• Fish Habitat Permit Information
• Fish Habitat Permit Application(PDF 56KB)
• Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Division of Mining, Land and Water - Annual Placer Mining Application
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Alaska General Placer Mine Permits

• Alaska State Parks Recreational Gold Panning
• Federal Permits Required for Your Mining Activities
• Mining Permits through the Annual Placer Mining Application
• Mining on State Selected Land in Alaska
• MTRSC Prospecting Site Locations
• MTRSC Locations (New Mining Locations)
• MTRSC (Converting Traditional Mining Claims to MTRSC Locations)
• Suction Dredging
• Complete DNR MLW Mining Fact Sheet Listing

• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
• U.S. Forest Service Land
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation
• Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Division of Mining Land and Water
• Kenai Peninsula Multi Agency Permitting

Placer mining activities in fish-bearing water bodies require a Fish Habitat Permit.

Placer mining generally refers to the extraction of gold, tin, platinum or other minerals with heavy equipment from unconsolidated sand and gravels from ancient and current streambeds or ocean beaches. The state of Alaska also considers suction dredge operation placer mining if the dredge has an intake nozzle greater than 6 inches or is powered by an engine with more than 18 horsepower. Dredges with smaller intakes are considered recreation suction dredges for which operation is permitted under the Recreational Suction Dredging.

Submission of an Annual Placer Mining Application to the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Division of Mining, Land and Water (ADNR/MLW) is required for placer mining activities within Alaska and will serve as an application for a Fish Habitat Permit if one is required for the placer mining operation.

The Division of Habitat's Fish Habitat Permit requirements apply to all streams in Alaska, including those on state, federal and private land. Issuance of a Habitat Fish Habitat Permit does not eliminate the need to obtain other state, federal or local permits or approvals from private property or mine claim owners. The ADNR/MLW and the Bureau of Land Management can provide information on land status, and the presence of valid mining claims.

Habitat's permitting authorities are focused on protecting anadromous fish and their habitat and maintaining fish passage in all fish-bearing waterbodies. We evaluate proposed water use requirements and physical modifications to floodplains and active stream channels. This includes water intake structures, temporary and permanent stream diversions, dams and impoundments, and post-mining floodplain reclamation.