107.01 Rules governing mining rights. Where there is no contract between the parties or terms established by the landlord to the contrary the following rules and regulations shall be applied to mining contracts and leases for the digging of nonferrous metallic minerals:
(1) No license or lease, verbal or written, made to a miner shall be revocable by the maker thereof after a valuable discovery or prospect has been struck unless the miner shall forfeit the miner's right by negligence such as establishes a forfeiture according to mining usages.
(2) The discovery of a crevice or range containing nonferrous metallic minerals shall entitle the discoverer to the nonferrous metallic minerals pertaining thereto, subject to the rent due the discoverer's landlord, before as well as after the nonferrous metallic minerals are separated from the freehold; but such miner shall not be entitled to recover any nonferrous metallic minerals or the value thereof from the person digging on the miner's range in good faith and known to be mining thereon until the miner shall have given notice of the miner's claim; and the miner shall be entitled to the nonferrous metallic minerals dug after such notice.
(3) Usages and customs among miners may be proved in explanation of mining contracts to the same extent as usage may be proved in other branches of business.
History: 1975 c. 41 s. 51; 1993 a. 492; 2013 a. 1.