Who to contact for city regulations?

[fieldsjoe89]

I just recently moved to Alabama and I'm looking to metal detect in my local city but I'm not sure who to contact for laws and regulations? Is there a certain department in the PD I should contact? I'm used to just asking land owners for permission, but I'm looking to detect the grass areas between the roads and the sidewalks where I'm at now. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Loco-Digger]

Most towns have a website and around here you can gain access to their ordinances on their website.

 

[BigWaveDave]

Stick with the permissions, and also look up the regulations on your own. Chances are the easements between the sidewalk and street are ok to hunt, but some home owners that mow the grass and keep it looking good might not like you poking around. To ask city folks about laws is asking for the potential of getting a mouth-breathing, low level city employee swinging his weight around, just to tell you that you "cant", when there are prolly no rules against it. Good luck, and I hope you find all that you seek. BWD

 

[buzzhead]

In pa the area you are talking about is called an easement. It is "publicly" owned. I'm not sure on the laws in bama though.

 

[Keppy]

I just recently moved to Alabama and I'm looking to metal detect in my local city but I'm not sure who to contact for laws and regulations? Is there a certain department in the PD I should contact? I'm used to just asking land owners for permission, but I'm looking to detect the grass areas between the roads and the sidewalks where I'm at now. Any help would be appreciated.

If you are smart you will not contact any government agency … The less you let them know about your business the better off you and all other that detect in your area will be...

 

[Keppy]

To ask city folks about laws is asking for the potential of getting a mouth-breathing, low level city employee swinging his weight around, just to tell you that you "cant", when there are prolly no rules against it. Good luck, and I hope you find all that you seek. BWD

Now you see that is why you do not ask a government agency any thing...

 

[fieldsjoe89]

Thanks for the quick responses. I just didn't want to take the chance of going out tomorrow and having my metal detector taken or getting arrested. I believe I found the correct website for the ordinances and now I just have to decipher it. I've had luck since I've started down here so far. I've found 7 wheat pennies and a presidential token ( I believe one from the oil companies) all in the same area of a lot near my apartment.

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

The city/town clerk should be able to tell you the laws and ordinances.

But here's the problem. If you are digging holes the charge may be "destruction of public property" and not mention metal detecting at all.

 

[Loco-Digger]

the ordinances can be searched, search for words or phrases.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Do your own research online, don't call and ask..

Posted From My $50 Tablet....

“A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”
― James Madison
The Constitution of the United States of America

 

[fieldsjoe89]

Thanks for the information everyone. So far my searches have yielded that you cannot metal detect in parks (says not to dig or remove any rocks, vegetation, soil ect) so I intend to cautiously go about detecting easements. I'm already familiar with the older portions of town. Since I'm majoring in geography I have access to maps as old as the 1930s. If anyone is located in Alabama and is interested in locating certain maps, the University of Alabama has a map webpage with many maps ranging from quadrangles to street maps. This is the web address Alabama Maps

 

[Tom_in_CA]

fields-joe-89, as the others have said, you're on the right track to look things up for yourself, rather than think you need to ask permission (which is subject to someone's whims, moods, "safe answer", etc...).

If your city has no municipal codes/laws to look up on a website (like if it's small city with zero website, or whatever), then here's another way: The information MUST be somewhere, for public viewing. So if you are worried/skittish (I wouldn't be, to begin with), and really feel the need to talk to a live person, you can: Go into city hall. Ask where the city charter, muni codes, laws/rules, etc... are available for public viewing. If they ask "well what is it that you want to know?", stick to your guns. Repeat that you want to see the city muni regulations, wherever it exists in binder form, (or perhaps they'll direct you to a website link). It simply HAS to be *somewhere*. No laws are "secret", afterall. They'll direct you to a binder there behind city hall, which you can view there @ the front counter, for instance.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

.... you cannot metal detect in parks (says not to dig or remove any rocks, vegetation, soil ect) .....

I do not interpret that type of thing to mean "no detecting". Because all such "alter", "deface", "molest", "destroy", etc... verbage inherently implies the end result. Ie.: if you leave no trace, then presto: You have "alterED" or "defacED" anything. And I would go so far as to say that ....... so too does the evil word "dig" have the implicit meaning of damage, holes, etc..... Yes I know this is a tough semantics issue that troubles some folks. But ..... if things like "dig" and "remove" were to bother someone, then you might as well hang it up now. Because I gaurantee you, that every speck of public land has laws with such rules. But they are generally understood to implictly mean the end result.

Even the "remove" or "collect" or "harvest" type prohibitions all predate metal detectors. And were, of course, so that no numbskull thinks he can help himself to the park benches, cut down trees, mine the beach sand for profit, etc..... *Could* such things be said to apply to singular coins? Or your daughter who picks up a pretty sea-shell? SURE! Just ask long enough and hard enough of enough bored bureaucrats, and someone will say it applies.

Yes not every last person will agree. Ok, fine, avoid such lookie-lou busy-bodies, and pick lower traffic times.

 

[Loco-Digger]

There is one town around here that I was leary of hunting. I did go to their city admin building to get a copy of the ordinances as there website offered since they had not put them online yet. The gentleman I was meeting with could not find a copy to give me so he asked what I was specifically needing the ordinances for. I mentioned that I was a hobbyist in metal detecting and wanted to know if this was banned in the parks. He chuckled and said no, but he did recommend that I not hunt the newest sports park since they treated the lawn not too long ago and to make sure I fill in my holes. Not all individuals in local government are bad.

 

[fuzzy535]

It is good to obtain permission first or at least look into what the laws are. The Cleveland metro parks are open to metal detecting but a permit is recommended. I think so they can keep tabs on people. The ohio canal that starts up here is a federal park is off limits. I have permission to hunt my work property but am still getting it in writing so I have proof on me if im questioned. We have a security guard that patrols nights and weekends and has stopped me several times while I was fishing. So it might be best just to have some type of permission before you go digging, plus it gives you an opportunity to educate others in the hobby and may open doers to other sights.

 

[ezman604]

I started by contacting the mayor. He in turn talked to the city attorney. I got my letter of permission and all city property is my playground now.
Anything I find that is valued at $2000 or more is split between the city and myself. Anything under that is mine to keep.

 

[ezman604]

I take it you are kidding. Please correct me if I'm wrong. I would love to see that letter.

I wouldn't kid about that. Have it in writing...an email from the mayor showing date/time stamp from his email address.

 

[Peyton Manning]

I found on the city website and emailed the city attorney. I told him what type of places I had in mind, the park where the carnival sets up every year and also it used to be the little league fields. He said as long as no one complained it was ok, so I printed it off.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

That is something I never heard of before.....

Kemper, that is sort of an odd response from a city, eh ? I mean, *technically* things found on city property belong to the CITY (100% of it), not 50%, etc... Either that, or *technically* they belong to the person who lost them, NOT the city or the finder. These are spelled out in each state's lost & found laws. So that for example, if you find a $5000 Rolex watch, no .... it's not up to you and the city to split 50/50 (wouldn't we all wish). It belongs to the person who lost it.

But rather than see ezman604's unique outcome as being some sort of evidence of the good of "getting permission", I see is simply being all-the-more proof of the arbitrary-ness of the whole ordeal. While his outcome is admittedly good (albeit a bit odd and unique), yet ..... there is an equally possible outcome, of a "no", or a "100% belongs to us", etc.... And that's a Russian roullette game I'd rather not play

 

[Tom_in_CA]

.... He said as long as no one complained it was ok, so I printed it off.

Well, the part about "if no one complains", is probably true 100% of the time, everywhere, already. Even without someone's having told-you-that. What I mean is: If no one complains, well ...... THEN NO ONE COMPLAINS!

So while what you're saying sounds like "permission" (that you printed off), yet it's actually no better than before you'd even asked, when you think about it. Because let's just say a bored cop or gardener came up to object. Then, by virtue of what the city attorney has told you, then .. presto, there's a complaint, and you have to go. Right ? So I don't understand what's been gained here.