Permitted Pursuits

Fossil Hunting in Utah

6 locations in Utah checked against the rules of the agency that manages each one: 2 allowed, 2 prohibited, 2 unconfirmed. Each page gives the permit requirements, limits, restrictions and penalties, with the primary sources it was checked against.

Rules last checked between April 2026 and September 2026 · State overview updated September 2026

Utah's fossil-hunting sites run on the same federal two-tier system described on this site's Fossil Hunting hub: common invertebrate and plant fossils are collectable on open BLM land for personal use, up to 25 lb per person per day under 43 CFR 49.810, while vertebrate material — bone, teeth, tracks — is prohibited on all federal land under the Paleontological Resources Preservation Act (PRPA, 2009), full stop. What Utah's documented sites add to that picture is a reminder that the two-tier system is a floor, not the whole story: several of the state's best-known fossil sites are singled out for a blanket ban regardless of which tier a find falls into, precisely because of what they've already produced.

Sites documented so far — verdict and why

SiteVerdictWhy
San Rafael Swell (BLM)Allowed for invertebrates/plantsCasual collecting up to 25 lb/day (43 CFR 49.810); vertebrates prohibited
Grand Staircase-Escalante (BLM)Unclear — prohibited inside the monumentProclamation 11044 reduced the monument to about 181,541 acres in two units (Canyons of the Escalante, Kaiparowits Horizon), effective September 11, 2026. Inside them, collecting stays closed as it has been since Proclamation 6920 (1996); 43 CFR 49.805(a) excludes land closed by proclamation or land use plan from the 25 lb/day allowance. On the ~1.69 million acres removed, BLM hasn't yet published whether casual collecting applies — ask BLM Kanab, (435) 644-1200
Flaming Gorge (managed by USFS/Ashley National Forest, not BLM)Allowed for invertebrates/plantsSame PRPA framework applies on USFS land as on BLM land; fish fossils are vertebrate material and remain prohibited here regardless of the site's proximity to famous private fee-dig fish quarries in a different state
Coyote Buttes / Paria Canyon (BLM)UnclearNo published BLM casual-collection policy found for invertebrate or plant fossils in this Vermilion Cliffs National Monument / Wilderness overlay — a gap in published guidance, not a confirmed allowance. Vertebrate tracks in the Navajo Sandstone here remain prohibited under PRPA regardless
Dinosaur National Monument (NPS)Prohibited — all collectingNational Park Service land; 36 CFR § 2.1 bans all fossil collection regardless of tier. The Carnegie Quarry Exhibit Hall allows viewing in-place fossils, not collecting
Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry (BLM)Prohibited — all collectingManaged by BLM, but it's the heart of Jurassic National Monument (established 2019) and a National Natural Landmark; all collecting is prohibited here despite BLM being the same agency that allows personal-use collecting at other Utah sites

Reflects verdicts already published on this site as of this writing. Land-manager identity alone doesn't predict the verdict — confirm the specific site's designation, not just which agency's name is on the boundary sign.

"BLM land" doesn't automatically mean personal-use collecting is allowed

Cleveland-Lloyd is the clearest documented example in Utah: it's BLM-managed, the same agency that allows up to 25 lb/day of common fossils at San Rafael Swell — but the quarry sits inside Jurassic National Monument (established by Congress in 2019) and is a National Natural Landmark, as one of the densest concentrations of Jurassic dinosaur bone ever found, which makes it a blanket no-collecting site. Grand Staircase-Escalante is the other: BLM runs it, but its remaining monument units are closed to fossil collecting. Since Proclamation 11044 took effect on September 11, 2026, much of what used to be the monument is ordinary BLM land again, and BLM hasn't yet said whether casual collecting is open there — so check which side of the new boundary you're on. The managing agency is a starting point, not the final answer; a site-specific designation like NNL, National Monument, or Wilderness Study Area can override the agency's general policy.

2 Allowed
2 Unclear
2 Prohibited

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All 6 Fossil Hunting Sites in Utah at a Glance

SiteVerdictChecked
Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry — BLMEmeryProhibited
Coyote Buttes / Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs WildernessKaneVerify Locally
Dinosaur National MonumentUintahProhibited
Flaming Gorge National Recreation AreaDaggettAllowed
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument — BLMKaneVerify Locally
San Rafael Swell (BLM)EmeryAllowed

Site Guides

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
Verify Locally

Coyote Buttes / Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness

Utah, Kane·Fossil Hunting

The Coyote Buttes permit lottery controls who can enter — it does not settle whether fossils can be collected. Trace fossils in the Navajo Sandstone here, including documented dinosaur tracks, fall under a Wilderness and National Monument overlay with no published casual-collection policy.

  • 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
  • No published BLM decision specific to casual invertebrate or plant fossil collecting within the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument / Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness overlay could be located as of July 2026 — contact the Arizona Strip Field Office at (435) 688-3200 before removing any fossil material
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

Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area

Utah, Daggett·Fossil Hunting

Casual collection of invertebrate and plant fossils from the Green River Formation is allowed at Flaming Gorge NRA. The fish fossils this formation is famous for are vertebrate material — collecting them here requires a research permit.

  • Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area is managed by the U.S. Forest Service (Ashley National Forest), not BLM, despite the area frequently being mislabeled as BLM land in rockhounding and fossil-hunting references — Forest Service casual-collecting rules under PRPA 2009 apply here
  • Common invertebrate and plant fossils from the Green River Formation — freshwater mollusk shells, ostracods, algal/stromatolite structures, and plant impressions — may be casually collected for personal, non-commercial use without a permit
Verify Locally

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument — BLM

Utah, Kane·Fossil Hunting

The rules here changed in 2026. Proclamation 11044 shrank Grand Staircase-Escalante to about 181,541 acres in two units, effective September 11, 2026. Inside those units, fossil collecting stays closed. On the roughly 1.69 million acres now outside the monument, BLM hasn't yet said whether the ordinary 25 lb/day casual-collecting rule applies, so confirm with BLM Kanab at (435) 644-1200 before you collect. Vertebrate fossils need a research permit everywhere on federal land.

  • 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
  • Inside the two remaining units: no casual fossil collecting, including common invertebrate and plant fossils. The monument has been closed to hobby collecting since Proclamation 6920 (1996), and the Kaiparowits Horizon Unit was kept specifically to protect its dinosaur bonebeds
Allowed

San Rafael Swell (BLM)

Utah, Emery·Fossil Hunting

Casual collection of common invertebrate and plant fossils is allowed at San Rafael Swell under federal PRPA 2009 rules — up to 25 lbs per day, personal use, no permit required. Vertebrate fossils require a federal research permit and may not be casually collected. The Jurassic National Monument and Fossil Point Trailhead areas are observation-only — no collecting of any kind.

  • 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
  • CRITICAL: Vertebrate fossils (bones, teeth, tracks of any animal with a vertebral column) may NOT be casually collected — a federal research permit is required; knowingly removing one is a federal crime punishable by fines under Title 18 and up to 5 years in prison (16 U.S.C. 470aaa-5)

Laws That Apply to These Sites

The Paleontological Resources Preservation Act (PRPA), Explained

Every 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.

36 CFR § 2.1 Explained: Why National Park Land Bans Collecting

One federal regulation is cited more than any other statute on this site — across metal detecting, beachcombing, fossil hunting, and rockhounding alike. It actually contains two separate bans, not one, and knowing the difference is the reason a metal detector broken down in a backpack is legal to carry across the same ground where using it would be a federal offense.

BLM Personal-Use Collecting Rules: Rocks, Minerals, and Fossils

Most 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.

Other Hobbies in Utah

Rockhounding in Utah(3)