Fossil Hunting in Florida

2 verified locations for fossil hunting in Florida. Each page includes exact permit requirements, restrictions, and what to know before you go.

2 Allowed

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Allowed

Peace River

Florida, Desoto·Fossil hunting

Shark teeth need no permit on the Peace River; bone needs Florida's $5 fossil permit. FDEP says state lands from Bartow to Wauchula are closed to collecting.

Fossil shark and ray teeth, invertebrate fossils and fossil plants may be collected and kept with or without a permit (Florida Museum of Natural History)
Vertebrate fossils — bone, horse and mammoth teeth, turtle shell, dugong rib — from the river bottom require a Florida Fossil Permit; the fee is capped at $5 by Fla. Stat. § 1004.576

Allowed

Venice Beach

Florida, Sarasota·Fossil hunting

Fossil shark teeth need no permit at Venice Beach. But the ordinance that allows them exempts material that washes up, not material you dig out.

Shark and stingray teeth, invertebrate fossils and fossil plants are exempt from the Florida Fossil Permit and may be kept for personal use
Vertebrate bone — whale, dugong, horse, tapir, Ice Age mammal — collected from state land requires a Florida Fossil Permit from the Florida Museum of Natural History, capped by statute at $5