is metal detecting at my local park illegal?

[nadabear07]

Hello! I live in clare michigan is it illegal to dig holes when metal detecting there?


Thanks

 

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[Chug And Red]

Municode click this link the go down to Chapter 30 click on it and read!!!

See #2 Practice Digging plug In Your Yard And Then Have Fun!!!!!! HH Chug and Red

 

[nadabear07]

Municode click this link the go down to Chapter 30 click on it and read!!!

See #2 Practice Digging plug In Your Yard And Then Have Fun!!!!!! HH Chug and Red

so it's legal?

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

You can check to see if it is legal yourself... You can go to your local library and research your local laws, you can go to the park and see if there are any signs saying it is illegal. You can use google and do a search using the name of your city and "metal detecting laws", can do the same using your country and metal detecting laws and your state and "metal detecting laws".........

I found this by doing that....Metal Detecting In Michigan And Understanding The Laws

Each person is responsible for their selves...... If someone says yes its legal and you go and get arrested you will blame the person who said its legal... The best thing is to do your own research, when you find the info and it says its okay, print it out and carry it with you, if challanged, you can show it and say, it says here its legal.

The one thing you do not want to do is just call and the police or a public offical.... Most dont know and will tell you no to cover their butt..........If you don't see a sign saying its illegal, and you can't find a law by doing your seach that says it is illegal, then go ahead and hunt, but do it properly, cover your holes, learn how to pinpoint accurately and how to cut a 3 sided plug, or how to recover using just a screw driver or small tool....

 

[gleaner1]

It probably is legal. I think you should go directly to the police on this one. I mean, if you are not sure if it is not okay to detect, and if there was no sign saying "No Friking Tectin Allowed", you might have a chat with the police eventually, one way or the other, legal or not. But surely they (the police) will let you off with a warning, if in fact you did go tectin in the park that you cant go tectin in because it was not allowed yet there was no sign saying it was not allowed, they probably would let you off with a warning, or at worse, an appearance ticket. I mean, it was not posted so how would you know really? You probably win at the bench trial. I mean, what judge would find a man guilty of illegal metal detecting if there was no sign against it. But you need to find out for sure. So just go straight to the top, call the police and ask them yourself, what the hell. Heck, you could make up an imaginary tale, you could call the police and say "Hello, my name is Garibaldi Flissishizzen, and I want to complain about a guy metal detecting in Sordid Park". And they will probably say "there is nothing illegal about that Mr. umm, ummm Mr. Fizzle". Problem solved!

 

[Terry Soloman]

No, it is not "legal." You can be told to stop at any time, by any public official. If you leave noticable damage in a park or on a sports field, you can open yourself up to arrest, damages and fines.

There are people on this forum that will argue you have every right to do anything you want in a public park - you don't. I hunt City parks from Dawn, till about 7am in the summers, and I have been confronted twice in 35-years. Both times I gave the official my "excuse" for being there, and both times I was allowed to continue. Use your brain, throw in a dash of common sense, and go get you some!

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

I have hunted city and county parks in the middle of day for 6 years, had park employees watch me but never said a word to stop. Laws would be same before 7am or after 7am.


If you use proper recovery procedures and after practicing at home till you cant tell you were there when you finish your fine.

 

[Terry Soloman]

I have hunted city and county parks in the middle of day for 6 years, had park employees watch me but never said a word to stop. Laws would be same before 7am or after 7am.


If you use proper recovery procedures and after practicing at home till you cant tell you were there when you finish your fine.

Again, I hunt early as to avoid other people as much as possible, and get a jump on afternoon hunters (wink!), and because there is less chance of a "concerned citizen" calling Johnnie Law. It is NOT "legal" if the local Cop decides it isn't.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

I go by what the law says not local cop. I research the laws and that is what I go off of. I pay taxes here, I have a right to use our parks as much as a any other person has, I have as much right as a mom and her 3 kids to use that city or county park any time during their hours they are open.

It is same way at the beach I hunt when I want to, I don't avoid the crowd. I have as much right and more than tourist to be on that beach.I pay all the taxes here 365 days a year, I was born here, my mom was born here as were both her parents. My great great grand father was born here and fought for the Confederacy during war of northern aggression...

I do follow the laws , there are parks that are not legal to hunt and i dont hunt them.

 

[gleaner1]

The trouble with what the law says is that its too difficult to actually find out what the law says. Negligence of the law does not apply to metal detecting for the most part, because there is very little law addressing metal detecting. I dont know of any laws against detecting, but you got to get a permit for state parks. Fishing, hunting, driving, every day life is dictated by law, but for the most part, metal detecting is so benign, it is not addressed by law. Some big cities and metro areas have laws against metal detecting, you might have to get a permit for state parks, and National Parks are mostly off limits I hear. But for average small town America, metal detecting is off the radar.

The police are there to both protect and serve. Everyone has family or friends in le. Ask them a simple question "Hey, I want to ask, I was wondering, is it okay to bring my metal detector up to Sordid Park and find coins? (or my moms lost ring)? And as a public servant and officer of the law, the cop will answer the question truthfully and with pleasure. Problem solved. Tell the police that you offer free services for crime scene evidence detection while yer at it.

 

[Sandman]

Is it legal to metal detect in Michigan, YES. But only in certain areas. Michigan Here is the link for State Parks. Anywhere you swing a detector it is illegal to dig a hole or destroy property.....Cutting a 3 sided hole in the sod saves the grass from dieing and if you need to remove any dirt you should place it on a cloth so you can pour it all back in the "hole." When I pinpoint a target I use a screw driver or bayonet to probe for the coin. You can then just pop it out of the ground if it is shallow. Deeper coins require a 3 sided plug. NEVER EVER BE SEEN WITH A SHOVEL IN A PARK!!! In Oakland County you can get stiff fines for destroying property. Leave the ground looking like you were never there and you should be fine.

You just bought a Bounty Hunter didn't you?

 

[the bone]

there is a saying about these kinds of thing that police like to use its "you can beat the wrap but you can't beat the ride." The point is while it may be perfectly legal to detect a park if the local cop does come up and tell you to move on just do it while he may not be able to legally kick you out the ticket for vandalism or destruction of public property you get for wanting to argue the point is still gonna suck. Plus now your on his radar good luck getting any leniancy the next time you encounter him. when you could have just said sorry about that sir and moved on. In my old hobby of bmx i had that kind of relationship with the police officers and in that hobby you see them a lot the thing is i knew that at anytime they wanted to they could flex their muscles wit me with tickets or whatever they wanted so we kind of adopted the wile cyote and the sheep dog kind of approach there is no hate i understand where he is coming from and he knows i'm gonna keep trying to do what i'm trying to do plus when i moved on to metal detecting the local police where ecstatic its a lot easier to ignore mding it is not nearly as destructive or obvious as my bmxing was.

 

[gleaner1]

Everyone understands that it is illegal to deface or destroy property, public or private. Since the op asks if it is illegal to dig holes, let's all agree that it is illegal. Because digging holes is defacing and/or destroying of property. If you are not sure, just ask your town cop. Sheesh! What the frik. Spank you very much.

 

[gleaner1]

Are you guys letting me off easy, or does each and every one of you concede? Wow I got outa this one easy. I mean, I did not get a like, BUT AT THE SAME TIME I DID NOT HAVE TO DEAL WITH Spartycus. Come on guys, rip me a new one. Tell me to go shut the Front door.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Everyone understands that it is illegal to deface or destroy property, public or private. Since the op asks if it is illegal to dig holes, let's all agree that it is illegal. Because digging holes is defacing and/or destroying of property. If you are not sure, just ask your town cop.

Gleaner, the emphasis is mine, in your above quote. I disagree: digging holes is NOT automatically equivalent to "defacing and destroying" ....... UNLESS you intend to leave the spot that way. Think of it gleaner: all such phrases inherently infer the end results, do they not? I mean, if you leave no trace of your presence, then PRESTO: you have not defacedED, or destroyED anything, now have you? Sure someone can debate the interum evil process of extraction if they want. Why the h*ck can't you/we be a little more fricken discreet and not be seen by such busy-bodies? I mean, are you planning on going at high noon in front of gardeners and archaeologists who might get their panties in a wad? Just go at low traffic times (after 5pm, early Sat, etc....), when lookie-lous are less likely to gripe (kinda like picking your nose: it's not illegal, but we all still use a little discretion in timing, right?)

nadabear07: Forget your question about wondering weather it's illegal to dig or not. The question you want to ask is, is it illegal to metal detect or not (assuming your talking about a city or county owned location, of which rarely is this ever specifically prohibited). If it's silent on the issue, presto, it must not be prohibited. But if you really want to worry about whether you can "dig" or not, and really want to make the automatic equivalence that "md'ing = destruction and defacement", then I suggest you take up another hobby, or only look for coins on top of the ground.

 

[jeff of pa]

in most cases , when it comes to detecting small towns,
the words legal & illegal depend on the mindset of the person who sees you.

most small communities haven't seen anyone detecting, except maybe someone they can look at and say
"oh I know him"


small cities pretty much the same, with one difference some have a police force,
and some police make their own rules, but small cities are usually open.

Big cities usually have dept. of recreation. & some of the people on the recreation committee get power trips
and may have pushed something thru. or,
may have tried to and failed.
these are the ones who will approach and tell you it's illegal, because one way or another they
feel they are going to control what recreation goes on there.

Bottom line read Treasure_Hunter & Sandman's posts,

and google the town to see if it has a website & recreation rules,
if the park has a sign giving hours & rules, follow them.

when I see a sign that says the park is created for recreation,
and it doesn't say no detecting or no removal of artifacts,
I recreate

if County or State parks I'm more carefull

Bottom line,

1. If asking permission, Never ask if you can remove things from Park property.
trash and digs are not park property. you know better then to remove the backsop on the ball field
see saw or picnic tables right ?
2. If you feel you must ask , Never ask if you can Dig in the park. I don't "dig" I "retrieve"
ask if you can detect.
3. if your unsure if park is church, public, or private; instead of asking can you detect,
ask if it is open to the puiblic. if I get yes I thank them and have at it.
4. if asked how deep it goes by a park official "couple inches"

Good Luck !

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Jeff, tsk tsk tsk. Why hide your true intentions with euphamisms like "retrieve", rather than "dig"? Seems a little shady, if you ask me So on the contrary: I say skittish persons should approach the head of parks dept, in whatever city or county they're at. Be sure to show up with a shovel in your hand, lest they not get the full mental implications. Be sure to use words and phrases like "ARPA", "dig" "treasure" "Lawsuits", "holes" etc.... lest they not fully understand the potentials. And best to put a legal document on their desk for them to sign, giving you permission, so you can show it to any cops, so you don't get arrested (afterall, you wouldn't want to be arrested, would you?). The contract should specify that you get to keep the city's valuables, for your own fun and enjoyment, and that the city gets none of the proceeds from sales of coins on ebay" Afterall, you have to cover all angles, and don't want to be arrested. As such, you shouldn't mince words (read "lie") to those persons you are asking. I mean, you gotta do the right thing Jeff! Now go make us proud. You wouldn't want to give a black-eye and bad name to our hobby, right?

 

[Sandman]

Tom, that was just Cold..........

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

" No officer, I never find anything good, just junk like poptops and nails." I just like to hear the noise my metal detector makes as I walk along............

 

[gleaner1]

Hello! I live in clare michigan is it illegal to dig holes when metal detecting there?


Thanks

nadabear your post seems fair but it is a double question. you ask a question, but you twisted it when you asked a different question in the body and the only capital letter you used in the entire post was the h in hello. well, hello to you too! welcome to tnet. please let us know which question is more urgent at this time. is it is it illegal to go metal tectin in your local park?, or is it is it illegal to dig holes when metal detecting there? (i assume that by there you mean there, sordid park, not clare per se). let me save everyone some time and possible anxiety by answering your triple threat questions here and now. if it is the first question, is metal detecting at my local park illegal, i say it probably is not, but just ask the police to be sure. after all, if you don't know, how are we to know? but the police know, fo sho. heck, they will even tell you if booze is allowed too! if your question is is it illegal to dig holes when metal tectin there (in sordid park), that's not an easy question to answer, it gets the blood pumping. so, which question are you asking nadabear? which question would you like answered? its confusing to the members that are trying to help you. just let us know exactly what question you want us to answer. i mean all the guys here are top notch and wanna help. nadabear, can you reply, and help clarify your ambiguous question? will you? just remember you cannot categorize the question with the "metal detecting" sideline. i mean you could just as easily and fairly asked if it was illegal to dig holes in sordid park while digging holes in sordid park. you did not have to add the "when metal detecting" part. what is your question, really. i mean if it is illegal to dig holes metal tectin, it is illegal to dig holes, period, whether it is when walking the dog, or playing frisbee. right nadabear, whadda ya say? you have the floor. which one is it?