Washington Metal Detecting Map
Filter, inspect and navigate the current Washington records with real map layers and permission-aware location details. Written rules always control permission.
Washington metal detecting status at a glance
Washington 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.
Washington 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.
Washington metal detecting: quick answers
Is metal detecting legal in Washington?
There is no single statewide yes/no answer for every public place. This database currently contains 266 verified Washington 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 Washington?
52 current Washington 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 Washington metal detecting database?
The newest verification date represented in the current Washington verified inventory is 2026-09-01. Every location page also shows its own verification date, evidence grade and official source.
Washington 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.
Explore Washington by agency, system and local area
Use the map explorer above to browse the complete state inventory without loading every location page into one response.
Washington metal detecting: exact park-zone corrections
Read the specific park restrictions before following a map result. State park registration is not blanket permission across every part of a park. A research record, even one with an A-grade evidence score, does not establish a surveyed metal-detecting boundary or a stored map pin.
Manchester State Park — the beach is excluded
The official Manchester State Park rules explicitly say metal detecting is allowed but not on the beach. Use the park’s posted detecting map and registration requirements. The Manchester record must not be interpreted as coastal beach permission.
Lake Easton State Park — indefinitely closed to detecting
The Lake Easton official park page states that the park is closed to metal detecting indefinitely by order of the Bureau of Reclamation. The Lake Easton record should be treated as prohibited, not merely awaiting registration.
Map navigation and designated zones
The state inventory contains 266 research records, but they do not currently include independently stored coordinates for individual Washington map pins. An on-demand place search is a temporary navigation reference, not the boundary of the allowed detecting zone. Confirm the exact official approved area and registration before travel.