St. Johns County, Florida
Metal Detecting at Fish Island Preserve in St. Augustine, Florida
Fish Island is State-owned with City management. State archaeological/treasure protections are clear, but no general modern lost-item recreational detector permission is established. Actionable decision: obtain current written manager/state clarification before detecting or recovery.
Answer first
Can you metal detect at Fish Island Preserve?
Manager confirmation required — sensitive state-owned preserve; no recreational detector permission established. Fish Island is State-owned with City management. State archaeological/treasure protections are clear, but no general modern lost-item recreational detector permission is established. Actionable decision: obtain current written manager/state clarification before detecting or recovery.
Permit/authorization: Written manager/state clarification required before any recreational detector use or recovery — State ownership/control and City management both matter. Do not apply the City-owned-property FAQ as if title were municipal; do not infer permission from the lease or public access.
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
This record has a safe map query. Resolve it on demand to display a temporary provider search match without altering the verified dataset.
The map always renders with state/local context. Use Resolve this place on map to place a temporary provider search match on the map, or use the provider buttons directly. The temporary match is not written into the verified-coordinate dataset.
Sensitive-site protection: navigation deliberately uses a broader managing-agency/locality reference rather than publishing an archaeological, artifact, historic-resource, or detecting-target locator.
Legal status and controlling rule
Fish Island is State-owned with City management. State archaeological/treasure protections are clear, but no general modern lost-item recreational detector permission is established. Actionable decision: obtain current written manager/state clarification before detecting or recovery.
Where detecting is allowed
None inferred.
Restricted or prohibited areas
Archaeological/historic-resource investigation, treasure/artifact exploration and protected-resource disturbance are restricted by state law; other preserve restrictions may apply.
Permit and digging rules
Permit: Written manager/state clarification required before any recreational detector use or recovery
State ownership/control and City management both matter. Do not apply the City-owned-property FAQ as if title were municipal; do not infer permission from the lease or public access.
Digging: Do not excavate or alter archaeological sites/specimens on state-owned/controlled land without proper authority; ordinary recovery still requires preserve-specific clarification.
Water and artifact rules
Water detecting: No submerged/water permission inferred.
Historic/artifact rule: Florida Statute 267.13 restricts archaeological investigation/removal and treasure/artifact exploration on state-owned/controlled land without proper authority.
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.
Source conflict: No — legal scope is stated conservatively; no permission is inferred beyond the cited authority.
Official legal and place sources
Fish Island Preserve metal detecting FAQ
Can you metal detect at Fish Island Preserve?
Fish Island is State-owned with City management. State archaeological/treasure protections are clear, but no general modern lost-item recreational detector permission is established. Actionable decision: obtain current written manager/state clarification before detecting or recovery.
Is a permit or authorization required at Fish Island Preserve?
Written manager/state clarification required before any recreational detector use or recovery State ownership/control and City management both matter. Do not apply the City-owned-property FAQ as if title were municipal; do not infer permission from the lease or public access.
Does the map show where detecting is legally allowed?
Yes. The page provides map context and a deliberately broader agency/locality navigation target while withholding an exact sensitive-site locator. This does not change the written legal status.
How current is this Fish Island Preserve 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.
Other verified places in St. Johns County
Continue researching
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