Where can you detect without asking permisssion?

[damz68]

I have now owned a detector for 3 months and have only been able to search in 2 places. My yard and my grand parents church social hall. I tried the nearby park and they informed me I could not dig, I have called several churches and all have said NO! A principle at a schhol said no. The National Forest said no, the state parks said no, except for the beaches. National Parks and Monuments, no doubt that would be the biggest no. So , I am still unable to find a place to go and wonder how you all come up with such great finds with so many NO's.

I realize that the NO probally stems from the destruction to land that the huge amout of detectorist left in the 90's and just plain ol greed. If I had a piece of land that someone wanted to detect on, I would say no and then wonder if there was some sort of historical significance to my land. So I understand but at the same time I would like to pursue my hobby.

So does a place exsist where you can hunt in peace without asking permission and still be able to find some piece of history, if so where?

 

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[jeff of pa]

Unfortunately all areas are Different.

Around here.

County Land, un-incorporated "Village" land (Towns with no Government, Township land, "Public Parks" that don't have signs up,
Fire Company Parks. Public Schools should be but I ask anyway.
Church Groves, I ask if someone is available.

I have a trick Prepaired to use here, but as I said, My area is Different then alot.

I have been detecting long before People asked permission.
When Detecting was New and People were all open to "Freedom"
(The 60's) and Lawyers couldn't advertise on TV
with Phrases "Were you hurt in an Accident ? Do you feel it wasn't your Fault ? "

IF I would ever be approached in a park and Challenged, I would
Calmly say.

" OH ! Sorry, I had permission Years ago from a Guy mowing Grass
here. I didn't know things have changed This sure is a Nice Spot.
You know of any Good places nearby ? "

as I said, People are laid back around here.


I Must add.
You Have to Respect the property.
and Everyone who approaches you must receive a Big Smile & Hello.even if they approach you with a shotgun or baseball bat

 

[damz68]

Oh ya, there is a big differance between S. Carolina and Pennsylvania. The heat down here tends to put people in a bad mood. Maybe I will have better luck this winter? That is a sly trick.

I guess you are in Pennsylvania? If not, sorry for cussing you.

 

[jeff of pa]

sorry for cussing you.

HUH ?

 

[Blind.In.Texas]

approach me with a shotgun and my diggin' knife becomes a missile.....

i suggest checking your towns web site, if it has one, and reading up and the parks department section. i checked it for here in Houston, and, there is no mention of metal detecting anywhere in the activities section. there is always the destruction of property clause in every set of rules. if approached i would just say what i am doing and inform the officer that i am putting the terrain back the way it was. show him some trash you have kept ( you do keep the trash too, right?) and usually there is no problem. if, however the office persists in his attempt to make you leave, you should obviously do so. he is not a judge and will not debate with you.

good luck and happy hunting.

oh, and any parks you want to dig, look up the address, then check with the city county and state to find out who owns it. then you can check their parks rules section. keep a copy of the rules that pertain to your activity so that if mad e to leave , you can show entitlement to the activity. cops can't bend the law just because and usually won't.

 

[George (MN)]

Any federal land is off limits.

State property: Most states won't allow it in state parks & many don't allow it in state forests or wildlife refuges, either. The state archaeologists run the DNR (Dept of Natural Resources, which is in charge of state parks & other state-owned land).

County parks: some allow it, some don't. I guess on those call the county sheriffs dept & ask if you could get fined for detecting county parks.

City parks: call the city police & ask if you could get fined for detecting city parks. If they say something like, "well maybe if you left a big hole that could injure someone. Other than that, use your own judgment", then essentially you have a yes as long as you don't endanger people or do significant damage. The above was the reply I got from police after calling a parks dept that said no digging or disturbing soil. It's what the police say that counts.

Another city parks story: they actually had signs put up that said no digging or disturbing but when I asked a guy who worked in the park building if I could detect there he said "I don't see why not."

Schools: The principals probably can't give permission because they don't own the schools & are not in law enforcement. If it's a big school in a city, the school probably has their own "liaison" officer that can tell you whether or not you'd get fined for detecting there. I wanted to detect a school that had signs "non-school use of property prohibited" but the liaison officer said go ahead & detect.

Private property: usually detectable with permission of owner, but be very neat if you do yards as they may be watching or check later to see if things look OK & if not, they know who did it.

County fairgrounds: If locked, that means no. If no trespassing signs, that's a probable no, but you could try contacting someone on the fair board of the county agricultural association or society. I think some places that say no trespassing might allow it if you find the right person to get permission. HH, George (MN)

 

[wiredcur]

First Post here... but I have a relavant question to the thread

Are beaches generally considers open for detecting without issue?

Thanks
Tim

 

[Ramapirate]

My boldest hunt up to this point are the grounds of the Charlotte Mint Museum on Labor Day. One policeman rolled up on me and asked what I was looking for. When I replied "Coins and such but mostly finding pull tabs!" and showed him a handful, he replied "Cool, have fun try not to leave any holes and rolled on out the drive. There realy wasn't a lot to find, the Mint had been moved there in the 1930's and most of what you find are from picnicers and such on the grounds. It was still a fun hunt...
I haven't been run off from anywhere yet, I think sometimes we cause ourselves problems. I could probably go deep enough into bureaucracy to never get to hunt anywhere. The way I look at it, I'm a taxpayer and unless it's private property or you specifically say "Don't hunt here!", I'm swinging.

HH,
Ramapirate

 

[BigMESA]

Ramapirate I like your attitude.

Btw I'll be in your neck of the woods for my Bachelor party in 2 weeks, im originally from York.

 

[Ramapirate]

Hollar at me, maybe we can hunt an hour or two while you're down. I can drag you over to one of the older parks, I usually find something or other. You're liable to find a merc or wheaty, stranger things have happened.

HH,
Ramapirate

 

[justin75790]

Do you need permission at Church's that are not in used anymore?
Thanks for the help

 

[Shamus]

Any federal land is off limits.

I read somewhere that recreational gold prospecting is allowed on Bureau of Land Management-controlled lands and in National Forests (as opposed to parks). I wonder why gold panning is OK but not metal detecting?

 

[jeff of pa]

Do you need permission at Church's that are not in used anymore?
Thanks for the help

Most Churches that are not in use anymore, are Privately owned.
So Yes.

I'm sure some are still owned by the Church. in those cases
also Yes.
Churches are Gray areas for the most part.

in Reality, they are owned by the Congrigation, which means
to obtain permission the Congrigation as a Whole should vote,
because all it takes is one to complain.

I usually try to ask the Preacher.
Even though he Dosn't own the church,
he's just am Employee, his word will keep you legal.
any problems can be pushed on him, for giving you permission.

Grounds Keepers the same.

I'v had Mixed results on getting permission AT churches since
I started asking permission from them.

but in the 70's & 80's I used to Not ask permission at churches at all,
and was Never chased.

Again, all areas are Different.

What I can get away with here, you may get arrested for there.

In Fact, what others can get away with here, I may get arrested for here.
The Law is not & never will be fair to Everyone.



Exceptions exist.

BUT, it is always best to ask permission.
Even if it's your Parents Back Yard.

 

[Night Stalker]

.......define permission.......

 

[Captain Trips]

.......define permission.......

The owner of the property saying "yes, you may."

It ISN'T "The owner of the property not saying 'no, you may not.'"

It's like rape -- many seem to think the "she didn't say no" argument is valid when they've done it to a woman passed out from alcohol/drugs. The law is clear, though -- it's rape if she didn't say "yes." Okay, this is an extreme analogy, but it is valid -- permission requires the rightful owner of the property rights granting you some of those rights.

 

[Shamus]

I'm encountering the same issue. I haven't even received my detector yet (Bounty Hunter Tracker IV I ordered from Belda's in Oregon on Tuesday night) and the local parks department says no digging allowed on park property, so no detecting. I mean, I can detect but I can't retrieve what I find.

I'd planned to use detecting in local parks as my primary use, as well as a reason to get out and get some exercise from walking to and from the park(s). There goes that idea. They have no-leash-law parks where dogs can run around, playfields where people wear spiked shoes playing ball games, and similar activities that tear up the ground. It seems to me that metal detecting, as long as holes are filled and divots replaced, is a reasonable useage of the park just as much as the other activities.

I wish there was a local club in Seattle. The nearest one meets in Redmond WA., too far away for non-drivers like me. A club might have collective permission for members to detect in certain places, or have the power to lobby for a change in park rules. Maybe I'll try to form a club myself...

At least I own my own front and back yards.

 

[michinkae]

If I knew where you lived I could give you some advice, but unfortunately you don't tell us what state you live in.

 

[Shamus]

Seattle, WA

 

[Ramapirate]

I think he was talking to Damz68 there Shamus. We see where you're from...

HH,
Ramapirate

 

[diggemall]

When I first got into MD-ing I checked a LOT of my local area jurisdictions.

Here's what I found:

Some Municipalities and some counties require permits, some don't, and some don't allow it, period.
Some municipalities and some counties restrict where you can MD/dig with or w/o permits and some don't
Some state property is OK, and most isn't.

Several days on the phone to everything I could think of, and lots of notes on a pad of paper, now I know lots of public places I can MD !

Suggest you take the same approach

Diggem'