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The 2009 Gold and Fish pamphlet replaces all previous editions and will remain valid until the Washington Department
of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) publishes a new edition. The rules contained in it were developed to protect fish and
their habitats. This pamphlet serves as your Hydraulic Project Approval (HPA) for the types of mineral prospecting
and mining activities described in it. You must follow the rules in the pamphlet(1) when you conduct those projects in
Washington. These rules do not relieve you from the additional need to obtain landowner permission before
conducting any mineral prospecting activity. This includes lands owned or managed by WDFW and other local, state, and federal agencies, and tribes. You must also follow the rules and regulations of tribal, local, federal, and
other Washington state agencies and obtain any permits they require.. You may print out the Gold and Fish pamphlet from this website or request one from a WDFW office.
If you want to conduct mineral prospecting or mining activities at different times or locations, or with different
equipment than allowed in this pamphlet, you must apply for a separate, written HPA. You will receive an HPA if
WDFW can determine that your proposed activity does not harm fish life.
You may request a written HPA by submitting a complete application to WDFW. The application form is titled "Joint
Aquatic Resources Permit Application" (JARPA). The JARPA and instructions are available online at www.epermitting.org. You can also call the Office of Regulatory Assistance at (800) 917-0043 or (360) 407-7037, or send an email to help@ora.wa.gov
Agencies with an Interest in Mineral Prospecting
This pamphlet gives authority to conduct mineral prospecting or placer mining operations from the WDFW only. Several
other federal, state, tribal, and local government agencies have their own requirements that must be met before you can
legally prospect or mine in areas under their jurisdiction.
How do I use the Gold and Fish pamphlet?
You can use the pamphlet as your permit for small scale mineral prospecting and placer mining by following these steps:
- Print out the Gold and Fish pamphlet from this website or request one from a WDFW office.
- Decide where you want to prospect or mine.
- Decide what type of equipment you want to use.
- Find your stream in the work time table to see when the location is open for work and if you need a separate, written HPA.
- See if you need to work under “Mineral Prospecting Without Timing Restrictions” or “Mineral Prospecting With Timing Restrictions.”
- Obtain any additional permits you may need from other agencies before starting work.
- Follow the provisions in the pamphlet.
What if I get an individual HPA?
If you receive an individual, written HPA from WDFW, you must follow the provisions in your HPA. In addition, you must also obtain any permits you may need from other agencies before starting work.
Gold and Washington
The search for gold greatly affected the shape of Washington’s history. Many miners bound for Alaska’s gold fields in the late 1800s passed through Seattle and influenced the city’s development. Interest in Washington’s gold-bearing streams remains strong today. Improvements in mineral prospecting equipment make it easier for the casual or part-time prospector to engage in this activity.
Do I need a permit to prospect in Washington?
Since 1980, a permit (the Hydraulic Project Approval, or HPA) has been required from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) to mineral prospect or placer mine. Mineral prospecting and placer mining activities can harm fish and their habitat if not conducted properly. Limitations in an HPA are designed to protect fish and fish habitat while still allowing as much activity as possible. Most mineral prospecting and placer mining activities are permitted through the Gold and Fish pamphlet. You can print a copy of the pamphlet from this website or request one from a WDFW office.
If the Gold and Fish pamphlet does not cover the location, equipment, or work time you want to use, you can request an individual, written HPA. The application form is called a Joint Aquatic Resources Permit Application (JARPA). You can see and print out the JARPA form, attachments, and instructions at www.epermitting.wa.gov. Fill out the JARPA and send it to WDFW headquarters in Olympia. In most cases, allow 45 days for processing your complete application.
Several other state and federal agencies have an interest in mineral prospecting and placer mining, and may require a permit:
Local jurisdictions and tribal governments may also require permits. Contact these agencies directly (see the Gold and Fish pamphlet for contact information) or the Washington State Office of Regulatory Assistance at (800) 917-0043.
What’s in the Gold and Fish pamphlet?
Mineral prospecting and placer mining is allowed under the Gold and Fish pamphlet with certain restrictions:
- There are two categories of prospecting:
- You can use pans; spiral wheels; and smaller sluices, concentrators, mini rocker boxes, and mini high-bankers in certain portions of most locations year-round.
- You can use pans; spiral wheels; larger sluices, concentrators, rocker boxes, and high-bankers; suction dredges; power sluice/suction dredge combinations; high-bankers; and power sluices only at specified locations and during certain times of the year.
- Any number of individuals of any age may work at an excavation site.
- No work on unstable slopes.
- Ganged equipment may be used, up to a certain size.
- Only larger prospecting equipment must be separated by 200 feet.
- Work times are based on updated data.
- Simplified screening criteria.
- Maximum dredge nozzle size is five and a quarter inches.
- Pressurized water may be used for leveling tailings and for crevicing.
1 This pamphlet includes the mineral prospecting rules under the Washington Administrative Code (WAC) available online at http://apps.leg.wa.gov/wac/ under WACs 220-110-020, -030, -031, -200, -201, -202, and -206. The rules were adopted by the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission on
November 8, 2008 and are effective April 3, 2009. The rules will remain in effect until modified or rescinded by the Commission. |
