How to get permission for City parks?

[Selsaro]

There is a park just down the street for me in Ottawa county here on the West side of Michigan.
I was wondering on how I would go about getting a permission slip or any kind of permission to do metal detecting in that area?

Thanks!

 

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[SD51]

Sorry, had to add one more comment about the sign. When I got escorted out of that park a day after the sign went up, I asked the park superintendent why his new sign didn't say "DON'T LITTER"! He had no answer...

 

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[Loco-Digger]

In that case you give your self permission.

Before I knew the rule, I did hunt a tot lot at a metro park before I read their rules. A park ranger did not fine me or take my gear or finds, but told me about the rule. I was allowed to leave with just a warning.

 

[cooper1841]

Sorry, had to add one more comment about the sign. When I got escorted out of that park a day after the sign went up, I asked the park superintendent why his new sign didn't say "DON'T LITTER"! He had no answer...

Or pick up your dog's crap!

 

[Selsaro]

Or pick up your dog's crap!

I hate it when Im walking down the sidewalk and step in dog poo!

 

[Selsaro]

You might discover someone makes up a reason based on an existing rule. For example, they'll tell you "no" because the city has an ordinance that you must call the electrical and sewage companies for permission before digging. Which applies to people who are digging deep, Not someone who is digging 2 inches... Tom in CA will probably chime in, there's a good chance someone will make up some reason...

Remember too, that UNENFORCED LAWS are worthless... but they still exist.

I spent my first year watching everyone in the nearby city detect, while I tried in vain to get a "permit." Finally found out the city hadn't issued a citation in any police officers memory... was laughed at by the LPD officers when I told them I wasn't detecting because I couldn't get a permit.

Then it dawned on me... just because someone is on the books, if it's not enforced, it's not enforced... It was fair game. Then it dawned on me that 100% of the people I saw detecting were at schools, anyway... which according to city ordinances was "off limits" even WITH a permit. I've talked to countless groundskeepers at these schools and they all simply wish me luck and want to know if I've found anything good. If nobody cares, there's no reason to make an issue of it.

In the future, it's better, if you're going to make direct contact, to just ask for a copy of the cities ordinances, and do the research yourself, rather than ask them for permission...

Thank you!
I was planning on just scrapping the idea on getting any permits and just doing detecting at places that have no specific laws, like the picture of the sign above.

I also live next to a school with a huge bike path that goes into a marshy woods, so I may go there too

 

[freddy williams]

also check with your parks department show them how you recover your finds and place the plug back take a Frisbee with you best for dirt

 

[Old Bookaroo]

Why don't you go to the next Board Meeting, arrange to speak during the public comment period, and then ask?

Good luck to all,

The Old Bookaroo, CM

 

[Selsaro]

Well they emailed back..

They said the can check for me and will get back to me next week
And to have a great weekend.

So hopefully there are no restrictions and laws that I don't know about already "such as Indian burial and artifact protection laws"
Now I regret asking, and I need to wait a week before I even know.. should of just went there to MD :/

 

[Deft Tones]

should of just went there to MD :/

You still can. They have not said no yet.

 

[MrMikeJackie]

Why don't you go to the next Board Meeting, arrange to speak during the public comment period, and then ask?

Good luck to all,

The Old Bookaroo, CM

Or not. Don't plant seeds, don't shed light on non existing issues.

 

[Truth]

Im in Louisiana and city parks are fair game here. I hunt them often.

I go to City Park and Audubon park all the time


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Selsaro]

You still can. They have not said no yet.

The problem is we just had a huge snowstorm, and it's all melting next week.. not this week!

 

[Jason in Enid]

The problem is we just had a huge snowstorm, and it's all melting next week.. not this week!

Melting next week?! I thought Michigan was a solid block of ice from October to June!

 

[Selsaro]

Melting next week?! I thought Michigan was a solid block of ice from October to June!

40F temperature on Tuesday!! Perfect for metal detecting

 

[Tom_in_CA]

haha, I see my name mentioned for the bee-in-my-bonnet topic You've gotten great answers so far.

.... I just asked my Township about any restrictions or any laws about MDing in the area, ....

If you don't know where to look up rules for yourself (city park website, or in binder form at city hall, or whatever), then sure, you might have to ask the city where the lists are located. But what you do, is simply ask "where can a person find a list of all rules that apply to park usage ? Eg.: any permits associated with our parks, etc...". Then when directed to where the list exists, you look for yourself to see if there's anything that said "no md'ing". If not, then presto, it's not prohibited. Because otherwise, it's as Skippy put very well:

You might discover someone makes up a reason based on an existing rule. For example, they'll tell you "no" because the city has an ordinance that you must call the electrical and sewage companies for permission before digging....

Right. At the mere mention of "metal detecting", some desk-jockey might have mental images of you leaving holes, or say you'll harm the spotted owls, or some such silly thing (when in fact, perhaps they'd never have given the matter a moment's thought).

also check with your parks department show them how you recover your finds and place the plug back take a Frisbee with you best for dirt

IMHO, talking to a city parks worker about "how well you make plugs" (and/or any mention of "holes" or "dig"...) is the FASTEST way to get a "no". JMHO Just go at low traffic off-times , when potential busy-bodies are around. Our hobby has connotations, so .... don't be an eyesore begging for attention at high traffic times

 

[Selsaro]

haha, I see my name mentioned for the bee-in-my-bonnet topic You've gotten great answers so far.



If you don't know where to look up rules for yourself (city park website, or in binder form at city hall, or whatever), then sure, you might have to ask the city where the lists are located. But what you do, is simply ask "where can a person find a list of all rules that apply to park usage ? Eg.: any permits associated with our parks, etc...". Then when directed to where the list exists, you look for yourself to see if there's anything that said "no md'ing". If not, then presto, it's not prohibited. Because otherwise, it's as Skippy put very well:



Right. At the mere mention of "metal detecting", some desk-jockey might have mental images of you leaving holes, or say you'll harm the spotted owls, or some such silly thing (when in fact, perhaps they'd never have given the matter a moment's thought).



IMHO, talking to a city parks worker about "how well you make plugs" (and/or any mention of "holes" or "dig"...) is the FASTEST way to get a "no". JMHO Just go at low traffic off-times , when potential busy-bodies are around. Our hobby has connotations, so .... don't be an eyesore begging for attention at high traffic times

Yep.. I was going to go check the park rules here pretty soon..

I emailed them not thinking about it. I'm so dumb!! Haha!
Thanks Tom for the heads up, ill see what they say and regurgitate it back to you guys.

 

[dig deeper now]

State parks you can't I've detected 8 of them with no problem only found lots of new change half a bucket of PULL TABS cleaned the park of them so kids won't get cut.

 

[SultansOfSwing]

There is a virgin park in my dads town that was designed by the same person who designed central patk in Nyc. The old park rules sign had no metal detecting. The new one as of 2016, they dropped the no metal detecting. So we checked the parks and rec website and no where on the site says no metal detecting. We called the police station to get confirmation that there were no ordinaces regarding detecting public city property. There werent.

We geared up and headed to the park. Signals everywhere. Literally every foot. I started just digging high 80s signals. I get about 8 quarters in and i see a guy talking to my dad. Turns out he was the park and rec administrator and he said no detecting. We told him we called the PD and they said no laws. Administrator said he has final say regarding parks and told us to beat it.

We were bummed at first but i found a flying eagle and 2 V nickels later that day at a different spot.. That helped me feel a little better.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

.... So we checked the parks and rec website and no where on the site says no metal detecting. We called the police station to get confirmation that there were no ordinaces regarding detecting public city property. There werent.

We geared up and headed to the park. Signals everywhere. Literally every foot. I started just digging high 80s signals. I get about 8 quarters in and i see a guy talking to my dad. Turns out he was the park and rec administrator and he said no detecting. We told him we called the PD and they said no laws. Administrator said he has final say regarding parks and told us to beat it......

Here is the perfect case example. We can all debate :

a) the folly of grovelling at city halls asking "can I?" type questions. And we can thus conclude

b) "look it up for oneself" (as sultans here did). And we can all debate that

c) the lack of prohibition (ie.: Silence on the subject ) = "not prohibited", right ? Or even so careful, as sultan did here, to

d) call city halls and police dept's asking "are there any prohibitions", right ? YET

e) the md'r (as sultan here) gets booted. Hmmmm

What does that tell you ? That for turfed parks (let's be honest) has ... uh .... "connotations". That you might be about to leave a hole. So rather than run around debating rules, laws, trying to please and get approval from every last person on the planet ..... How about simply avoiding such lookie-lous and going at lower traffic times when said-griper isn't present ? It's gotten to where I do 90% of my turf hunting at night . So peaceful. So serene. Some people might call that "sneaking around". Ok, fine then ... SNEAK AROUND.

It's like nose-picking: Not "illegal", but .... for petes sake, you use a little discretion in your timing so as not to offend people (and don't run around getting permission to do it, or asking people about laws regarding it, etc....)

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Problem with that, is that there are more ordinances on not being in city parks at night, than there are on Metal Detecting, in my experience...

Glad to know night-time parks are good where you are. Odd thing is, here, MDing is expressly allowed, but parks after dark is not!

I have no doubt that there are probably "park closed at sunset" type signs on our parks too. Shame on me.

But IMHO those are to prevent late night keg parties, or homeless people to camp out, etc.... Even in those parks which such "closes at sunset" type sign, yet people still walk through the park at night . Eg.: love bird couples out for a romantic night stroll, someone walking their dog, etc.....