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50-state metal detecting intelligence

Metal Detecting in California

Official-source rules, permission pathways, map context and practical next steps—kept separate from the rockhounding atlas.

50-State Metal Detecting Map

California Metal Detecting Map

Filter, inspect and navigate the current California 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.
United States
State bubbles, verified pins and clusters are clickable · drag, zoom or change map layers
● Allowed / conditional● Permit● Prohibited● Restricted● ReviewBasemaps: OpenStreetMap / USGS · overlays: BLM
Verified pins are independently grounded public reference points. Query-only records appear on the map only after an explicit visitor request and remain temporary.

California metal detecting status at a glance

California 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.

630Total researched locations
630Actionable decision pages
100%Actionable coverage
0Research holds

California 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.

281Exact park/posted-order confirmation required
92Special designation; exact BLM wilderness rules control
62Special designation; exact WSA rules control
29Metal detector possession/use prohibited on NPS-administered lands except authorized official uses
29Exact refuge activity and zone rules required
27No blanket detector recovery; soil/mineral disturbance restricted
19Exact project recreation manager and zone confirmation required
18Conditional; exact forest order, site, claim and resource status control
16Exact project, park and leased-area rules required
14Conditional on exact parcel, claim and land designation
13Special designation; exact manager rules required
10Exact federal parcel and river corridor restrictions required
7Exact CDFW property confirmation required
5Confirm exact parcel ownership; NPS prohibition applies only on NPS-administered land
4Exact BLM parcel and trail designation confirmation required
1Metal detector possession/use prohibited under current posted order
1Metal detector possession/use prohibited under park order
1Exact MPA classification and resource rules required
1Exact refuge identity and current rule confirmation required

California metal detecting: quick answers

Is metal detecting legal in California?

There is no single statewide yes/no answer for every public place. This database currently contains 630 verified California 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 California?

0 current California 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 California metal detecting database?

The newest verification date represented in the current California verified inventory is 2026-09-01. Every location page also shows its own verification date, evidence grade and official source.

California 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 California JSON dataset

Explore California by agency, system and local area

California Metal Detecting Laws

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