Land rules
Metal detecting in California
The California state park sections we read bar removing historic objects and disturbing the ground. No one may remove, injure or destroy any object of archaeological or historical interest or value, and disturbing or removing earth or sand is prohibited.
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What the texts say
One line per rule: the land it covers, what it says, and the text it comes from, with the date we read it.
| Land | Rule | Text |
|---|---|---|
| California state park system Removing historic finds prohibited | No one may remove, injure or destroy any object of archaeological or historical interest or value. | 14 CCR 4308 (opens in a new tab)Read Oct. 16, 2026 on law.cornell.edu |
| California state park system Digging or removal prohibited | Destroying, disturbing, mutilating or removing earth, sand, gravel, oil, minerals, rocks, paleontological features or features of caves is prohibited. Rockhounding may be permitted as defined in 14 CCR 4301(v). | 14 CCR 4307 (opens in a new tab)Read Oct. 17, 2026 on law.cornell.edu |
| California state park units Local rules | The Gold Fields District order for Folsom Lake SRA is dated Jan. 1, 2022. It cites 14 CCR 4301(i), 4307, 4308 and 4326 and Public Resources Code 5003 and 5008. It shows a district restricting detectors in one park unit. | Gold Fields District Order 690-006-2022 (opens in a new tab)Read Oct. 16, 2026 on parks.ca.gov |
| Folsom Lake State Recreation Area, California Prohibited | Possessing or using a metal detector is prohibited. The listed exemptions are carrying one unused in a vehicle on a public road and a permit under 43 CFR 423.50. The district superintendent can also grant a written exception. | Order 690-006-2022 (opens in a new tab)Read Oct. 16, 2026 on parks.ca.gov |
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What the state park regulations say
Division 3 of Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations (CCR) sets rules for the state park system. The two sections we read do not name metal detectors. They cover historic objects and the ground itself. Section 4308 says no one may remove, injure or destroy any object of archaeological or historical interest or value.
Section 4307 reaches the ground itself. Destroying, disturbing, mutilating or removing earth, sand, gravel, oil, minerals, rocks, paleontological features or features of caves is prohibited. Rockhounding may be permitted, as section 4301(v) defines it.
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One district order at Folsom Lake
One district order shows how a park unit can add its own limits. The Gold Fields District order for Folsom Lake SRA, dated Jan. 1, 2022, cites 14 CCR 4301(i), 4307, 4308 and 4326.
That order is one example, not a statewide rule. At Folsom Lake State Recreation Area, possessing or using a metal detector is prohibited. The listed exemptions are carrying one unused in a vehicle on a public road and a permit under 43 CFR 423.50. Ask each park unit whether an order applies there.
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Federal land in the state
On federal land in the state, federal rules apply. National Park Service areas prohibit possessing or using a metal detector, with a few exceptions. In national forests, digging in, disturbing or removing any prehistoric, historic or archaeological resource is prohibited.
On BLM land, unless otherwise authorized, willfully disturbing or removing any archaeological or historic resource is prohibited. Reasonable amounts of rocks and mineral specimens may be collected for noncommercial purposes, except on developed recreation sites or where a posted rule prohibits it. Under ARPA, an item is an archaeological resource only if it is at least 100 years old. Excavating or removing one needs a permit or a listed exemption.
| Land | Rule | Text |
|---|---|---|
| National Park Service areas (national parks, seashores, and monuments the NPS manages) Prohibited | Except as the chapter provides otherwise, possessing or using a metal detector is prohibited. Exceptions include a device broken down and stored or packed to prevent its use, and one used for authorized scientific, mining or administrative work. | 36 CFR 2.1(a)(7) (opens in a new tab)Read Oct. 16, 2026 on ecfr.gov |
| National Forest System lands Digging or removal prohibited | Digging in, disturbing or removing any prehistoric, historic or archaeological resource is prohibited. | 36 CFR 261.9(g) and (h) (opens in a new tab)Read Oct. 16, 2026 on ecfr.gov |
| Bureau of Land Management public lands Digging or removal prohibited | Unless otherwise authorized, willfully defacing, disturbing, removing or destroying any personal property, structure, or scientific, cultural, archaeological or historic resource is prohibited. | 43 CFR 8365.1-5(a)(1) (opens in a new tab)Read Oct. 16, 2026 on ecfr.gov |
| Bureau of Land Management public lands Allowed with limits | Reasonable amounts of rocks, mineral specimens and semiprecious gemstones may be collected for noncommercial purposes. This does not apply on developed recreation sites and areas, or where a posted rule prohibits it. Explosive, motorized or mechanical devices may not be used to collect them, except metal detectors. | 43 CFR 8365.1-5(a)(3) and (b) (opens in a new tab)Read Oct. 16, 2026 on ecfr.gov |
| Federal public lands and Indian lands Digging or removal prohibited | Excavating, removing, damaging or defacing an archaeological resource, or trying to, is prohibited without a permit or a listed exemption. A knowing violation is a federal crime. | 16 U.S.C. 470ee(a) and (d) (opens in a new tab)Read Oct. 16, 2026 on law.cornell.edu |
| Federal public lands and Indian lands Definition | An item is an archaeological resource under ARPA only if it is at least 100 years old. | 16 U.S.C. 470bb(1); 43 CFR 7.3(a) (opens in a new tab)Read Oct. 16, 2026 on law.cornell.edu |
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What stays with the land manager
None of the texts above covers city or county beaches. Ask the beach or park office before you search.
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Questions
Answered from the texts on this page, read Oct. 16, 2026 to Oct. 17, 2026.
The sections we read do not name detectors, but section 4307 prohibits disturbing or removing earth or sand. The Folsom Lake SRA order bans detectors in that unit. Ask the park unit before you search.
The district order says possessing or using a metal detector is prohibited in Folsom Lake SRA, with the exceptions the order lists.
Section 4307 says disturbing or removing earth, sand, gravel, minerals or rocks is prohibited. Rockhounding may be permitted, as section 4301(v) defines it.
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