Abandoned House? OK To Metal Detect?

[Davers]

then it's either on an abandoned road or street
from when the original town was layed out.

Example

View attachment 1445622

Or the Property Lines are not Spot on.
property Books & websites are Not 100% accurate.
it may be on one of the neighboring properties.
This is why when someone purchases a Property a Lawyer & deed Search is Needed .

I don't like to Argue but there are indeed Abandoned Properties.
At least here in PA. Occasionally I read about a Town trying to find the Owner of Dilapidated Properties
to Force them to tear them down. occasionally they Find there is no Living Person & No Tax Records.
At that point the Local Government has to jump through Hoops to get Possession in order to remove them.

However Just because you think a property is abandoned doesn't mean it is.

About abandoned property's , With or Without homes.
It's the same here 'the city County ' need to "jump through hoops " to get a certain property cleaned up or torn Down.

These sites "Usually" become Ill Legal Dump Sites , a place for the good & bad Homeless to stay , or are Trap / Drug houses.
Or just a Score spot in an otherwise nice Community / Stretch of road.

There are so many way's to look at this , yes trespassing is trespassing. & yes if it was mine I'd likely not want anybody digging around. BUT If I could not keep my land clean / Posted common sense would tell me that it will become abused. Or nature will reclaim it.

So like I stated if I decide to hunt such sites , I'm ready to deal with the consequences of my decision.

As it was stated before it's ones Judgement Call.

? Is it worth the time & trouble ? On a Colonial Site maybe but most abandoned Sites around here are 1940's era .

So for a few wheat cents or a $1.40 Merc Dime it's likely not worth the trouble to track down a Land Owner or risk getting in trouble .

Right or Wrong it's 'Ones ' decision.
&
The debate continues .

 

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[Xraywolf]

It is very easy to tell who actually owns property and who doesn't in reading these posts. I have found numerous people wandering around my property and in every single case they had a lame excuse and their motive was purely one of self-gain. This year I caught a county employee with his wife and kid hiding in the brush with a shirt full of mushrooms. He gave me a lame excuse as they crawled out from under a bush. I let them keep the mushrooms and explained to him that my nephew was working out of town but was actually planning to go looking later that day - BUT because they have no respect for property rights, now he won't. If I caught someone digging up my property without my permission, I'm not sure how that one would end. I have a native burial ground and a cemetery on my property... one of the first things my family did was clean up the graveyard, right all the stones and do an overall clean up. There are obvious signs where folks tried to excavate the mounds and even the graves in the cemetery. That one boggles my mind. Who would dig up graves, native and relatively recent? This is the type of foolishness that goes on when folks think they have a right to use private property for their own entertainment - one thing leads to another. Folks seem to have a way to rationalize almost anything if it benefits them. Moral of my rant - get permission or stay out. Somebody either cares if you are there or they don't. Take the time to do the right thing and answer that question... Do you care if I detect?

FYI - my signature line pertains to me buying detectors without my wife knowing, not trespassing.

Saftgeek-

Fair points, but owning wide open acres on a prairie vs an urban/semi urban environment are not the same.
Most vacant land in cities, owned or not, will be reclaimed by nature and become a magnet for tire dumping. I happen to own a few vacant lots, hoping to profit some day via development. I took the time and expense to fence them off and I mow the lawn. I have detected them many times, and could not care any less if someone else did. So long as it doesn't become a dumping site, I have very few concerns about "my property". I am not going to hide out in a bush with a shotgun waiting for the 1st with the nerve to trespass on my land - If there was something of value/importance, then maybe I would.

There is no 1 size fit all procedure for this, might be crystal clear to some and very hazy to others. They are location/circumstance specific.

 

[jeff of pa]

About abandoned property's , With or Without homes.
It's the same here 'the city County ' need to "jump through hoops " to get a certain property cleaned up or torn Down.

These sites "Usually" become Ill Legal Dump Sites , a place for the good & bad Homeless to stay , or are Trap / Drug houses.
Or just a Score spot in an otherwise nice Community / Stretch of road.

There are so many way's to look at this , yes trespassing is trespassing. & yes if it was mine I'd likely not want anybody digging around. BUT If I could not keep my land clean / Posted common sense would tell me that it will become abused. Or nature will reclaim it.

So like I stated if I decide to hunt such sites , I'm ready to deal with the consequences of my decision.

As it was stated before it's ones Judgement Call.

? Is it worth the time & trouble ? On a Colonial Site maybe but most abandoned Sites around here are 1940's era .

So for a few wheat cents or a $1.40 Merc Dime it's likely not worth the trouble to track down a Land Owner or risk getting in trouble .

Right or Wrong it's 'Ones ' decision.
&
The debate continues .

Around here Lately, If you cannot afford to keep your home up to Code,
some of the Towns enacted a "Quality of Life" Code.
Which means your Neighbors and towns Visitors,
on one side of town or the country, get to decide what Your
your Places condition & looks are. if they Complain to the Authorities
it's an eyesore to them,
And if you cannot keep it up,
The town will Fine you $100.00, $500.00 $1,000.00 a day Till you can afford to keep it up .
Figure that one Out

what it does is prevents people who Own dilapidated Properties
for 50 years, from admitting it's theirs.

yea I know "Politics". But it's Politics connected to out Hobby & Why there are more & more "Abandoned" Properties here in PA.

 

[TerryC]

Sure, go hunt to your heart's delight! Everybody else does. If you've seen others going over there and nobody has stopped them it MUST be ok..... right? If you find that five million dollar antique, remember me. If you get arrested, I don't know you! TTC

 

[TerryC]

Ok, ok, I know. But break your ankle and try to sue the owner and you will QUICKLY learn you were trespassing. TTC

 

[TerryC]

Owner is obligated to identify their property [private] else they risk trespass.

Excuse me, foiler, but...... NONSENSE! Show me case law where any landowner needs to prove it private to the general public. TTC

 

[piegrande]

The term no one seemed to know is "adverse possession."

And, yes, states vary, but after a statutory time of using someone's land without permission, and no resistance from the owner, the owner can lose control. But, you may have to work your way through a court case to get a successful adverse possession ruling.

Texas is a state where if it isn't yours, you can go to jail. Period!

 

[coinman123]

Ask your neighbor if you can put signs up. I am sure that he will agree to let you do it. I am wondering why you did not asked him by now.

Not moving in until after the 30 day closing.

 

[ChampFerguson/TN]

The term no one seemed to know is "adverse possession."

And, yes, states vary, but after a statutory time of using someone's land without permission, and no resistance from the owner, the owner can lose control. But, you may have to work your way through a court case to get a successful adverse possession ruling.

Texas is a state where if it isn't yours, you can go to jail. Period!

Typically in one of those RARE adverse possession cases, you not only have to use and maintain the ENTIRE property for decades, you must also pay the taxes on it while doing it. Then you can go to court and plead your case.

You can create a right of egress relatively easily; taking possessions is in practice pretty difficult.

 

[RGINN]

I might have missed something due to so many replies, so pardon me if this has already been suggested. I would just ask the neighbors. There's got to be a local coffee shop somewhere in the area and just ask all the old coffee coolers if they know who owns the place. To facilitate their responses, throw in, 'I'd like to buy it.'

 

[piegrande]

Typically in one of those RARE adverse possession cases, you not only have to use and maintain the ENTIRE property for decades, you must also pay the taxes on it while doing it. Then you can go to court and plead your case.

You can create a right of egress relatively easily; taking possessions is in practice pretty difficult.

Again, while I agree with this as a general statement, it can vary by state.

I was born and mostly lived until retirement in a midwestern state in the snow zone. My grandfather died in the early 50's. There was a 15 acre lot of ground his dad bought in 1874. When he died, it passed to his eldest son, who died in the 60's. The eldest son's will was never properly executed, and the land still showed as his name, over 30 years after he died.

Another uncle, kept cattle on that land. There were no improvements of any kind, so they had to carry food and water every day year around. He did pay the taxes every year.

When that uncle died in the 90's they finally realized the abstract was decades out of date.

They applied for adverse possession, having openly used the land with no resistance from anyone, for maybe 30 years. they had to put a stated number of notices to all possible claimants in several local newspapers. And, in the end, the court gave them full title.

My obnoxious brother, actually one of several, threw a tantrum, claiming they had stolen it from the family.

In my opinion, the adverse possession laws were created to deal with such things, and justice was well done.

Of course, there are people who abuse such laws. People are like that sometimes.

 

[Kansas_Jayhawk]

I was looking over some maps and found a completely abandoned colonial house, the house is still standing but boarded up and in ruin. I would assume that no one has been in it for at least 10 years, except for maybe teenagers. There are even woods starting to become it's front yard. It is away from other houses and next to public trails. I have no idea if it is owned by anyone and by who. I couldn't find any info about it on a search, just someone mentioning it as an abandoned property. Would it be okay to metal detect here?

The county register of deeds or county appraiser or assessor should be able to tell you. Go to a local agricultural bank and talk to a loan officer. They have plat books with maps and corresponding ownership.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ChampFerguson/TN]

Again, while I agree with this as a general statement, it can vary by state.

I was born and mostly lived until retirement in a midwestern state in the snow zone. My grandfather died in the early 50's. There was a 15 acre lot of ground his dad bought in 1874. When he died, it passed to his eldest son, who died in the 60's. The eldest son's will was never properly executed, and the land still showed as his name, over 30 years after he died.

Another uncle, kept cattle on that land. There were no improvements of any kind, so they had to carry food and water every day year around. He did pay the taxes every year.

When that uncle died in the 90's they finally realized the abstract was decades out of date.

They applied for adverse possession, having openly used the land with no resistance from anyone, for maybe 30 years. they had to put a stated number of notices to all possible claimants in several local newspapers. And, in the end, the court gave them full title.

My obnoxious brother, actually one of several, threw a tantrum, claiming they had stolen it from the family.

In my opinion, the adverse possession laws were created to deal with such things, and justice was well done.

Of course, there are people who abuse such laws. People are like that sometimes.

Agree.
Paying taxes seems to be the key to getting the courts attention in these matters. From what I have seen, adverse possession is a pretty rare thing in the US. I consulted a lawyer some years back after I bought a tract in VA to make sure that neighbors that had been running cattle there for years didn't have a claim. Since then, I've discussed it casually with many lawyers and court officers as I always found the topic interesting and the public generally unaware of how it works.

 

[Davers]

Around here Lately, If you cannot afford to keep your home up to Code,
some of the Towns enacted a "Quality of Life" Code.
Which means your Neighbors and towns Visitors,
on one side of town or the country, get to decide what Your
your Places condition & looks are. if they Complain to the Authorities
it's an eyesore to them,
And if you cannot keep it up,
The town will Fine you $100.00, $500.00 $1,000.00 a day Till you can afford to keep it up .
Figure that one Out

what it does is prevents people who Own dilapidated Properties
for 50 years, from admitting it's theirs.

yea I know "Politics". But it's Politics connected to out Hobby & Why there are more & more "Abandoned" Properties here in PA.

Tho I don't Know the Law per-say or the Numbers, I think it's much the Same here , Esp, Down it the Atlanta City Area .

Maybe Every county is different but I suppose most counties are like a big 'Home Owners Association " , that I despise but understand their Rules. Many should be Common Sense, But' Some People.'..LOL

 

[1320]

Correct me if I'm wrong....isn't the OP the same as the one who a couple weeks ago was trying to wriggle his way around an easement to access a home site?

 

[jeff of pa]

Correct me if I'm wrong....isn't the OP the same as the one who a couple weeks ago was trying to wriggle his way around an easement to access a home site?

not sure why it matters

 

[jeff of pa]

in My opinion some people may do stupid things.

but there are no dumb questions.
that's how ya learn.

 

[coinman123]

Correct me if I'm wrong....isn't the OP the same as the one who a couple weeks ago was trying to wriggle his way around an easement to access a home site?

I haven't even been to that place if you are referring to the old road I was talking about before. Over half of the road was public land (making it legally metal detectable), not an easement. I just couldn't find good enough parking to be able to access the public part of it. I marked that place as "un-accessible". I pretty much only go to public places, except for private or semi-private places where I get permission to go. I have no intention of ever breaking the law to get to a place, and will either avoid private land all together, or attempt to get permission. I have mapped around 40 homestead sites, and the majority now lay on public land, along hiking trails off in the woods. I have too many public places that I can easily go to at the moment before I would bother finding private places. When my public places dry up, then I will get permission to metal detect at some private places I found or later find. I also was able to find some good GIS data, thanks to jeff of pa, in order to make sure I am not going on any private land. Also, after seeing that the owners still pay taxes the house, and that it would be hard to get in contact with them, I am not going to go there due to clear evidence of it being private land.

When I have free time on the weekends during the day, I am either metal detecting, or researching places that I could metal detect, then asking any questions here.

 

[pa-dirt_nc-sand]

If the house or remnants of a house have obviously not been maintained or lived in for 20'years (checking historical aerials and Google earth timeline), check Google Maps current owners showing up nada, no real estate signs, no No Trespassing signs and in a location that would not cause passerbys or neighbors concern I would hit it. Otherwise I would pass, too much work.

 

[coinman123]

According to GIS data it was last bought over 10 years ago, and built in the 1730's. Not over 20 years old and the owner name still shows up. I guess it is a no-go.

Edit: It was also sold for around 500k, with little land when it was last sold over a decade ago. Street view is not working on that street so my only image is the old one of it as a thumbnail someone uploaded, it is likely that the owners could have completely restored it since. Recent satellites from late last year in the winter show the house looking fine, and with less trees than are shown in previous ones. Next time I'm around there I will drive by to be sure though.