Federal Mining Act (BBergG).

The Federal Mining Act is Germany’s central federal law governing mining activities. It regulates the exploration, extraction, processing, and closure of mineral resources, aiming to secure the country’s raw material supply while ensuring public safety, environmental protection, and orderly land use. The Act defines which mineral resources are subject to federal mining law, establishes licensing regimes (such as exploration permits, extraction licenses, and mining ownership rights), and sets out the rights and obligations of mining operators, including operational planning requirements, environmental safeguards, rehabilitation duties, and financial contributions. It also outlines the responsibilities of mining authorities and provides procedural rules to balance economic interests with environmental protection and the rights of landowners and third parties. The text consists of 178 articles divided into 12 Parts as follows: Introductory provisions (I); Authorization to mining activities (II); Searching, extracting and processing of minerals (III); Empowerment to issue Mining Ordinances (IV); Mining surveillance (V); Mining Register (VI); Mining and land property, public traffic facilities (VII); Other activities and institutions (VIII); Special provisions for the continental shelf (IX); Federal Control Office, committee of experts, implementation (X); Legal avenues, penalties (XI); Transitional and final provisions (XII).