Bureau of Land Management in Alaska

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is the federal agency that manages public lands and subsurface minerals, and in Alaska it also carries out the transfer of federal land to the state under the Alaska Statehood Act of 1959. The state office is in Anchorage.[1]

Role in Alaska

The BLM manages about 245 million acres of public land nationwide, mainly in 12 western states including Alaska, and administers 700 million acres of subsurface mineral estate. In Alaska it also handles conveyance of land to the state, Alaska Native allottees and Alaska Native corporations.[1]

Statehood land entitlement

The Alaska Statehood Act of 1959 and associated acts authorised the transfer of 105 million acres of federal land to Alaska. A November 2026 BLM release states that the bureau has conveyed over 96 percent of that acreage, with about 3.8 million acres still in the state’s entitlement. The Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act and the Alaska Land Transfer Acceleration Act allow the state to keep excess selections up to 125 percent of its entitlement.[1]

Related laws

The release also refers to the Native Allotment Act of 1906, the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act and the Dingell Act as commitments the bureau continues to work toward. It does not give acreage figures for land conveyed to Alaska Native corporations.[1]

FAQs

How much land was Alaska entitled to under statehood laws? 105 million acres.

What share has been conveyed? Over 96 percent, per a November 2026 BLM release.

Where is the BLM Alaska office? Anchorage.

Sources

1. Bureau of Land Management: BLM Takes Historic Action to Settle Alaska’s Land Pattern for All Alaskans

Editorially reviewed by Specialty Digest Editorial TeamLast reviewed November 14, 2026Researched and drafted with AI assistanceReport an issue