Clay County, Florida
Metal Detecting at Jennings State Forest in Middleburg, Florida
Florida Administrative Code Rule 5I-4.005 expressly prohibits using metal detectors on Florida Forest Service managed lands and separately prohibits digging, harmful disturbance and removal of soil, minerals, artifacts and other materials. This is an A-grade direct detector-use prohibition, not a rule inferred from general public-land access.
Answer first
Can you metal detect at Jennings State Forest?
Prohibited - metal detector use prohibited on Florida Forest Service managed lands. Florida Administrative Code Rule 5I-4.005 expressly prohibits using metal detectors on Florida Forest Service managed lands and separately prohibits digging, harmful disturbance and removal of soil, minerals, artifacts and other materials. This is an A-grade direct detector-use prohibition, not a rule inferred from general public-land access.
Permit/authorization: Not applicable - recreational detector use prohibited — Fla. Admin. Code R. 5I-4.005(1)(k) expressly prohibits use of metal detectors on managed lands. The State Forest Use Permit provisions in subsection (2) cover specified activities listed there; this database does not infer that they override the separate detector prohibition in subsection (1)(k).
Evidence freshness: verified , Grade A, confidence 100/100. Recheck the official source before travel.
Current verified decision
What the current evidence actually allows
Evidence: Grade A · 100/100 · verified 2026-08-19 · freshness Current · revalidation due 2026-12-17 · source conflict none identified.
Map and public access reference
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Legal status and controlling rule
Florida Administrative Code Rule 5I-4.005 expressly prohibits using metal detectors on Florida Forest Service managed lands and separately prohibits digging, harmful disturbance and removal of soil, minerals, artifacts and other materials. This is an A-grade direct detector-use prohibition, not a rule inferred from general public-land access.
Restricted or prohibited areas
All Florida Forest Service managed lands covered by Fla. Admin. Code R. 5I-4.005; no recreational metal-detector-use exception is inferred.
Permit and digging rules
Permit: Not applicable - recreational detector use prohibited
Fla. Admin. Code R. 5I-4.005(1)(k) expressly prohibits use of metal detectors on managed lands. The State Forest Use Permit provisions in subsection (2) cover specified activities listed there; this database does not infer that they override the separate detector prohibition in subsection (1)(k).
Digging: Rule 5I-4.005(1)(g) prohibits moving, digging, harmfully disturbing or removing soil, sand, gravel, rocks, stones, minerals, trees, plants, artifacts or other materials from managed lands. Subsection (2)(d) separately regulates digging/disturbance of natural conditions.
Water and artifact rules
Water detecting: No separate shoreline or water exception is established by this rule. Do not infer permission for detector use within Florida Forest Service managed lands from water access or recreation access.
Historic/artifact rule: Artifacts and other materials are protected by Rule 5I-4.005(1)(g). Cultural, historic and archaeological resources are not recreational recovery targets.
Verification record
This page is published only after its legal and access evidence passes the project verification checks. Its current legal/access record is Grade A with a confidence score of 100/100 and was last checked on .
Map policy: every record has an in-page map plus external map-provider navigation. Verified pins remain canonical; query-only records can create a temporary provider search marker on demand, which is never promoted to verified geometry automatically. No map mode proves permission.
Official legal and place sources
Jennings State Forest metal detecting FAQ
Can you metal detect at Jennings State Forest?
Florida Administrative Code Rule 5I-4.005 expressly prohibits using metal detectors on Florida Forest Service managed lands and separately prohibits digging, harmful disturbance and removal of soil, minerals, artifacts and other materials. This is an A-grade direct detector-use prohibition, not a rule inferred from general public-land access.
Is a permit or authorization required at Jennings State Forest?
Not applicable - recreational detector use prohibited Fla. Admin. Code R. 5I-4.005(1)(k) expressly prohibits use of metal detectors on managed lands. The State Forest Use Permit provisions in subsection (2) cover specified activities listed there; this database does not infer that they override the separate detector prohibition in subsection (1)(k).
Does the map show where detecting is legally allowed?
Yes. The page provides map context and address/name-based navigation even when an independently verified coordinate pin has not yet been published. Query navigation does not establish detecting permission.
How current is this Jennings State Forest record?
The legal/access record was last verified on 2026-08-19 with verification grade A and confidence score 100/100. Recheck the cited official source before travel because rules and closures can change.
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