Metal Detecting in Colorado: Places, Rules & Map

50-State Metal Detecting Map

Colorado Metal Detecting Map

Filter, inspect and navigate the current Colorado records with real map layers and permission-aware location details. Written rules always control permission.

14,825verified records

50states

298verified pins

14,825navigable

Map ≠ detecting permission. A marker or temporary search match is navigation context only. Written manager rules, posted restrictions, permits, protected-resource law, ownership and exact designated zones always control.

State County / equivalent Place type Permit Search

State bubbles, verified pins and clusters are clickable · drag, zoom or change map layers

● Allowed / conditional● Permit● Prohibited● Restricted● ReviewBasemaps: OpenStreetMap / USGS · overlays: BLM

Colorado metal detecting status at a glance

Colorado does not have one universal public-land answer. The controlling result depends on the exact managing agency, legal scope, recovery method and any designated-zone requirement.

164Total researched locations

164Actionable decision pages

100%Actionable coverage

0Research holds

Colorado coverage complete: every record in the researched state inventory has a public actionable decision. This does not mean every site is allowed and it does not turn confirmation-required or zone-confirmation pages into trip-ready places.

55Conditional/restricted — exact WSA/resource/claim confirmation required

42Recovery-restricted — exact park/zone confirmation required

14Conditional — exact forest/site/order/claim confirmation required

13Prohibited on NPS-administered park lands

8Resource/search restrictions — refuge-specific confirmation required

5Conditional — designation/resource/claim confirmation required

5Highly restricted — wilderness/designation confirmation required

5Project/zone confirmation required

4Conditional — exact parcel/site/claim confirmation required

4Parcel/owner confirmation required

2Parcel/designation confirmation required

1No general visitor access — limited authorized programs only

1Recovery-restricted — exact recreation-area/zone confirmation required

1Exact SWA/activity/zone confirmation required

1Resource-protection / landowner confirmation required

1Not authorized by program — hunting/fishing access only unless specifically authorized

1Allowed — no keeping finds; no natural-surface disturbance

1Collection permit required; typically research-only

Colorado metal detecting: quick answers

Is metal detecting legal in Colorado?

There is no single statewide yes/no answer for every public place. This database currently contains 164 verified Colorado records, and each result depends on the managing agency, exact legal scope, recovery method, protected-resource rules and any permit or designated-zone requirement.

Do you need a permit to metal detect in Colorado?

0 current Colorado records have a permit/authorization signal. Other records may be prohibited, confirmation-gated, zone-restricted or governed by a different rule, so public access alone is never treated as permission.

Does every record have map access?

Yes. Independently verified coordinates appear as pins; records without verified coordinates use safe on-demand address/name navigation, and sensitive records use a broader agency/locality reference. None of these map modes represents a permission boundary.

How current is the Colorado metal detecting database?

The newest verification date represented in the current Colorado verified inventory is 2026-08-31. Every location page also shows its own verification date, evidence grade and official source.

Colorado structured dataset

Use the state-filtered JSON inventory for machine-readable legal status, managing authority, permit/recovery fields, verification evidence and safe map-reference metadata.

Open Colorado JSON dataset

Explore Colorado by agency, system and local area

Colorado Metal Detecting Laws

Use the map explorer above to browse the complete state inventory without loading every location page into one response.