Permission to metal detect in Parks

[loaderman60]

Question: Where do you get permission to hunt........ city and county Parks??
thanks for any help!

Loaderman60

[Lakemonster]

Call the city parks dept. They may want to issue permits where you are... and they will tell you where is off limits. It's better to find out by them telling you over the phone than when they catch you out where it is not allowed and run you off.

I hunted for a year in a city I had no idea I needed one... turned out I did and the permit was free.

[jeff of pa]

what type of City ?

Small, Medium, Large ?

what type of Parks ?

City, Public ?

Sometimes it Dosn't pay to Ask,
other times Ignorence of the law is no excuse to the Police.

I look for signs, google the Name of the Park looking
for rules, If nothing I consider it Public
& recreate By Detecting.

I'm Not saying you should do this.

i'm Just saying

What state & County ?

county parks are Usually by Permit.
or off limits
Definately Check.

[loaderman60]

I live in Central small town Mississippi. city owned parks , ball parks, school yards..etc. thanks for the advise.

loaderman60

[limegoldconvertible68]

I live in a small town (16,000) and none of the parks have any signs prohibiting MD's so I consider them fair game without asking permission. The same goes for Fairgrounds, if the gate is open and unlock I help myself. I was nervous at first but after a gazillion times of going to these places I finally figured out that nobody even cares. The key is learning good retrieval technique. Make sure you don't damage the lawn. Keep the hole as small as possible and if someone in authority come up to you be extremely friendly and courteous. As for the ball fields some people might worry you are destroying the playing field. Choose your times wisely and you should avoid confrontations.

[Tom_in_CA]

Loaderman, metal detecting in a public park doesn't need "permission", any more so than flying a frisbee in a park "needs permission". If something is not dis-allowed or prohibited, then it's assumed to be ok. Just like if you come to an intersection and see no sign forbidding U-turns, one assumes he can make a U-turn.

To find out if there is any prohibitions (or permits, which ...... by the way ..... is extremely rare for any city in the USA to issue "permits" for this), do this:

If your city has a website (most sizable cities nowadays have websites), then go there. Check the city wide laws and codes. Then also click on the parks & rec. tab., then navigate down to the rules and regulations tab, and so forth. If it is silent on the issue of "metal detectors", then so be it.

Naturally, this is not to say that you'll never encounter killjoys. Oh well.

[TORRERO]

I have lived in Charlotte NC for a great part of my life and have hunted the parks here without any
problem from anybody for years until one day I stopped at a kids playground with bark in a city park and a maintenance guy from Parks and Rec. came over and said "It's illegal to do that in any park in Charlotte" "its in the regulations of the city parks department"
I was dumbfounded.... after doing this here for 20 years then this guy says this... ?
I asked to see the law, he says he does not have a copy but I can go to the "Parks and Rec" department and get a copy.
So I did.... There is nothing there that says you can't metal detect the parks here, it says you can not
disturb the ground or dig or disturb plants etc... but no mention [b]directly of metal detecting.
I was in a play area with bark, and he said disturbing the ground included this area as well, he would not listen to the argument that kids disturb this everyday playing.... he said something about making "Disturbed places in the bark" as being distructive to ground or something..
After 20 years hunting here, I'm not sure where I stand....
but I will surely hunt parks again around here, because realistically there is no such law..
Richard

[treasurehound]

Most schools and parks are pretty much public. If there is no sign prohibiting metal detecting you should not have any problems. As far as ball fields I try to only hunt them during the winter months so I don't disturb the grass. Do not hunt in State or National parks. I have never had a problem hunting schools and parks. I have had several police approach me just to ask if I was having any luck and one even thanked me for using their park. Another gave me a couple places to hunt as well. A groundskeeper even thanked me one time for taking the time to cover my holes. As long as you cover your holes well you should have no problems.

[dogpound]

if its not posted on the "rules" sign i hunt it, same for schools or any other public area. for state parks i just email them to see whats required, sometimes a permit is required sometimes nothing is needed.

[richbat]

Good topic.But here's a question i have asked one time when trying to get permission to hunt a park.I found a park i wanted to try out,called and asked about the rules and such and was told i could metal detect but wasn't allowed to dig anything up.To me this just sounds kinda like defeating the purpose of metal detecting and in a nice way explained this to the person,guess it would be ok if maybe you just lost something but kinda of pointless in other aspects of the hobby.

[Sandman]

Never ever be stupid enough to ask if it is OK to metal detect a public park. You don't ask if it is OK to play ball, lay on the grass, collect four leaf clovers or watch the ants. Why ask to MD when there is nothing wrong with doing it. By asking you are already assuming it is wrong and the person your asking is adapt to just say NO because this way they can't make a mistake. If it isn't posted as prohibited it is legal to detect. The trick is in how you retrieve the target. Using a trowel or Lasche means your disturbing the ground and even I would give you a ticket. In the woods now it is different but in a tot lot you can just spread the chips or sand around to see what you've found. Be seen with a trash bag with the papers you've picked up goes a long way to get the grumpy grounds keeper to turn the other way. You can fill your holes and replace the plug, but mowers suck these out of the ground and squirrels uncover them also leaving park personel thinking you did it. Many park managers don't care what your doing until someone complains to them.

[kgunn]

i beg 2 differ sandman, theres nothing stupid bout being respectful... history has taught us quite well that when u do somethg 'out of the ordinary' 2 take the extra steps needed 2 preserve our, in this case, sport. True, parks r 'public' however not just ur public but the good for the majority. Simply put knock on city hall's door, chances r u'll b handed a free permit, anyways...

kgunn

[Tom_in_CA]

kgunn, let's dissect what you're saying:

" theres nothing stupid bout being respectful... "

Who said sandman's stance is "dis-respectful"? On the contrary, if someone checks the rules FOR THEMSELVES (as sandman advised for those who are skittish), and if they find nothing prohibiting their activity, then presto, they've been respectful. "Dis-respectful" would be if a person violated rules. And thus if you've checked the rules, and found them to be silent on the subject of metal detecting, then .... how is a person being "dis-respectful" to not grovel at city hall begging for "no's"?


"when u do somethg 'out of the ordinary...."

Sure. Metal detecting is "out of the ordinary". (draws the stares of the curious folk, etc...) I fail to understand why this means we need permission to do it (where there is no prohibitions). To me it simply means to keep a lower profile, and don't wear a big red target on yourself. I mean, for pete's sake, can't we just pick low traffic times, and avoid these lookie-lous? I mean, so too is picking one's nose odd and offensive. So what? You just be a little discreet, and no one cares when they don't see you.

"take the extra steps needed 2 preserve our ... sport"

On the contrary kgunn: it's more often those persons thinking they need sanction, permission, etc... to metal detect, that end up GETTING PLACES PUT OFF LIMITS. Then ask yourself: who's the one doing a dis-service to the hobby, in that case? I can give you multiple examples of this happening, where a place (park, school, beach, or whatever) was detected, and it was just sort of a grey area (not addresssed, or only questioned if you were being a nuisance, etc...). But then lo and behold someone takes it upon themselves to waltz in to city or county hall somewhere, and ask if they can metal detect. Sure as heck, some desk-bound clerk looks too and fro through their rule books, and decides you might harm the earthworms, or leave holes, or..... whatever. They tell you "no". Presto: rule essentially created, where none existed before your "pressing question".

[kgunn]

nor did i say he was, did i? read whats there, btw as a former parks director of many yrs, any1 who didnt have the permit had 2 leave n get it... so yes we can bicker back n forth till were blue n the face n our fingers r numb from typing...
carry on,

[kgunn]

1 more thg id like 2 add when u get that permit, ull also receive a list of whats expected the hours parks r available for public use, AND, a map of town, AND, alittle history of the community, now im not sayn all communities do this, but again, it never hurts 2 ask...

kgunn

[kgunn]

Well, my good man, as i have indicated before, i too, use to MD, on many other post. Now wishing to get back in saddle, has brought me to this fine site and making your most pleasurable aquaintance, thus falling from the clouds of La La Land, striking my head on the coin of reality, thus causing a knot... From this day forward it shall be know, throught the land that i was merely trying to answer a mans quest for help.

Question: Where do you get permission to hunt........ city and county Parks?? thanks for any help! Loaderman60

I assure u sir, as those rules were put in effect, my debating was on behalf of the MDerist. Created by none other than the voice of the things they do not understand, (those against might say) therefor it must be the work of satan himself, for a person to have such desiries to unearth the treasures of long ago and its histories...
You would not believe some of the things that were said in those meetings.


kgunn

[dogpound]

if ya ask enough people if you can hunt public property eventually someone will tell ya no

[Jason in Enid]

If there is no rule banning it, it is perfectly legal.

Just don't go doing something stupid like digging massive holes with shovels, leaving open holes, leaving trash, etc, and it will stay a perfectly legal hobby.

[Treasure_Hunter]

I agree with Sandman, with city and county parks, if the park isn't posted with signs that say no metal detecting I hunt it, I do not ask city or county park officals to hunt city or county parks, someone is going to tell you no even though there is no law or rule against it.

I dont need permission to play football, throw a frisbee, play with a dog or play vollyball at a city or county park so I am not asking anyone if I can hunt there....

All National Parks are off limits, many, many state parks are also off limits, some national recreation areas are legal and others are not so wise to ask at all state parks and national recreation and national forests... Only state parks I ask at are state parks that are on the ocean, all inland parks are off limits, national parks I know are off limits and I have already asked about the National Forests here in Florida and they are off limits... I can kill wild life there, I just cant metal detect.

[kgunn]

hey TH,
form a committee, n take ur concerns to their board of elect. asking for a reversal of their findings. hunting is a hobby...

kgunn