Maybe not with that type/style wording. But in SOME FORM OR FASHION: every single park in the USA has verbage that dis-allows "alter" or "molest" or "deface" or "vandalize". And "Take", "remove", "harvest", etc...... The exact verbage is a moot point. Just saying, all public land has some variations of dis-allowance for that.
I mean, duh, do you think there's any place that "
allows" vandalism? Any place that "allows" you to help yourself to the park tables, harvest the sod or roses to use at your own yard ? etc....
Correct. Heck, he could even cite you under codes that dis-allow "annoyances", I suppose, if he wanted. Or if he saw you pocket a ring you found, could cite you under "lost & found" codes. IT'S ENDLESS ! So the *real* question is not "what can be construed to apply to us" (lest we all might as well give up this hobby right now). The REAL question is: What is generally applied, and is there *realistically* any imminent problems.
And the answer to that is, that rarely ever is anyone truly cited for md'ing innocuous run-of-the-mill parks, where such codes are present. Tickets for "sensitive historic monuments" ? Yes perhaps. But run-of-mill parks, schools, beaches? No. We are 99.9% of the time seen as harmless geeks. And if someone thinks you're about to leave marks/holes, you might get a scram at best. (so just avoid that singular griper lookie-lou in the future).
Huh ? I have never seen such areas. Eg.: an area of a park , or an entire park, with a sign saying "metal detecting allowed here". Or a park with a name such as "such and such md'ing park" (as you might imagine "soccer field", or "baseball diamond" and "tot park". And now "md'ing park" ? No, I don't know of any such designated field just for md'ing. Nor do I believe we need any such express allowance. Any more than you'd need an express allowance to skip stones on a pond, or fly a frisbee, etc....
Yes I have. Re-read my posts in this thread. Also notice that I asked the relic-revivor fellow to shed more light on the exact wording (ie.: the exact "offense") that the ticket lists. Eg.: does it say "metal detecting" ? "digging"? "destruction/altering" ? etc... He never answered.
But I can sort of answer anyhow, on the contingency:
a) if the ticket said "metal detecting", well presto, there IS NO specific prohibition of md'ing in SF city parks.
b) if the ticket were for alter, deface, molest, destroy, vandalize, tamper, etc.... then presto: if you/he leaves not trace, then you haven't alter
ED or defac
ED anything. Now have you ?
c) The guy called in ahead and was told "yes". Granted, I don't recommend that as a precaution, but ...... he did it, and he might as well use that "yes" in his favor
d) if the ticket were for "dig", then yes, that becomes a bit more problematic. I have a great comeback for that, and have posted the semantics to get around that too. As to whether or not it gets "sold" to a judge, is another story. BUT SO TOO IS ANY defense you give a judge for ANY ticket. I mean, let's be dreadfully honest here: The entire process is not cut & dried. Any judge is free to accept or reject ANY explanation, defense, etc.... He can be utterly capricious and unfair , or he can be cool and friendly and understanding. Because things like this are NOT 'cut & dried'. They very much ARE up for grey-area interprepations, whims, moods, mental images of the person listening to you, etc.....
But does that mean that JUST because some isolated person somewhere "might not like it", that the rest of us should therefore grovel for permission and blessings before we start ? No. Not in my opinion.