requested by document number through the form, and the office answers within one to two business days with a download link.
- Step 5. Read the certification date before anything elseAnything dug after that date is not on the map. If the mine kept working, there may be a later map, and the office will know whether one was filed.
By address
The three viewers that take a street address
Pennsylvania publishes the one true address level undermined check in the country. The DEP mine subsidence risk viewer takes a street address and shows whether the site falls inside a gray Underground Mining Area, which means over or near a known mined area. The Pennsylvania Mine Map Atlas, linked in the table below, then shows the scanned maps themselves at that location, each one linked to its record in the PHUMMIS inventory of historic underground mine maps.
Ohio takes an address in the ODNR Mines of Ohio viewer and shows the abandoned underground mine polygons, digitized from the archival maps county by county; the statewide shapefile can be downloaded from the same viewer.
Iowa takes an address in its Iowa Coal Mines map, linked in the table below, which joins each site to its mine record and map; the records came from the Office of State Mine Inspectors, 1884 to 1973, through the Iowa Geological Survey.
Everywhere else the search is by county, quadrangle, company, mine name or legal description, and the table below says which.
All 52
Who holds the mine maps in each state
| State | Who holds the maps | What it holds | How to ask |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Alabama Department of Labor, Mine Safety office (underground mine maps) | Questions about underground mine maps go to the Inspections Division's Mine Safety office in Birmingham at (205) 944-1075. | Telephone the Mine Safety office with the parcel location and ask whether a mapped underground mine lies under it. |
| Alaska | No state mine map collection | Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, Mineral Industry Guide is the state page on its mines, and it shows where workings are, not what runs under one parcel. | The map itself comes from the federal repository: search it by county and mine name, then request the sheet. |
| Arizona | Arizona Geological Survey, Mining Data (mining collections archive) | Thousands of original historic Arizona mine files, photographs and maps from the former Department of Mines and Mineral Resources. | Search the mining data archive by district and mine name; the files and the maps are served online. |
| Arkansas | No state mine map collection | Arkansas Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Web Map is the state page on its mines, and it shows where workings are, not what runs under one parcel. | The map itself comes from the federal repository: search it by county and mine name, then request the sheet. |
| California | No state mine map collection | Department of Conservation map server, Mines and Mineral Resources is the state page on its mines, and it shows where workings are, not what runs under one parcel. | The map itself comes from the federal repository: search it by county and mine name, then request the sheet. |
| Colorado | DRMS Data: electronic documents and mining activity map | The Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety document system (Laserfiche WebLink) with non confidential coal, minerals and prospecting permit files and the Historical Mining Books. | Search the DRMS document system for the permit file; records of sites released before 2002 are at the Colorado State Archives. |
| Connecticut | No state mine map collection | Connecticut Geological Survey (DEEP), Connecticut Bedrock Mining Sites Database is the state page on its mines, and it shows where workings are, not what runs under one parcel. | The map itself comes from the federal repository: search it by county and mine name, then request the sheet. |
| Delaware | No state mine map collection | Delaware Geological Survey is the state page on its mines, and it shows where workings are, not what runs under one parcel. | The map itself comes from the federal repository: search it by county and mine name, then request the sheet. |
| District of Columbia | No state mine map collection | No state survey page on mines either. | The federal repository is the only route. |
| Florida | No state mine map collection | Florida DEP Mining and Mitigation Program is the state page on its mines, and it shows where workings are, not what runs under one parcel. | The map itself comes from the federal repository: search it by county and mine name, then request the sheet. |
| Georgia | No state mine map collection | Georgia EPD Surface Mining and Georgia Geologic Survey maps is the state page on its mines, and it shows where workings are, not what runs under one parcel. | The map itself comes from the federal repository: search it by county and mine name, then request the sheet. |
| Hawaii | No state mine map collection | No state survey page on mines either. | The federal repository is the only route. |
| Idaho | No state mine map collection | Idaho Geological Survey, Mines and Prospects Database is the state page on its mines, and it shows where workings are, not what runs under one parcel. | The map itself comes from the federal repository: search it by county and mine name, then request the sheet. |
| Illinois | ISGS Coal Mines in Illinois Viewer (ILMINES) | Map of known underground and surface coal mines and underground industrial mines with an underground mine proximity area, built to show how close coal mines are to a home or business; links to the county coal map series. | Open ILMINES, find the mine nearest the home, then follow its link to the county coal map and the mine directory. |
| Indiana | DNR Division of Reclamation, Coal Mine Information System (CMIS) map viewer | The map of all documented surface and underground coal mines in Indiana, built with the Indiana Geological Survey from historical maps and reports, now an ArcGIS Online application run by DNR. | Open the Coal Mine Information System viewer and look for documented mines at the parcel. |
| Iowa | Iowa DNR Iowa Coal Mines map | Web map of known historic coal mine sites with address search, mine name and site ID search, mine maps and mine information. | Type the address into the Iowa Coal Mines map; the mine record and the map are linked from the site. |
| Kansas | No state mine map collection | Kansas Geological Survey, Coal Resources is the state page on its mines, and it shows where workings are, not what runs under one parcel. | The map itself comes from the federal repository: search it by county and mine name, then request the sheet. |
| Kentucky | Kentucky Mine Mapping Information System | Mine and map search, interactive maps and GIS data for Kentucky coal and clay mines; final maps and maps from 2004 on can be downloaded, older maps are requested from EEC.KORA@ky.gov. | Search by mine name, company or county, download what is online and email the records office for an older map. |
| Louisiana | No state mine map collection | Louisiana Geological Survey (LSU) is the state page on its mines, and it shows where workings are, not what runs under one parcel. | The map itself comes from the federal repository: search it by county and mine name, then request the sheet. |
| Maine | No state mine map collection | Maine Geological Survey, Maine Mineral Resources database and map is the state page on its mines, and it shows where workings are, not what runs under one parcel. | The map itself comes from the federal repository: search it by county and mine name, then request the sheet. |
| Maryland | MDE Mining Mapping, historic underground coal mine repository (Deep Mine Mapping Application) | MDE's online repository of historic underground coal mines built with Maryland Environmental Services, the State Archives and Frostburg State University, opened through the Deep Mine Mapping Application plus KMZ files of mine sites. | Open the Deep Mine Mapping Application; questions go to Ryan Streett at 410-537-3883. |
| Massachusetts | No state mine map collection | Massachusetts Geological Survey, Mineral Resources is the state page on its mines, and it shows where workings are, not what runs under one parcel. | The map itself comes from the federal repository: search it by county and mine name, then request the sheet. |
| Michigan | No state mine map collection | EGLE GeoWebFace is the state page on its mines, and it shows where workings are, not what runs under one parcel. | The map itself comes from the federal repository: search it by county and mine name, then request the sheet. |
| Minnesota | Minnesota DNR Underground Mine Mapping Project | A GIS of the documented underground mine features of the Mesabi Iron Range built from over 3,000 scanned mine maps, with interactive maps; detailed questions to the Lands and Minerals office in Hibbing, 218-231-8484. | Open the project maps for the parcel on the Mesabi Range and telephone the Hibbing office with the legal description. |
| Mississippi | No state mine map collection | MDEQ Office of Geology, Mining and Reclamation Division is the state page on its mines, and it shows where workings are, not what runs under one parcel. | The map itself comes from the federal repository: search it by county and mine name, then request the sheet. |
| Missouri | Missouri Mine Map Repository (Missouri Geological Survey) | The official repository under section 256.112 RSMo with more than 2,000 underground mine maps, 1,193 scanned (428 coal, 765 non coal), listed by number and by township, range and section so a location can be searched, with maps to download. | Find the parcel township, range and section, check the repository list and download the scanned map; 573-368-2100. |
| Montana | Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology, Mining Archives (Data Preservation) | The bureau's repository of thousands of mining maps and files for Montana mining properties, collected since 1919, with a database search. | Search the mining archives database by the property name. |
| Nebraska | No state mine map collection | Conservation and Survey Division, University of Nebraska, Geological and Mineral Resources is the state page on its mines, and it shows where workings are, not what runs under one parcel. | The map itself comes from the federal repository: search it by county and mine name, then request the sheet. |
| Nevada | Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology Digital Library (Mining District Files, Engineering Files) | The bureau's digital collections of mining district files, engineering files, exploration reports and mineral land assessments, browsable by county and mining district. | Browse the digital library by county and mining district. |
| New Hampshire | No state mine map collection | New Hampshire Geological Survey (DES) is the state page on its mines, and it shows where workings are, not what runs under one parcel. | The map itself comes from the federal repository: search it by county and mine name, then request the sheet. |
| New Jersey | New Jersey Geological and Water Survey, Abandoned Mines Map Archive | The survey's archive of historical maps of New Jersey's abandoned mines. | Browse the abandoned mines map archive for the Highlands iron mines. |
| New Mexico | No state mine map collection | New Mexico Bureau of Geology, New Mexico Mines Database is the state page on its mines, and it shows where workings are, not what runs under one parcel. | The map itself comes from the federal repository: search it by county and mine name, then request the sheet. |
| New York | NYS DEC, NY State Mines and Wells map | DEC's web map of permitted mines and wells across the state. | The DEC map shows permitted mines, not historic workings; the federal repository holds the old maps. |
| North Carolina | No state mine map collection | North Carolina Geological Survey is the state page on its mines, and it shows where workings are, not what runs under one parcel. | The map itself comes from the federal repository: search it by county and mine name, then request the sheet. |
| North Dakota | No state mine map collection | North Dakota Geological Survey, Coal Maps is the state page on its mines, and it shows where workings are, not what runs under one parcel. | The map itself comes from the federal repository: search it by county and mine name, then request the sheet. |
| Ohio | ODNR Ohio Mines Locator (Mines of Ohio) | Locations and permit information for thousands of mapped surface and underground coal and mineral mines, found by entering a street address or clicking mining features, with statewide shapefile download. | Enter the address in the Mines Locator; the underground mine polygons were digitized from the archival maps. |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma Department of Mines, Historic Underground Mining Maps | Historic underground mine maps listed county by county (Atoka, Coal, Craig, Haskell, Latimer, LeFlore, Okmulgee, Pittsburg, Rogers, Tulsa and others) with mine name, section, township and range and map date. | Find the section, township and range, then check the county list for a map that covers it. |
| Oregon | DOGAMI Oregon Historical Mining Information, large format mine maps | Scans of DOGAMI's large format mine maps from its Portland and Grants Pass holdings, as PDFs. | Find the mine in MILO, then open its linked large format map as a PDF. |
| Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania Mine Map Atlas (DEP, hosted by Penn State) | Scanned historic underground coal mine maps viewed and downloaded at a chosen site location, each linked to its PHUMMIS record (the PA Historic Underground Mine Map Inventory System). | Open the Mine Map Atlas at the location; each map links its PHUMMIS inventory record. |
| Puerto Rico | DRNA Secretaria Auxiliar de Permisos, Endosos y Servicios Especializados | The Department of Natural and Environmental Resources office that handles permits and endorsements for work on the land, and the island's point of contact for records of extraction of sand, gravel and stone under Law 132 of 1968. | Ask the DRNA permits office; the island has no underground mine maps, and extraction there is of sand, gravel and stone. |
| Rhode Island | No state mine map collection | No state survey page on mines either. | The federal repository is the only route. |
| South Carolina | No state mine map collection | South Carolina Geological Survey (SCDNR), Mineral Resources is the state page on its mines, and it shows where workings are, not what runs under one parcel. | The map itself comes from the federal repository: search it by county and mine name, then request the sheet. |
| South Dakota | No state mine map collection | South Dakota DANR Minerals and Mining Program is the state page on its mines, and it shows where workings are, not what runs under one parcel. | The map itself comes from the federal repository: search it by county and mine name, then request the sheet. |
| Tennessee | TDEC Mining, Data and Map Viewers | The division's data and map viewers for mining in Tennessee. | Open the division data and map viewers for the Cumberland Plateau coalfield. |
| Texas | Railroad Commission of Texas, Abandoned Mine Land data map | The commission's map of abandoned mine land sites (a Power BI map). | Open the commission abandoned mine land map; Texas publishes no underground mine map viewer, so ask the Surface Mining division. |
| Utah | Utah Geological Survey, Abandoned Coal Mine Maps | A digital database of abandoned coal mine maps with an interactive map. | Open the abandoned coal mine maps database and its interactive map. |
| Vermont | No state mine map collection | Vermont Geological Survey, Sand, Gravel and Mineral Resources is the state page on its mines, and it shows where workings are, not what runs under one parcel. | The map itself comes from the federal repository: search it by county and mine name, then request the sheet. |
| Virginia | Virginia Energy, Coal Mine Mapping | The program that scans and catalogs archived underground coal mine maps of the Southwest Virginia Coalfield into a searchable database and a GIS of active and abandoned mines. | Search the coal mine mapping database; the underground mine extents are served as a map service. |
| Washington | Washington Geological Survey, Coal Mine Map Collection | About 1,100 maps of about 230 coal mines, organized by county in 65 zip files, cataloged in Open File Report 94-7, kept for mine subsidence hazard evaluation. | Find the mine in Open File Report 94-7 and download the county zip file of maps. |
| West Virginia | WVGES Scanned West Virginia Mine Maps (Mine Information Database System) | Scanned TIF images of West Virginia mine maps searched in the Mine Information Database System by county, quadrangle, coal bed, company, mine name, permit number or date, with a county index from the Office of Miners Health Safety and Training. | Search the Mine Information Database System by county, quadrangle, coal bed, company or mine name; the certified final maps are at the Office of Miners Health, Safety and Training. |
| Wisconsin | No state mine map collection | Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey, Mining is the state page on its mines, and it shows where workings are, not what runs under one parcel. | The map itself comes from the federal repository: search it by county and mine name, then request the sheet. |
| Wyoming | No state mine map collection | Wyoming State Geological Survey, GIS Mines and Minerals is the state page on its mines, and it shows where workings are, not what runs under one parcel. | The map itself comes from the federal repository: search it by county and mine name, then request the sheet. |
Federal
The National Mine Map Repository
The National Mine Map Repository database is kept by the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement in Pittsburgh and searched online. Its data runs from the 1790s to today and covers more than 275,000 closed and abandoned surface and underground mines, most of them coal.
Search it by state and county, then narrow by company or mine name. The results table offers some images to download. For the rest, and for a higher quality scan, send the document numbers through the map request form or describe the area you want there; the office answers within one to two business days and the maps come as a personalized download link. The help page explains each search option. Questions go to nmmr@osmre.gov.
The repository is the right place when the state says it has no map, when the state never regulated the mine, and for a company that mined across state lines.
What to send
What to put in a request to any office
| Send | Where it comes from | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The street address | The viewer or the clerk starts from it | Pennsylvania, Ohio and Iowa need nothing else |
| The parcel number | From the deed or the county assessor | It fixes the lot when streets have been renamed |
| Township, range and section | The legal description on the deed | Missouri and Oklahoma file their maps by it, and so does the Bureau of Land Management |
| The county and the nearest town | How every archive is indexed first | A mine often carries the name of the town it was nearest to |
| The company or mine name, if known | From an old deed, a neighbor or the mineral record | The federal repository searches by it |
| The question itself | Any map covering the parcel and the ground around it, with its certification date | An answer that says there is none is worth keeping too |
Not coal
Gold, silver, copper, iron and lead workings
The coal offices and the federal repository hold coal maps. The maps and files of the metal mines sit with the state geological surveys and bureaus of mines, and the table above links them: the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology digital library, the Arizona Geological Survey mining data archive, the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology archives collected since 1919, the New Mexico Mines Database kept since 1927, the Idaho mines and prospects database, the Oregon large format mine maps, the Utah mineral occurrence system, the Minnesota iron range mapping project and the New Jersey abandoned mines map archive.
A federal mining claim is filed by meridian, township, range and section, never by street address. The Bureau of Land Management MLRS public reports list active and closed claims for a legal location, with the serial register pages behind each one.
To see the opening a surveyor drew, the USGS topoView shows every edition of the historical topographic sheets free, so the shaft and mine dump symbols for a place can be compared across the years.
Straight answers
Mine map questions
Open only the answer you need.
Is the mine map free?
Usually. The state viewers are free, the federal repository sends map images at no charge through its request form, and a state archive that charges asks for copying at most. Ask before you order a large format print.
How long does a request take?
The federal repository says one to two business days for a response, with the maps sent by a download link. A state office that has to pull a paper map from an archive takes longer, and Kentucky asks for older maps by email to its records office.
What if there is no map?
Then the office will say so, and that answer is worth keeping in writing. Many workings were never mapped, maps were lost when companies closed, and a map certified in one year shows nothing dug after it. No map is not the same as no mine.
Can I read the map myself?
You can see the outline of the rooms, the shafts and the date. Reading the depth of cover, the pillar sizes and what they mean for one house is engineering, and the state subsidence and abandoned mine offices will tell you the same.
Does the map show metal mines as well as coal?
The federal repository is mostly coal, and the state coal offices are coal. The maps of gold, silver, copper, iron and lead workings sit with the state geological surveys and bureaus of mines, which the table above names for Nevada, Arizona, Montana, New Mexico, Idaho, Oregon, Utah, Minnesota and New Jersey.
Your own state
Abandoned mine maps, state by state
Each page names that state's own offices, its own counties and its own numbers.
Please read
Disclaimer
The mine information here is for general information only. Old mine records can be incomplete, outdated or wrong, and finding nothing here does not mean there is nothing there. Check with the mine map office named here before you rely on it, and have a qualified engineer look at any ground you are worried about. PublicRecordCenter.com assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors, omissions, or consequences arising from the use of this information.