Brevard County, Florida
Metal Detecting at South Lake Conservation Area in Mims, Florida
South Lake Conservation Area is listed in the current Brevard County Parks and Recreation directory. Brevard County Code Sec. 78-120 prohibits excavation and removal of beach sand (including submerged sand), soil, rock, stones, plants, wood, or other materials in any County park, recreational facility, or department-managed land. That resolves ordinary dug-target recovery as prohibited. The cited section does not separately state a detector-possession/use ban, so this database does not overstate it as a blanket detector prohibition; non-invasive detector use still requires current agency clarification before travel.
Answer first
Can you metal detect at South Lake Conservation Area?
Recovery prohibited - excavation and natural-material removal prohibited. South Lake Conservation Area is listed in the current Brevard County Parks and Recreation directory. Brevard County Code Sec. 78-120 prohibits excavation and removal of beach sand (including submerged sand), soil, rock, stones, plants, wood, or other materials in any County park, recreational facility, or department-managed land. That resolves ordinary dug-target recovery as prohibited. The cited section does not separately state a detector-possession/use ban, so this database does not overstate it as a blanket detector prohibition; non-invasive detector use still requires current agency clarification before travel.
Permit/authorization: No recreational excavation/recovery authorization established — Sec. 78-120 supplies no recreational exception in the cited rule. Public access does not authorize excavation or removal. If the intended activity is strictly non-invasive scanning or recovery of a specifically lost surface item without excavation/removal, obtain current written clarification from Brevard County Parks before travel because Sec. 78-120 does not separately answer detector possession/operation.
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
South Lake Conservation Area is listed in the current Brevard County Parks and Recreation directory. Brevard County Code Sec. 78-120 prohibits excavation and removal of beach sand (including submerged sand), soil, rock, stones, plants, wood, or other materials in any County park, recreational facility, or department-managed land. That resolves ordinary dug-target recovery as prohibited. The cited section does not separately state a detector-possession/use ban, so this database does not overstate it as a blanket detector prohibition; non-invasive detector use still requires current agency clarification before travel.
Restricted or prohibited areas
Brevard County Code Sec. 78-120 applies in any County park, recreational facility, or department-managed land and prohibits excavation by tool, equipment, blasting, or other means and removal of beach sand (including submerged sand), soil, rock, stones, plants, wood, or other materials. No recreational target-recovery zone is inferred.
Permit and digging rules
Permit: No recreational excavation/recovery authorization established
Sec. 78-120 supplies no recreational exception in the cited rule. Public access does not authorize excavation or removal. If the intended activity is strictly non-invasive scanning or recovery of a specifically lost surface item without excavation/removal, obtain current written clarification from Brevard County Parks before travel because Sec. 78-120 does not separately answer detector possession/operation.
Digging: Prohibited for recreational target recovery: Brevard County Code Sec. 78-120 states that no person may make any excavation by tool, equipment, blasting, or other means or agency in any park, recreational facility, or department-managed lands. It also prohibits removal of beach sand, whether submerged or not, soil, rock, stones, plants, wood, or other materials.
Water and artifact rules
Water detecting: Within a Brevard County park/recreational facility/department-managed footprint, Sec. 78-120 expressly includes beach sand whether submerged or not. No submerged recovery permission is inferred. Waters outside the County-managed property boundary require separate jurisdiction analysis.
Historic/artifact rule: No archaeological, historic, cultural, or protected natural resource may be disturbed or removed. Sec. 78-120 independently blocks excavation/material removal in the managed property; other state and federal resource-protection laws may be stricter.
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 conflict identified for the excavation/material-removal decision. Sec. 78-120 does not separately address detector possession/operation, so no broader detector-use permission or prohibition is inferred.
Official legal and place sources
South Lake Conservation Area metal detecting FAQ
Can you metal detect at South Lake Conservation Area?
South Lake Conservation Area is listed in the current Brevard County Parks and Recreation directory. Brevard County Code Sec. 78-120 prohibits excavation and removal of beach sand (including submerged sand), soil, rock, stones, plants, wood, or other materials in any County park, recreational facility, or department-managed land. That resolves ordinary dug-target recovery as prohibited. The cited section does not separately state a detector-possession/use ban, so this database does not overstate it as a blanket detector prohibition; non-invasive detector use still requires current agency clarification before travel.
Is a permit or authorization required at South Lake Conservation Area?
No recreational excavation/recovery authorization established Sec. 78-120 supplies no recreational exception in the cited rule. Public access does not authorize excavation or removal. If the intended activity is strictly non-invasive scanning or recovery of a specifically lost surface item without excavation/removal, obtain current written clarification from Brevard County Parks before travel because Sec. 78-120 does not separately answer detector possession/operation.
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 South Lake Conservation Area 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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