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.
PRPA doesn't ban fossil collecting. That's the detail most casual summaries get wrong, and it matters because the actual rule is more specific — and more useful to know precisely — than a blanket prohibition would be.
The Paleontological Resources Preservation Act, enacted in 2009 as part of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act, sets one federal standard across every agency that manages public land: BLM, the Forest Service, the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Reclamation, and — with an important exception covered below — the National Park Service. Before PRPA, fossil-collecting rules varied by agency and were inconsistently enforced. PRPA replaced that patchwork with a single federal framework, built around one distinction that decides almost everything.
The line PRPA actually draws
| Fossil type | BLM / USFS land | National Park Service land |
|---|---|---|
| Common invertebrate fossils (shells, echinoids, coral, ammonites) | Collectable — personal-use policy, typically 25 lbs/day | Not collectable — NPS bans all fossil removal under 36 CFR § 2.1(a)(1), regardless of PRPA's tier |
| Plant fossils (leaf and stem compressions) | Collectable — personal-use policy | Not collectable |
| Vertebrate fossils (any bone, tooth, track, or trace from a backboned animal) | Prohibited without a PRPA scientific permit — no personal-use exception | Prohibited — the same NPS blanket ban applies, and PRPA's separate vertebrate ban layers on top of it |
| Scientifically significant finds of any kind | Report to the land manager — do not collect | Report to the land manager — do not collect |
The BLM/USFS personal-use allowance for invertebrate and plant material comes from agency policy under 43 CFR Part 3600, not from PRPA itself — PRPA is what makes the vertebrate line absolute everywhere, and what removes any personal-use allowance at all on NPS land.
There's no size exception for vertebrate material
A 2-inch fish vertebra eroding out of a BLM roadcut is exactly as prohibited under PRPA as a complete dinosaur skeleton. The statute's test is what kind of animal the bone came from, not how large, complete, fragmentary, or scientifically important the individual piece looks. This is the single most common way well-intentioned collectors run afoul of PRPA — assuming a small, common-looking fragment must be fine to keep.
What the penalty actually is
PRPA's criminal penalty provision, 16 U.S.C. § 470aaa-5, is built around a $500 value threshold rather than a simple first-offense/repeat-offense split:
- If the paleontological resources involved, plus the cost of restoration and repair, are valued at $500 or less: a fine under 18 U.S.C. § 3571 and/or up to 2 years imprisonment
- If that value is over $500: a fine under 18 U.S.C. § 3571 and/or up to 5 years imprisonment
- For a second or subsequent violation by the same person, the penalty may be doubled
Both tiers are felony-level under federal law. Civil penalties are available as a separate track alongside criminal enforcement.
What to do if you find what might be vertebrate material
- 1
Stop and leave it exactly where it is
Don't excavate further, don't test-break a piece to check the interior, and don't move it "somewhere safer." Disturbing the find can itself complicate its scientific value even if you don't remove anything.
- 2
Photograph it in place
A clear photo showing the specimen in its original position and surrounding context is useful to researchers and costs you nothing legally.
- 3
Record the exact location
GPS coordinates if you have them; otherwise as precise a description as possible — distance and direction from a named trailhead, mile marker, or other fixed landmark.
- 4
Report it to the land-managing agency
The local BLM field office, USFS ranger district, or NPS visitor center, depending on the land. Voluntary reporting is treated as exactly what it is — a contribution to the scientific record — and is handled very differently from an unauthorized removal.
PRPA and the National Park Service interact in a way that surprises people who've only encountered the BLM side of the rule. On BLM and Forest Service land, invertebrate and plant fossils are collectable under agency personal-use policy — PRPA's own restriction only reaches the vertebrate tier. Cross onto NPS land, and that entire personal-use allowance disappears: 36 CFR § 2.1(a)(1) bans removing any natural object at all, fossil or otherwise, with no tier distinction. PRPA's vertebrate-specific ban still applies there too, but it's redundant at that point — the general NPS ban already covers everything. That's why a site like Dinosaur National Monument cites both 36 CFR 2.1(a)(1) and PRPA together: two separate federal laws independently prohibiting the same act.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does PRPA mean I can't collect any fossils on public land?
No — PRPA specifically targets vertebrate fossils (bone, teeth, tracks from any backboned animal). Common invertebrate and plant fossils remain collectable on BLM and Forest Service land under standard agency personal-use policy, typically up to 25 lbs per day. The exception is National Park Service land, where a separate regulation bans all fossil collecting regardless of PRPA's own tier.
How do I know if a fossil counts as 'vertebrate' material?
Anything from an animal with a backbone: bone fragments, teeth, vertebrae, skull material, fish scales, and tracks left by a vertebrate animal. Shells, echinoids, crinoids, brachiopods, ammonites, coral, and plant compressions are invertebrate or plant material and fall in the collectable tier. If a find looks like it could be bone and you're not sure, the safer assumption is to treat it as vertebrate material and leave it.
What's the actual penalty if I'm caught violating PRPA?
It depends on the value of the resource and restoration cost, not on whether it's a first offense. Up to 2 years imprisonment if that value is $500 or less, up to 5 years if it's more, plus a fine under federal law — and the penalty can be doubled for a repeat violation. Both tiers are felony-level.
Is there a personal-use permit for vertebrate fossils, the way there is for invertebrates?
No. PRPA's collecting authorization is a scientific research permit issued to qualified professional paleontologists — it is not a recreational or personal-use program, and there is no application path for casual collectors to obtain one.
Why does a BLM site and an NPS site handle the same fossil differently?
BLM's personal-use policy for invertebrate and plant fossils comes from separate agency regulation (43 CFR Part 3600), not from PRPA — PRPA only restricts the vertebrate tier there. National Park Service land has its own, broader prohibition (36 CFR § 2.1(a)(1)) banning all natural-object removal regardless of fossil type, so the BLM personal-use allowance simply doesn't exist on NPS ground. See this site's guide to [36 CFR § 2.1](/guides/36-cfr-2-1-national-parks) for that regulation specifically.
Related Location Guides
- Dinosaur National Monument
- Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry — BLM
- San Rafael Swell (BLM)
- Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument — BLM
- Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area
- Coyote Buttes / Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness
- Como Bluff
- Hell Creek (BLM, Montana)
- Fossil Butte National Monument
- Lance Creek Fossil Site (BLM)
- Green River Formation (BLM)
- Badlands National Park
- Black Hills Rockhound Area (BLM Yuma Field Office)
- Quartzsite BLM Open Desert
More Guides
New to This? Start Here
Disclaimer
Information is provided for general guidance only. Regulations change frequently. Always verify current rules with the official jurisdiction before relying on this information for legal decisions. Permitted Pursuits is not a substitute for official agency guidance. Report an error.
Sources
- Paleontological Resources Preservation Act — 16 U.S.C. §§ 470aaa et seq.(accessed 2026-08-20)
- 16 U.S.C. § 470aaa-5 — Criminal Penalties(accessed 2026-08-20)
- 18 U.S.C. § 3571 — Sentence of Fine(accessed 2026-08-20)
- 43 CFR Part 3600 — Mineral Materials Disposal (BLM personal-use policy)(accessed 2026-08-20)
Last verified: 2026-08-20 · Last updated: 2026-08-20