Fossil Hunting in South Carolina

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

1 Allowed
1 Prohibited

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Allowed

Folly Beach

South Carolina, Charleston·Fossil hunting

Shark teeth can be collected on the City of Folly Beach strand with no permit, but county rules bar removing materials at both county-run ends of the island.

  • No permit to pick up fossil shark teeth on the city beach, from the dry sand down through the wet sand exposed on a falling tide
  • State jurisdiction starts at the mean low-water mark. Collecting fossils from the bottom below that line requires a SCIAA Hobby License, which allows hand pickup only and no tools, digging or sifting.
Prohibited

Huntington Beach State Park

South Carolina, Georgetown·Fossil hunting

Fossil and shark-tooth collecting is prohibited at Huntington Beach State Park under S.C. Code § 51-3-145, even though South Carolina's own tourism materials list it as a top shark-tooth beach.

  • S.C. Code § 51-3-145 bars removing any rock, mineral, or geological feature from a South Carolina state park without a Department-issued permit, and SC State Parks' own FAQ applies that rule to fossils and minerals
  • No public application process for a casual fossil-collecting permit is published — the statute's permit clause exists for research or institutional use, not day visitors