Mining is to be understood as a collective term for the exploration, extraction and processing of the mineral resources listed in the Federal Mining Act, including all activities and facilities associated with a mining operation.
- Because of the overall economic importance of mining in securing the supply of raw materials,
- to protect the deposits,
- to ensure the safety of mining operations and employees, and
- to avert mining-related hazards
mining is subject to state supervision.
Whoever is authorized to explore for or extract mineral resources that are free of mining or that belong to the ground, furthermore the responsible persons, the persons designated in § 64 para. 1 BbergG and the persons belonging to the occupational health or safety service as well as the persons covered by § 66 sentence 1 no. 10 BbergG (persons obliged to provide information) shall provide the competent authority with the information and documents required for the implementation of mining supervision.
In the Free State of Bavaria, mining offices incorporated in the governments of Upper Franconia and Upper Bavaria are responsible for carrying out mining supervision. The Mining Office of Northern Bavaria is an organizational unit at the Government of Upper Franconia, the Mining Office of Southern Bavaria is an organizational unit at the Government of Upper Bavaria. The Northern Bavarian Mining Office is responsible for the administrative districts of Upper Palatinate, Upper Franconia, Middle Franconia and Lower Franconia, while the Southern Bavarian Mining Office is responsible for the administrative districts of Upper Bavaria, Lower Bavaria and Swabia. If an operation under the supervision of the mining authority extends beyond the administrative district of a mining office, the State Ministry of Economics and Media, Energy and Technology shall determine the mining office to whose area of responsibility the operation is to belong.
In addition to mining supervision, the mining offices are also responsible for the supervision under trade law of measures taken by commercial entrepreneurs for the production or substantial modification of cavities constructed underground in a non-open construction method, for restoration work and waste disposal in underground cavities, as well as within the framework of the prevention of hazards from abandoned mine workings that are no longer subject to mining supervision.
If you select a location under "Localization" the contact details of the responsible authority and, if applicable, locally valid information will be displayed.