St. Johns County, Florida
Metal Detecting at Vermont Heights Park in Elkton, Florida
Vermont Heights Park is a current St. Johns County Parks Directory-listed facility. Park Ordinance 2005-114 resolves the recovery question on governed County park property: excavation and removal of beach sand, soil and other materials require prior written Parks Director approval, with additional protection for grass and archaeological resources. The ordinance does not expressly grant or universally ban ordinary detector operation, so this page is publication-cleared as recovery-blocked/approval-gated, not as an allowed detecting location.
Answer first
Can you metal detect at Vermont Heights Park?
Recovery prohibited without prior written approval - St. Johns County park excavation/material removal controlled; detector operation separately unresolved. Vermont Heights Park is a current St. Johns County Parks Directory-listed facility. Park Ordinance 2005-114 resolves the recovery question on governed County park property: excavation and removal of beach sand, soil and other materials require prior written Parks Director approval, with additional protection for grass and archaeological resources. The ordinance does not expressly grant or universally ban ordinary detector operation, so this page is publication-cleared as recovery-blocked/approval-gated, not as an allowed detecting location.
Permit/authorization: Prior written Parks Director approval required for excavation/material removal; detector operation separately unresolved — Before travel, confirm the exact County-managed footprint and any site-specific or Beach Code overlay. Ask Parks & Recreation separately whether detector operation itself is permitted at the exact property/zone. Any digging, excavation, soil/sand/material removal or artifact excavation requires prior written approval from the Director where Ordinance 2005-114 applies. Current department contact: sjcparksandrec@sjcfl.us / (904) 209-0333. General access, rentals, fishing, boating, beach driving or unrelated permits are not metal-detecting authorization.
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.
Legal status and controlling rule
Vermont Heights Park is a current St. Johns County Parks Directory-listed facility. Park Ordinance 2005-114 resolves the recovery question on governed County park property: excavation and removal of beach sand, soil and other materials require prior written Parks Director approval, with additional protection for grass and archaeological resources. The ordinance does not expressly grant or universally ban ordinary detector operation, so this page is publication-cleared as recovery-blocked/approval-gated, not as an allowed detecting location.
Restricted or prohibited areas
On St. Johns County park property governed by Park Ordinance 2005-114, digging, moving or removing beach sand (including submerged sand), soil, rocks, stones, plants, wood or other materials, and excavation by tool, equipment or other means require prior written approval of the Parks and Recreation Director. Specific park regulations and the St. Johns County Beach Code control where they are specifically different or stricter.
Permit and digging rules
Permit: Prior written Parks Director approval required for excavation/material removal; detector operation separately unresolved
Before travel, confirm the exact County-managed footprint and any site-specific or Beach Code overlay. Ask Parks & Recreation separately whether detector operation itself is permitted at the exact property/zone. Any digging, excavation, soil/sand/material removal or artifact excavation requires prior written approval from the Director where Ordinance 2005-114 applies. Current department contact: sjcparksandrec@sjcfl.us / (904) 209-0333. General access, rentals, fishing, boating, beach driving or unrelated permits are not metal-detecting authorization.
Digging: Park Ordinance 2005-114 §7(b) bars digging, moving/removing beach sand (whether submerged or not), soil, rocks, stones, plants, wood or other materials, and excavation by tool/equipment/other means except with prior written approval of the Director. §9(a) also bars digging in or otherwise disturbing grass areas without prior written approval.
Water and artifact rules
Water detecting: Section 7(b) expressly includes beach sand whether submerged or not when within governed park property. Section 2 provides that the County Beach Code controls where specifically different. No submerged/water detector-use permission is inferred from boat, pier, fishing, beach or water access.
Historic/artifact rule: Park Ordinance 2005-114 §7(c) requires prior written Director approval and compliance with applicable law before excavating/removing artifacts from archaeologically sensitive areas. Current County cultural-resources guidance states disturbing archaeological/historical sites or collecting artifacts on County property, including County beaches, is illegal and archaeological research requires a County permit.
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 for the County-park excavation/material-removal decision. The ordinance does not expressly resolve ordinary detector operation itself, so no detector-use permission or blanket detector-use ban is inferred. Separate Beach Code, site-specific, partner/operator, City, State or Federal rules remain controlling where applicable.
Official legal and place sources
Vermont Heights Park metal detecting FAQ
Can you metal detect at Vermont Heights Park?
Vermont Heights Park is a current St. Johns County Parks Directory-listed facility. Park Ordinance 2005-114 resolves the recovery question on governed County park property: excavation and removal of beach sand, soil and other materials require prior written Parks Director approval, with additional protection for grass and archaeological resources. The ordinance does not expressly grant or universally ban ordinary detector operation, so this page is publication-cleared as recovery-blocked/approval-gated, not as an allowed detecting location.
Is a permit or authorization required at Vermont Heights Park?
Prior written Parks Director approval required for excavation/material removal; detector operation separately unresolved Before travel, confirm the exact County-managed footprint and any site-specific or Beach Code overlay. Ask Parks & Recreation separately whether detector operation itself is permitted at the exact property/zone. Any digging, excavation, soil/sand/material removal or artifact excavation requires prior written approval from the Director where Ordinance 2005-114 applies. Current department contact: sjcparksandrec@sjcfl.us / (904) 209-0333. General access, rentals, fishing, boating, beach driving or unrelated permits are not metal-detecting authorization.
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 Vermont Heights Park 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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