Permitted Pursuits

Outdoor Hobby Regulations · Verified from Official Sources

Fossil Hunting — Rules, Permits & Legal Sites

Collecting fossils on public land is governed by federal law that separates invertebrate and plant fossils (collectable under personal-use rules) from vertebrate fossils (prohibited on all federal land without a research permit). Each guide covers the rules for the specific location, the fossil types present, and where the lines are.

Browse locations How the rules work

Verified locations

Browse by state

Montana

All Montana sites →
Allowed

Hell Creek (BLM, Montana)

Montana, Garfield·Fossil hunting

The BLM-administered lands in the Hell Creek area of northeastern Montana allow casual collection of invertebrate fossils and petrified wood under PRPA 2009 — 25 lbs/day, no permit. The dinosaur bones this formation is famous for are vertebrate fossils under PRPA and may not be casually collected. The distinction catches nearly every first-time visitor.

  • Common invertebrate fossils (ammonites, bivalves, marine snails from the underlying Bearpaw Shale) and plant fossils including petrified wood may be casually collected — 25 lbs per day, 250 lbs per year, non-commercial (PRPA 2009 / 43 CFR Part 49)
  • CRITICAL: Dinosaur bones, teeth, and tracks — and all other vertebrate material — may NOT be casually collected under any circumstances; research permit required from BLM Malta Field Office; removal is a federal felony

Utah

All Utah sites →
Prohibited

Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry — BLM

Utah, Emery·Fossil hunting

Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry is a BLM-managed National Natural Landmark containing the densest concentration of Jurassic dinosaur fossils ever discovered — over 12,000 bones from 74 individuals representing 16+ species have been excavated here. Fossil collection is completely prohibited: the Paleontological Resources Preservation Act (PRPA) prohibits casual collection of vertebrate fossils on all federal land. The quarry is open for observation and education; a small visitor center interprets the site's paleontological significance.

  • 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
  • Unlike some BLM casual-use sites, Cleveland-Lloyd's status as a National Natural Landmark and active research quarry means even surface invertebrate fossil collection is not permitted
Prohibited

Dinosaur National Monument

Utah, Uintah·Fossil hunting

Fossil collection is strictly prohibited at Dinosaur National Monument under NPS regulations and the Paleontological Resources Preservation Act. The monument was established specifically to protect Late Jurassic fossils — including Allosaurus, Stegosaurus, Diplodocus, and Camarasaurus — and contains one of the most significant vertebrate fossil deposits in the world. The Carnegie Quarry Exhibit Hall allows visitors to observe over 1,500 fossil bones still embedded in the cliff face.

  • All fossil collection by the public is strictly prohibited at Dinosaur National Monument under 36 CFR § 2.1(a)(1) and the Paleontological Resources Preservation Act (16 U.S.C. §§ 470aaa et seq.)
  • The prohibition covers all fossils including invertebrates, plants, trace fossils, and vertebrate material — regardless of size, perceived scientific significance, or location within the monument
Allowed

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument — BLM

Utah, Kane·Fossil hunting

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (BLM-administered) allows casual surface collection of common invertebrate and plant fossils for personal use — a meaningful exception compared to NPS-managed monuments. Vertebrate fossils may not be collected under any circumstances under PRPA. The monument's Cretaceous formations have produced scientifically significant ceratopsian and hadrosaur fossils through permitted research, but surface invertebrate marine fossils are legitimately accessible to casual collectors.

  • Common invertebrate and plant fossils may be collected for personal non-commercial use under BLM's casual-use fossil policy — up to 25 pounds per day, 250 pounds per year without a permit
  • CRITICAL: Vertebrate fossils (bones, teeth, tracks of any backboned animal) may NOT be collected under any circumstances — PRPA prohibits casual collection of vertebrate fossils on all federal land

Rules & regulations

How the rules work for fossil hunting

Federal fossil law in the US runs on a two-tier system, and the line between the tiers is the single most important thing a fossil collector needs to understand before going out.

Tier one — invertebrate and plant fossils (shells, echinoids, leaf impressions, coral, plant compressions): collectable on BLM and national forest land up to 25 lbs per day for personal use, no permit required. Tier two — vertebrate fossils (bone, teeth, tracks of any backboned animal — fish, amphibians, reptiles, dinosaurs, mammals): prohibited on all federal land without a scientific research permit, regardless of how small, fragmentary, or common the specimen looks.

The law is the Paleontological Resources Preservation Act (PRPA, 2009). It applies to BLM, NPS, USFS, FWS, and BOR land. There is no casual exception for vertebrate material.

What you can collect and where

Fossil typeBLM landNational ForestNational ParkState land
Common invertebrates (shells, echinoids)Yes — 25 lbs/dayYes — 25 lbs/day typicalNoVaries by state
Plant fossils (leaf compressions)Yes — 25 lbs/dayYes — 25 lbs/day typicalNoVaries by state
Petrified woodYes — 25 lbs/day, 250 lbs/yearCheck forest planNoVaries by state
Vertebrate fossils (any)No — PRPANo — PRPANoVaries; most states prohibit
Scientifically significant findsReport — do not collectReport — do not collectReport — do not collectVaries

Based on PRPA (16 U.S.C. §§ 470aaa et seq.) and 43 CFR Part 3600 as of 2026. State rules vary significantly — check individual location pages.

Vertebrate fossils: prohibited on all federal land — no size exception

The PRPA does not have a minimum size threshold. A 2-inch fish vertebra from a roadcut on BLM land is as prohibited as a complete dinosaur skeleton. The test is whether the material is from a vertebrate animal — not how large, complete, or scientifically significant it is.

If you find what appears to be vertebrate material: leave it where it is, record the GPS location, and report it to the local BLM field office or land manager. Voluntary reporting is the correct response. Removal without a permit is a federal violation.

How to identify the tier your find falls into

Likely collectable (invertebrates / plants): Shells, clam and oyster imprints, echinoid (sea urchin) tests, crinoid stems, brachiopods, coral, ammonites, leaf and stem compressions, plant material, and most marine invertebrate forms.

Not collectable on federal land (vertebrates): Any bone or bone fragment, teeth, vertebrae, skull material, scales from fish, claws, tracks made by vertebrate animals.

When in doubt: Leave it and report. The PRPA penalty for first-offense vertebrate fossil removal is up to $10,000 and 12 months imprisonment.

Common questions

Fossil Hunting — frequently asked questions