Fossil Hunting on BLM Land: Rules by Place
On BLM land you can collect common invertebrate and plant fossils for personal use, up to 25 lb a day (43 CFR 49.810). Vertebrate fossils (bone, teeth, tracks) need a research permit under the Paleontological Resources Preservation Act.
10 places in 4 states: 5 allowed, 3 prohibited, 2 unclear (verify locally). Rules checked between and .
The Paleontological Resources Preservation Act (PRPA) splits fossils into two tiers. Common invertebrate and plant fossils (shells, ammonites, crinoids, plant compressions) can be collected on BLM land without a permit, up to 25 lb per person per day. Anything from an animal with a backbone, including bone fragments, teeth and tracks, needs a scientific research permit, which is issued to qualified paleontologists and isn't available for personal collecting. Removing vertebrate fossils without one is a federal crime carrying up to 2 years in prison if the resource's value and restoration cost is $500 or less, and up to 5 years above that.
Petrified wood is managed separately as a mineral material, and National Park Service land bans all fossil collecting. When you can't tell whether a find is bone, leave it and report it to the field office.
The table lists every BLM fossil site we've checked. See PRPA explained for the law in full.
ColoradoAll fossil hunting rules in Colorado
| Place | Verdict | Main condition | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Garden Park Fossil Area | Prohibited | All fossil and rock collecting is closed across the entire Garden Park Fossil Area, not just vertebrate material — the site carries a triple protective designation (BLM Area of Critical Environmental Concern since 1996, Colorado Research Natural Area since 1991, and National Natural Landmark, expanded to 3,208 acres in 2013) that closes the area to consumptive resource use altogether |
MontanaAll fossil hunting rules in Montana
| Place | Verdict | Main condition | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hell Creek (BLM, Montana) | Allowed | Common invertebrate fossils (ammonites, bivalves, marine snails from the underlying Bearpaw Shale) and plant fossils may be casually collected, up to 25 lb per person per day, non-commercial (PRPA 2009 / 43 CFR 49.810). Petrified wood has its own federal limit: 25 lb plus one piece per day, 250 lb per year (43 CFR 3622.4) | |
| Judith River Formation (Judith Landing) | Prohibited | Unlike standard BLM land, where PRPA 2009 allows casual collection of invertebrate and plant fossils, the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument's approved Resource Management Plan specifically prohibits personal collection of invertebrate fossils, petrified wood, and plant material anywhere within the monument's roughly 377,346 acres |
UtahAll fossil hunting rules in Utah
| Place | Verdict | Main condition | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry — BLM | Prohibited | All public fossil collection is prohibited under the Paleontological Resources Preservation Act (PRPA, 16 U.S.C. §§ 470aaa et seq.) — applies to all vertebrate fossils on all federal land including BLM | |
| Coyote Buttes / Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness | Verify Locally | A day-use hiking permit from the Recreation.gov lottery is mandatory just to enter Coyote Buttes North or South — but that permit authorizes access to the area, not fossil collecting; the two are separate legal questions | |
| Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument — BLM | Verify Locally | Proclamation 11044 (July 13, 2026, effective September 11, 2026) reduced the monument from about 1.87 million acres to about 181,541 acres, in two units: the Canyons of the Escalante Unit and the Kaiparowits Horizon Unit | |
| San Rafael Swell (BLM) | Allowed | Common invertebrate and plant fossils may be casually collected for personal, non-commercial use — up to 25 lb per person per day (43 CFR 49.810(a)(2)). There is no annual cap for fossils |
WyomingAll fossil hunting rules in Wyoming
| Place | Verdict | Main condition | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Como Bluff | Allowed | Invertebrate and plant fossils: casual collection allowed up to 25 lb per person per day on BLM land under PRPA 2009 and 43 CFR 49.810 | |
| Green River Formation (BLM) | Allowed | Common invertebrate and plant fossils (insects, plant impressions, ostracods) may be casually collected on open BLM land. The limit is 25 lb per person per day, no permit, under PRPA 2009 and 43 CFR 49.810 | |
| Lance Creek Fossil Site (BLM) | Allowed | Casual collecting of common invertebrate fossils (mollusks, ostracods) and plant fossils is allowed without a permit under PRPA 2009 and 43 CFR 49.810, up to 25 lb per person per day |
The laws behind these verdicts
- The Paleontological Resources Preservation Act (PRPA), ExplainedEvery fossil-hunting site on this site traces back to the same 2009 federal law — the one that draws the line between a shell you can legally pocket and a bone fragment that's a federal crime to remove, based on nothing but which kind of animal it came from.
- BLM Personal-Use Collecting Rules: Rocks, Minerals, and FossilsMost BLM land allows collecting rocks, minerals and common invertebrate fossils for personal use, with no permit. Federal law sets no weight limit for rocks: just 'reasonable amounts'. The 25-pound figure is the federal limit for fossils and petrified wood, and some BLM state offices apply it to rocks too. Vertebrate fossils need a permit.
Sources for the summary above (3)
- Paleontological Resources Preservation Act — 16 U.S.C. Chapter 1C (LII)(accessed 2026-10-12)
- eCFR — 43 CFR 49.810, What is casual collecting? (BLM: 25 lb per person per day)(accessed 2026-10-12)
- 16 U.S.C. § 470aaa-5 — Criminal Penalties(accessed 2026-10-12)
Each verdict covers one hobby at one place; the sources for it are on that place's page. Rules change, so confirm with the managing agency before you go. This is not legal advice. Filter every place on the site in the explorer or download the data.