Info please???

[Daddyd2x]

I was hoping someone on here could help me.
I was curious if there was a place or website I could visit that would tell me where I can and cannot metal detect (legally). I realize that private property is off limits unless given permission. I am actually curious about parks, beaches etc.
Also, Is there a place I can go to or a website that lists' mining claims in certain area's ? I want to go prospecting in an area where I know there are claims and the last thing I want to do is Claim Jump.
Thank you in advance for any insight, suggestions or answers you may have.

 

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[Tom_in_CA]

Daddyd2x, think about the scope of the question your asking: There's scores of different levels/entities of land. Federal, state, counties, and then cities. Right? And within each of THEM, is various sub-levels/types too. So think about how many municipalized cities there are in Nevada, for instance, or CA, etc... and you begin to get a scope of the impossibility of assembling such a list.

The best that has ever been attempted, was that several persons and entities over the years, have attempted to do so on the state parks levels. Because, afterall, there's only 50 states, right? haha The answers they compiled would only have to do with state PARKS though, and doesn't necessarily mean all state land within that state. Because, not all stand land is state parks land afterall

2 examples of the state-by-state attempt would be: a) R.W. "doc" Grim's book "Treasure Laws of the United States". First came out in the mid 1980s, and I think there were attempted updates after that. b) the currently available FMDAC state by state list (you can get from their website).

But the danger of trying to compile such listings, can be seen when such attempts as those were first done. And this "danger" would simply manifest itself further down the chain (to city and county levels) if anyone ever attempted it. And here was the bugaboo:

When Grim (and subsequent efforts like the FMDAC effort) made their lists, guess how they went about their task? They simply asked. Like Grim, for example, sent out 50 xeroxed letters, to all 50 states state capitol's park's dept. head pencil-pushers, and asked. To the effect of "what are the laws regarding the use of metal detectors in your state's parks?". Sounds reasonable enough, eh? Who better to ask than the entity themselves afterall, eh?

But a lot of "no's" or, at least, dire sounding rules morphed to fit the question came back to Grim for his book. And you had old-timers back then, scratching their heads, saying to themselves "since when?". Because you see, in a lot of those state's with dire-sounding answers, detecting had often time simply never been a problem (so long as you weren't snooping around obvious historic monuments). But now you had this book saying "no" or some sort of restrictions and such ? Do you see what happened? The "pressing question" gets bandied back and forth in state capitol, between multiple desks (one desk of which will no doubt be an archie), and then ... joy of joys, guess what the easy answer is going to be ? See how that works? And oddly, some of those state's parks, to this day, I have no doubt you can STILL detect, despite dire sounding wording, as things that got penciled in the answers historically just don't get applied to beaches (are deemed to mean land sites only) and ... thankfully no one's gone "seeking clarification" on that, I guess.

Hence to answer your question: no, no such list exists below the state park's levels.

Your best bet is to look up the rules/laws/codes, for whatever city or county lands you have in mind. Look them up for yourself. Usually available on their web-site, or in binder form at city hall, etc... If you see nothing there that says "no metal detecting", then presto, it's not prohibited.

 

[Mackaydon]

I agree with 'Tom in CA'.
Be specific in your request then do and rely on your own research.
Don....
PS: Welcome to Treasure Net !!

 

[Daddyd2x]

Thank you Don! Any words of advice anyone may have is always appreciated. I have just recently gotten back into this hobby. My previous expereince was in my pre-teen years and back then...well...I didn't pay to much attention to where we hunted and how we got there.

 

[Daddyd2x]

Thank you Tom! I will certainly do my homework. I just had no Idea where to start. Your post will at the very least point me in the right direction whether it be at the city, county or state level.
Thank you so much!

 

[Mackaydon]

The purpose of my comment was not to exclude the TH members as a research source.
You'll find many here to be most helpful; and we all want to see pics of your finds.
Don....

 

[Tom_in_CA]

daddy, also, to be quite frank with you: a lot of md'rs here don't even fret themselves over county and city level stuff to begin with. I mean, they don't go (as I suggested) to city websites, city hall desks asking to see the binder of city charter and rules and laws and such. Sure, you can do that if you're skittish or worried, but .... Well, a lot of us would simply look at the wooden sign at the park entrance. If it didn't say "no metal detecting", well then gee..... But I grant you that it's entirely possible that there *could* be a law down at city hall in the minutia somewhere (laws that forbid nudity, for example) but that didn't happen to be on the sign.

But let me cut to the chase and tell you that VERY FEW cities and counties have EVER instituted such a thing, to begin with. And if they DID, it's often simply on the sign. The reason it may appear psychologically to be a thing to worry about (ie.: might be at a lot of places and so forth), is because of the magic of the internet and how human "portrayal" works. You know, like you read of some distant far away city with a rule. Or you read of some md'r "roughed up". And caution level kicks in, and we subconsciously say to ourselves "gee, I don't want to get in any trouble".

You know, like the psychology of worrying about shark attacks when swimming in the ocean. Even though, truth-be-told, they're rare, despite people swimming in the ocean all the time. Why then does the average Joe who's not familiar with the beach and statistics get worried then about being the victim of a shark attack when he swims for the first time on the beach? Because he read of gory stories of the surfer who was chomped last year etc.... Never mind that 100,000 other people swam without incident. The human psyche focusses on the one attack. Afterall, no one wants to get chomped in half, now do they ?

I'm not saying to throw caution to the wind, I'm just saying that while those threads about bootings and laws get tons of attention, yet .... very few laws down at city and county levels (that specifically said "no detecting") exist.

Just avoid obvious historic sensitive monuments. Go at low traffic times and avoid those who might gripe. Learn to retrieve in innocuous areas. Like at yards of private homes. Turfed yards from the 1940s/50s will be old enough to have silver, so get your practice there, and THEN go to parks, etc...