Public Parks and Town Codes - NJ (maybe others)

[JerseyGirl71]

Before I head out to the tot lots, I decided to check my town and the neighboring town codes.
Go to your town's website and check.

Looking under Parks and Recreation I did a word find for "dig".

My town says this....
Prohibited
(3) Dig or remove any soil, rock, sand, stones, trees, shrubs or plants or other wood or materials or make any excavation by tool, equipment, blasting or other means or agency.

It does not say dig AND remove....but rather dig OR remove

No ban on metal detectors, but you can't dig with a tool.
Maybe a sharp stick? LOL


The next town over has a great park and tot lot with sand....not grassy near the tot lot.
That ordinance says....
Prohibited
(d) Damage, cut, carve, transplant or remove any tree or plant or injure the bark or pick the flowers or seeds of any tree or plant; nor shall anyone attach any rope, wire or other contrivance to any tree or plant. A person shall not dig or otherwise disturb grass areas or in any other way injure or impair the natural beauty or usefulness of any area.

It does not prohibit digging around in the dirt areas...so I know I can go to that one park.


Knowledge is power....and reading is fundamental...

MK

 

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[dholland02]

If there's no signs at the park that says no detecting then don't worry what u found In paper work.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

jerseygirl71 MK, let me save you some time in the future: Don't even bother looking up ordinances, codes, rules, etc... for any park you come to, anywhere. Yup, I'll save you some time: verbage like you found is in ALL city parks, beaches, etc... So too for verbage about "disturbing" "defacement", "alterations", "vandalism", etc... I mean, seriously, did you think there was going to be any place that allows you to "disturb", "alter" and "take" things away from the park or beach or sandbox?

So if you take these things to mean "no metal detecting" (d/t the necessary temporary evil of extraction), then give it up now, and don't detect. Unless you want to hunt only for things on top of the ground. Or unless you can stick to just private property with permission. And even if you find a beach that doesn't prohibit digging (kids dig sand castles afterall), yet ... you'll still get foiled by verbage that disallows "harvesting" "taking", and "collecting". You know, verbage that was put there so that no one thinks they can back their pickup truck to the beach, and start taking home truck-loads of sand. Or to stop someone from backing his truck up to the kids tanbark playlot, and taking all the tanbark home for his own garden (or all the roses from the rose garden to sell at the flea market, etc...) And there's nothing to stop those clauses from applying to singular coins.

So ... no matter how you slice it, if you think things like this prohibit detecting, might as well give up now.

Here's what you are failing to realize though:

All such rules INHERENTLY apply to the end result. Do they not? In other words: When you and I leave the area exactly as we found it (no trace of our presence), then by logical definition, you/we have not alterED, defacED, damagED anyhow, now have you? Even the word "dig", when you think of it, has an automatic connotation of "holes", right? But if you've left no holes, then it seems to me you've fulfilled the intent of that rule. OH SURE someone can come by and debate the semantics of this (d/t the temporary evil process). So too can they say you've run afoul of "harvesting" and "collecting" and "taking" verbage. So too can they say you've violated lost & found laws. So too can the IRS come and say you've failed to pay taxes on the value of all the stuff you found. And I suppose the utility Co. could come and say you've failed to call them to make sure there was no underground utilities there. And an archie could gripe that you found a 51 yr. old coin. It's utterly endless.

So all I can say is, if those type things cause you to believe you can't detect, then perhaps you've chosen the wrong hobby.

I hunt parks and schools and beaches and campgrounds all the time, wherever I go, for 35+ yrs. now. And they all have that type verbage (I mean, duh, did you really think there's a park that "allows" vandalism and altering, etc...?). But so long as you leave the place exactly as you found it, and aren't sticking out like a sore thumb, you'll be ok. Sure, not everyone will love you or your hobby. Avoid such people and go at low traffic times. I hate to say it, but detecting is a little like nose-picking: sometimes you need to be a little discreet in your timing, rather than going and looking for sanctions and allowances that allow you to nose-pick.

 

[JerseyGirl71]

Thanks Tom.....

Nose picking......

MK