Land Law Examiner

US-Bureau-of-Land-Management; Durango (CO); On-site; USD 52,000 - 76,000; Full time

Job summary

The US Bureau of Land Management is seeking a Land Law Examiner to adjudicate rights and privileges under the laws governing public lands and resources. You will research and make decisions on applications and claims for land use, minerals leasing, and mining on public lands.

First-time federal hires start at the grade-1 step, with pay varying by grade level. Qualifications range from GS-05 to GS-09, including combinations of education and experience, with hours-per-week documentation required.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of real property laws and legal land descriptions, land titles, tract maps, and related documents.
• Familiarity with laws, regulations, and procedures related to public lands.

Responsibilities

• Determine the accuracy and proper execution of applications or claims and the qualifications of applicants for legal rights as requested.
• Adjudicate routine lands, mining, or mineral leasing applications.
• Answer inquiries from the public or internal customers regarding public land laws and regulations.
• Prepare routine correspondence.

Skills

Real property laws

Education

Bachelor's degree

Graduate-level education

Job description

You will serve as a Land Law Examiner with Bureau of Land Management adjudicating rights and privileges under the laws that govern the use and disposition of public lands and resources. You will research and make decisions on applications and claims for land use, minerals leasing, and mining on public lands.

Pay will vary based on grade level for which you're selected. First time hires to the Federal government normally start at the step 1 rate.

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-09/18/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. All candidates must also meet Time-in-Grade requirements.

To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience. Failure to adequately provide information needed to determine number of hours worked in each position may result in that time not being credited when evaluating qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected.
Minimum Qualification Requirements: To qualify for this position, you must meet the following minimum qualifications:

To qualify for this position at the GS-05 grade level:
Experience: To qualify, you must possess at least three (3) years of general experience one (1) year of which was equivalent to at least a GS-4. General experience is defined as demonstrated experience: that provided a familiarity with real property laws and legal land descriptions, land titles, tract maps, and legal documents, or other experience that involved explanation, application, or interpretation of laws, regulations, policies, etc. Such experience may have been gained in positions such as law clerk, claims examiner, contact representative, or other work dealing with laws, rules, regulations, procedures, etc.
-OR-
Education: Four-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree. You must include hours per week and transcripts.
-OR-
Combination of education and experience as listed above. You must include hours per week and transcripts. To qualify for this position at the GS-07 grade level:
Experience: To qualify, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience:

• Determining the accuracy and proper execution of applications or claims and the qualifications of applicants for legal rights as requested;
• Adjudicating routine lands, mining, or mineral leasing applications;
• Answering inquiries from the public or internal customers regarding public land laws and regulations;
• Preparing routine correspondence.

You must include hours per week worked.
-OR-
Education: Successful completion of at least one full year of graduate level education. This includes or supplemented by 12 semester hours of course work related to the administration of land laws. Examples: include course work in land surveying, cartography, land use law, real estate law, land appraising, land use planning, water rights, mining laws, or legal instrument review and interpretation. You must include transcripts.
-OR-
Combination of education and experience as listed above. You must include hours per week and transcripts.
Volunteer Experience: Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

To qualify for this position at the GS-09 grade level:

Experience: To qualify, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience:

• Processing and/or adjudicating basic lands and minerals cases;
• Researching and reviewing legal land descriptions and ownership status from various map and records sources;
• Using basic computer and software applications to handle data; and
• Communicating effectively with internal and external customers on routine topics.

You must include hours per week worked.
-OR-
Education: Successful completion of at least a Master's or equivalent graduate degree or two full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D in a field of study such as land surveying, cartography, land use law, real estate law, land appraising, land use planning, water rights, mining laws, or legal instrument review and interpretation. You must include transcripts.
-OR-
Combination of education and experience as listed above. You must include hours per week and transcripts.
Volunteer Experience: Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.