State of California:
State Law on Metal Detecting
State Park Regulations
Official State Park web-site.
Auburn State Recreation Area California State Parks
State Park Metal Detecting Rules & Regulations:
There is no specific law against use of metal detectors. However, they may
not be used for mineralogical or historical / archeological collection.
The prying up or digging out of an object may be against the law as defined
in Sections 4306,4307, 4308.
To re-enforce land / soil surface may not be disturbed while Metal
detecting. See Sections: 4306, 4307 & 4308.
§ 4306. Plants and Driftwood.
No person shall willfully or negligently pick, dig up, cut, mutilate, destroy, injure, disturb, move, molest, burn, or carry away any tree or
plant or portion thereof, including but not limited to leaf mold, flowers, foliage, berries, fruit, grass, turf, humas, shrubs, cones, and dead wood,
except in specific units when authorization by the District Superintendent or Deputy Director of Off-Highway Motor Vehicles to take berries, or gather
mushrooms, or gather pine cones, or collect driftwood is posted at the headquarters of the unit to which the authorization applies.
§ 4307. Geological Features.
(a) No person shall destroy, disturb, mutilate, or remove earth, sand, gravel, oil, minerals, rocks, paleontological features, or features of caves.
(b) Rock hounding may be permitted as defined in Section 4301(v).
§ 4308. Archaeological Features.
No person shall remove, injure, disfigure, deface, or destroy any object of archaeological, or historical interest or value.
California State Park Laws were established to protect the park resources, to administer the parks and to maintain a park atmosphere. All the following
sections are contained in the California Code of Regulations. All sections are misdemeanors which carry a maximum punishment of 90 days in jail and/or
$1,000 fine. This is only a partial listing of the State Park laws which apply statewide.
§ 4610.10. Panning for Gold.
§ 4610.1. Units Open for Rock hounding
(a) Rock hounding is authorized by Section 5001.65 of the Public Resources Code.
(b) Units and portions thereof (o)pen for Rock hounding will be posted in accordance with Section 4301(i).
(c) Commercial Use.
Rocks or mineral specimens gathered within a unit may not be sold or used commercially for the production of profit.
(d) Maximum Take.
One person may gather, in one day in one unit, not more than 15 pounds of mineralogical material or not more than one specimen plus 15 pounds of
mineralogical material.
(e) Use of Tools.
Tools, except gold pans to be used in gold panning, may not be used in rock
hounding within a unit.
(f) Areas for Swimming and Boating.
In state recreation areas rock hounding may not be practiced in areas designated for swimming or for boat launching.
(g) Areas Limited for Collecting.
In state recreation areas rock hounding is limited to beaches which lie within the jurisdiction of the Department and within the wave action zone on
lakes, bays, reservoirs, or on the ocean, and to the beaches or gravel bars which are subject to annual flooding on streams.
(h) Indian Artifacts.
Rock hounding in a unit specifically does not include the gathering of Indian arrowheads, Indian stone tools, or other archeological specimens,
even when such specimens may be found occurring naturally on the surface.
(i) Panning for Gold.
Panning for gold is considered to be "rock hounding" as the term is applied in the Department. The gold pan is the only exception permitted to the
exclusion of tools from rock hounding in a unit as provided in Section
4610.5. Muddy water from panning operations must not be visible more than 20 feet from the panning operation.
Park Regulations and Legal References
Cities:
Roseville, CA
Roseville Park Regulations
Sacramento, CA
Sacramento Park Regulations
Article III. Park Use (Items that may relate to metal detecting)
12.72.060 Park use regulations.
No person shall:
A. Conduct or carry on an assembly of more than fifty (50)
people in a park, which assembly is intended or can reasonably
be expected to last more than thirty (30) minutes, unless a park
use permit has been first issued therefor, or pursuant to a
special event permit or waiver issued under Chapter 12.48. If
the assembly is expected to be more than two hundred (200)
persons, a special event permit is required pursuant to Chapter
12.48 in lieu of a park use permit under this chapter;
B. Conduct or carry on any organized activity that includes
carnival rides or animal rides unless a special event permit
under Chapter 12.48 has been first issued therefore;
C. Use any amplified sound in a park except as provided in
Section 12.72.110;
D. Engage in any commercial activity in a park, unless a park
use permit or special event permit under Chapter 12.48 has been
first issued therefore, or a lease or concession contract was
issued under Chapter 3.68 or 3.72, or the commercial activity is
inextricably intertwined with the expression of free speech
rights;
E. Sell, possess, or drink alcoholic beverages in a park, unless
a special event permit under Chapter 12.48 has been first issued
therefore;
F. Erect temporary fencing or temporary structures, use
specialized recreational equipment as part of group event, or
use any portion of a park for a purpose for which it was not
designed or intended, unless a park use permit has been first
issued therefore, or pursuant to a special event permit issued
under Chapter 12.48;
G. Interfere with the use of any park or portion thereof which
at the time is reserved by permit for the use of any other
person or group;
H. Ride bicycles, smoke, or drink alcoholic beverages in
children’s playground areas;
I. Enter or remain in a children’s playground area if such
person is eighteen (18) years of age or older unless actually
engaged in the care, custody or supervision of a person younger
than eighteen (18) years of age who is using the facilities in
the area;
J. Bring any wild or domesticated animal or pet into or upon
grounds of the zoo, Fairytale Town, any swimming pool, any golf
course, commercial amusement area or children’s playground area
except as provided in Section 9.44.300(B);
K. Bring any domesticated animal or pets into park areas other
than those designated in subsection J of this section unless
they are leashed except as provided in Section 9.44.300(B), or
pursuant to a special event permit issued under Chapter 12.48;
L. Possess, discharge, or shoot:
1. Any bow and arrow in any park, except in areas designated for
such use,
2. Any firearm in any park, except in areas designated for such
use and except by a peace officer or by a security guard acting
under the authority of a special access permit issued pursuant
to Article VI of this chapter,
3. Any slingshots, air guns, and other devices potentially
harmful to park visitors, which devices are prohibited in all
parks, or
4. Any pyrotechnics in any park unless pursuant to a special
event permit issued under Chapter 12.48;
M. Play or practice golf in any area not designated for such
use;
N. Swim or wade except in supervised swimming or wading pools;
O. Engage in horseback riding in any park, except for the
following activities:
1. Horseback riding on designated bridle paths, or
2. Horseback riding by any peace officer while the peace officer
is engaged in the performance of his or her duties;
P. Kill, chase, wound, or capture any wild or domestic bird, or
animal in a park. This subsection shall not apply to the chasing
or capturing of one’s own animal;
Q. Intentionally remove, break, injure, deface, or disturb any
plant material, structure, or improvement;
R. Contaminate in any way any water, fountains, pools, lakes,
rivers, other water supply, or wash any clothing or cooking
utensils in any such waters;
S. Dispose of trash or garbage not accumulated within park areas
or dispose of trash or garbage accumulated within park areas
other than in receptacles provided for this purpose;
T. Start or maintain fires in parks other than in “on-site”
barbecue pits or personal portable barbecues within designated
picnic areas. No person shall fail to extinguish live coals or
fires before leaving the picnic area;
U. Open, expose, or interfere with any water system or utility,
provided that this prohibition shall not apply to the use of any
drinking fountain for its intended purpose;
V. Use or operate any vehicle or other motorized objects in the
following ways:
1. Operating gasoline or other fuel-powered vehicles (except
golf carts where authorized) in any park, except upon streets,
parking lots or other areas designated for such use, unless
expressly permitted in writing by the director. This subsection
shall not apply to city employees on official business, or
2. Operating or parking any vehicle as defined in the California
Vehicle Code within a park, except upon areas designated for
such use, unless expressly permitted in writing by the director.
This subsection shall not apply to city employees on official
business;
W. Camp in any park without a park use permit or pursuant to a
special event permit issued under Chapter 12.48;
X. If the person is fifteen (15) years of age or older, play
softball or baseball on any softball or baseball field where
signs are posted that prohibit such play by such person;
Y. Do any of the following acts in Garcia Bend Park, Miller
Park, or the Sacramento Boat Harbor:
1. Park outside the areas designated for parking or double-park
at any time,
2. Park any vehicle or trailer in a boat launch area other than
while putting a boat in or taking a boat out of the water, or
3. Park any trailer in any section posted “NO TRAILER PARKING”;
or
Z. Dock a boat at any city-owned or city-managed dock for more
than thirty-six (36) consecutive hours or for the purpose of
living on board the boat for more than one night while moored at
the dock. One or more persons on board the boat at any time
between the hours of one a.m. and six a.m. shall be conclusively
presumed to be living on board for the night. A boat that
departs a dock after being moored for twenty-four (24) hours or
more, or which departs a dock after having been moored for the
purpose of living on board for one night, shall not return to
the same dock until at least twenty-four (24) hours have
elapsed. The term “dock” shall include the courtesy docks in
Miller Park, Garcia Bend, and Old Sacramento, and any other dock
operated primarily for temporary boat mooring purposes.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the city council, by resolution,
may establish special rules relating to use of the docks in Old
Sacramento, which rules may permit longer periods of mooring,
impose fees for overnight mooring privileges, and permit other
special uses of those docks;
AA. Enter the designated natural habitat areas within Del Paso
Regional Park, except for the following activities:
1. Horseback riding on the designated trails;
2. Walking or using a non-motorized bicycle on the designated
trails; and
3. Using the areas for scientific, environmental, educational,
or maintenance purposes, if granted permission to do so by the
city manager. (Ord. 2017-0004 § 1; Ord. 2012-042 § 5)
Counties:
El Dorado County Sly Park
Metal detecting is not allowed in Sly Park Recreation Area managed by El Dorado Irrigation District.
Thanks,
Greg Hawkins
Ranger
East Bay Regional Parks
East Bay Regional Parks
(I)
Section 406 Devices
Metal Detectors
No person shall use a metal detector or similar device on parklands, except as provided in a written permit granted by the General Manager of the District.
Metal detecting Permit Requirement
Santa Clara County Parks
Santa Clara County parks requires and annual permit to Metal Detect
Sec. B14-55.2. Metal detecting:
Permit Fee:
Metal Detecting is not allowed
in the following Santa Clara County Park areas:
County of Santa Clara
Parks and Recreation Department
298 Garden Hill Drive
Los Gatos, California 95032-7669
(408) 355-2200 FAX (408) 355-2290
www.parkhere.org
Staff may close any area to this activity for purposes of
maintaining visitor safety and/or preserving significant
artefactual remains.
No person shall collect, excavate, injure, destroy or
appropriate prehistoric or historic artifacts or human skeletal
remains from lands under the jurisdiction of the Division except
with written permission from the Director.
Use of electronic devices for “treasure hunting” is prohibited.
Not all sites allow metal detecting to protect significant
cultural or natural resources.
Use of metal detectors at historic sites is prohibited.
Metal detecting is recognized as a legitimate recreation
activity when it is conducted in ways that do not damage the
natural and cultural resources in Santa Clara County Parks nor
violate applicable state statues. Any items found must be
reviewed by park staff and may be retained for further
investigation.
Operators of a metal detector shall wear or carry a litter apron
or bag, and all litter found is to be deposited in an approved
trash receptacle.
Operators may keep any non-identifiable items with a nominal
value of less than $25.00. Identifiable items, such as rings,
watches, etc., and all other items of value exceeding $25.00 are
to be deposited with the park superintendent. These provisions
apply to all lost and found articles including those found
without the aid of a metal detector.
001.14C5 All historical, archeological or paleontological items
found are to be left undisturbed and their location reported to
the park superintendent.
§ 4307. Geological Features.
(a) No person shall destroy, disturb, mutilate, or remove earth,
sand, gravel, oil, minerals, rocks, paleontological features, or
features of caves.
(b) Rockhounding may be permitted as defined in Section 4301(v).
§ 4308. Archaeological Features.
No person shall remove, injure, disfigure, deface, or destroy
any object of archaeological, or historical interest or value.
The act of passing a metal detector over the ground in a Santa
Clara County Park is not against the law. The prying up or
digging out of an object however may be, as this may not be done
if it disturbs the animals, plants, geological or archaeological
features. Section 4309 gives the Department the authority to
grant permits to disturb resources if it is in the best interest
of the Department to do so. Metal Detecting is not allowed in
the following park areas:
• Almaden Quicksilver County Park - all areas within park.
• Anderson County Park - Cochrane/Jackson House.
• Calero County Park - Bailey/Fellow House.
• Chitactac/Adams Heritage County Park - all areas within park.
• Coyote Creek Parkway - Coyote/Fisher Ranch house & Malaguerra
Winery.
• Coyote/Bear Ranch - Foreman's House.
• Ed Levin County Park - Laguna Cemetery
• Joseph D. Grant County Park - Joseph D. Grant Ranch House.
• Mt. Madonna County Park - Miller House Ruins
• Sanborn/Skyline County Park - H.P. Dyer House, Welch Hurst
Site (youth hostel), Pourroy Homestead. Villa Montalvo Arboretum
- all areas within the park.
• Santa Teresa County Park– North of Bernal Road Sunnyvale - NO
Digging allowed in parks
State of Nevada
State Park Regulations:
http://www.leg.state.nv.us/nac/NAC-407.html
State Park Metal Detecting Rule and Regulation Detail:
NAC 407.103
Metal Detector.
(NRS 407.0475,
407.065)
Except as authorized by the supervisor of the park, no person may use a metal detector in the park.
(Added to NAC by Div. of St. Parks, eff. 11-12-93)
Reno
Is metal detecting allowed in the parks? Yes. A permit
may be obtained for free at the Idlewild Park Office, 2055 Idlewild Dr. Call 775-334-2270.