Magnet Fishing on the Congaree River, South Carolina
PROHIBITED
Not permitted at this location
Key Conditions
- South Carolina is the only U.S. state with an explicit statewide ban on magnet fishing, and the Congaree in Columbia is exactly the kind of water the law targets
- S.C. Code § 54-7-670's hobby-license framework limits recreational recovery of submerged archaeological material to hand collection only — magnets, tethered rakes, scoops, and screens fall outside what any license authorizes
- Union forces dumped Confederate ordnance into this exact stretch of river in February 1865, and a 2011–2023 sediment cleanup near the Gervais Street Bridge recovered thousands of Civil War-era artifacts along with live ammunition — the unexploded-ordnance risk here is documented, not theoretical
- A 2025 bill (H.4398) to legalize hand-or-magnet recovery under a hobby license remains stuck in House committee as of mid-2026 and has not been enacted
- SCIAA does not issue any hobby license that covers magnet fishing, so there is no legal pathway to the activity here even for a licensed hobby diver
In February 1865, as Columbia burned and Sherman's army prepared to move on, Union troops rolled thousands of pieces of captured Confederate ordnance — artillery rounds, muskets, sabers, ammunition — off the bank near what's now the Gervais Street Bridge and into the Congaree. The river absorbed that arsenal quietly for more than a century and a half, until a sediment-remediation project that ran from 2011 to 2023 pulled nearly 40,000 tons of material out of the riverbed and, with it, thousands of Civil War-era artifacts — including live, unexploded ammunition still capable of detonating.
That cleanup was run by licensed contractors under controlled conditions, coordinating with the South Carolina Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum, which plans to display roughly 300 of the recovered pieces starting in 2027. It is not a model for recreational recovery. It's the specific, documented reason the Congaree carries more risk than the average American river for anyone who'd otherwise be tempted to drop a magnet off the Gervais Street Bridge.
South Carolina Is the Only State With an Explicit Ban
Under S.C. Code § 54-7-670, part of the Underwater Antiquities Act, recovery of submerged archaeological or paleontological material — even under a hobby license — is limited to hand collection only. Magnets, tethered rakes, scoops, and screens fall entirely outside what any license authorizes. This isn't a Congaree-specific rule; it applies to every waterway in the state, and South Carolina is the only U.S. state with a law written this explicitly against the activity.
Even a Licensed Hobby Diver Can't Use a Magnet
SCIAA's hobby license exists specifically for "temporary, intermittent, recreational, small-scale, noncommercial search and recovery" of submerged material — but the license text restricts the method to hand collection. There's no tier, upgrade, or add-on that authorizes a magnet, rake, or scoop. This surprises people who assume a state license system exists to make an activity legal if you follow the paperwork; here, the paperwork itself excludes the tool.
South Carolina vs. Neighboring States
| State | Magnet Fishing Status | Legal Basis |
|---|---|---|
| South Carolina | Prohibited statewide | Underwater Antiquities Act, S.C. Code § 54-7-670 |
| North Carolina | No specific state ban | NC Wildlife Resources Commission has not addressed magnets directly; local/coastal rules (CAMA) may still apply in some zones |
| Georgia | No specific state ban | No state-level statute addressing magnet fishing directly; local waterway managers set their own rules |
Verified against South Carolina and general state-guide sources, August 2026. Always confirm current local rules for the specific waterway before assuming a neighboring state's general permissiveness applies.
A Bill to Legalize This Exists — But It Isn't Law
House Bill 4398, introduced April 23, 2025, would amend § 54-7-670 to explicitly permit hobby-license holders to recover artifacts by hand or magnet, while still banning powered mechanical equipment like dredges and airlifts. As of mid-2026 it remains in the House Committee on Labor, Commerce and Industry and has not advanced. Until and unless it passes, the current hand-only rule is the one that applies.
The Gervais Street Bridge Area
Verified against City of Columbia Parks and Recreation public information, August 2026.
Congaree River (Columbia) at a Glance
No
Magnet fishing allowed?
No
Hobby license covers magnets?
H.4398, in committee
Pending legislation?
Yes, confirmed 2011–2023
Documented ordnance risk?
Permits & Licenses
| Permit | Required? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| SCIAA Hobby Diver License | Yes | Required for any recovery of submerged archaeological or paleontological material, and even then S.C. Code § 54-7-670 limits recovery method to hand collection only. It does not authorize magnets, tethered rakes, scoops, or screens — there is no license tier that does. |
| Magnet fishing permit | No | No such permit exists. SCIAA issues no license covering magnet, rake, or scoop-based recovery of any kind, at this location or anywhere else in South Carolina. |
Time & Seasonal Restrictions
- No use of magnets, tethered rakes, scoops, or screens to recover objects from any riverbed in South Carolina, including the Congaree — S.C. Code § 54-7-670
- Even hand recovery of state-owned submerged archaeological or paleontological material requires a SCIAA hobby license
- Documented unexploded Civil War-era ordnance has been recovered from this exact stretch near the Gervais Street Bridge — a safety hazard layered on top of the legal prohibition
- A pending 2025–2026 bill (H.4398) would legalize hand-or-magnet recovery under a hobby license, but it remains in House committee and the ban is fully in force today
Equipment Notes
- None — magnet fishing tools have no lawful use anywhere in South Carolina waters
- If pursuing a legal water activity here instead — bank fishing with a rod and reel, kayaking, or biking the Riverfront Park trail — standard gear for that activity applies; those are unrelated, separately regulated uses of the same river
What People Find Here
- Civil War-era cannonballs, muskets, sabers, and other Confederate ordnance — documented in a 2011–2023 Dominion Energy sediment cleanup near the Gervais Street Bridge, recovered by licensed contractors under controlled conditions, not by recreational collectors
- Live, unexploded ammunition recovered in the same cleanup — the specific reason this stretch carries real safety risk beyond the legal prohibition, and why untrained recreational recovery of anything resembling ordnance is genuinely dangerous
Penalties for Violations
← Scroll to see all columns
| Violation | Statute | Penalty |
|---|---|---|
| Using a magnet, rake, scoop, or screen to recover objects from the riverbed without SCIAA authorization | S.C. Code § 54-7-670 and § 54-7-810(A) | Misdemeanor; fine not exceeding $50 under the Act's hobby-license violation tier. A separate, harsher tier under § 54-7-810(B) — fines up to $10,000 or one year imprisonment — applies to commercial-license violations, a different category than an unlicensed recreational magnet fisher, though enforcement discretion can vary. |
| Recovering suspected unexploded ordnance or historical munitions | General public-safety law; not specific to the Antiquities Act | Do not handle or move the object. Contact local law enforcement or SLED immediately — this is a live safety hazard independent of any antiquities violation. |
Etiquette & Leave No Trace
- Don't magnet fish on the Congaree at all — this page describes a prohibited activity, not a set of rules to follow while doing it
- If you're on the river legally (fishing, paddling) and snag or spot something that looks historical or explosive, don't touch it further than necessary and report it
- Respect that Riverfront Park and the Gervais Street Bridge area are heavily used for legal recreation — biking, walking, rod-and-reel fishing — and don't assume a crowded access point means casual tool use is tolerated
- If you're a licensed SCIAA hobby diver, remember the license only ever authorizes hand recovery, never a magnet or rake, regardless of location
Frequently Asked Questions
Is magnet fishing illegal everywhere in South Carolina, or just the Congaree River?
Statewide. South Carolina is the only U.S. state with an explicit ban on magnet fishing, grounded in the Underwater Antiquities Act's requirement that recovery of submerged material be done by hand only. The Congaree isn't a special case — it's simply one of the state's most historically significant rivers, which makes the ban especially relevant here.
What's the actual legal basis for the ban?
S.C. Code § 54-7-670, part of the Underwater Antiquities Act, limits recovery of submerged archaeological or paleontological material under a hobby license to hand collection only. Magnets, tethered rakes, scoops, and screens fall outside that authorization, and SCIAA doesn't issue any license tier that permits them.
Why is the Congaree River specifically dangerous for this, beyond the legal issue?
In February 1865, Union troops under General Sherman dumped captured Confederate munitions into the Congaree near what's now the Gervais Street Bridge as they took Columbia. A 2011–2023 sediment cleanup of the river recovered thousands of Civil War artifacts from that same area, including live, unexploded ammunition. That's a real, documented ordnance risk in the riverbed, not a hypothetical one.
Is there any way to get a license to magnet fish here?
No. SCIAA does not issue a hobby license that covers magnet, rake, or scoop-based recovery — the hand-only requirement applies to every hobby license it grants. A bill (H.4398) introduced in April 2025 would create a licensing pathway for hand-or-magnet recovery, but it remains in House committee as of mid-2026 and is not current law.
What's the penalty if I get caught magnet fishing on the Congaree?
Under S.C. Code § 54-7-810(A), a hobby-license-related violation of the Act carries a fine of not more than $50. A separate, harsher tier under § 54-7-810(B) applies to commercial-license violations — fines up to $10,000 or a year of imprisonment — but that tier is written for licensed commercial salvors, not an unlicensed recreational magnet fisher, though how enforcement is applied in practice can vary.
Can I still fish normally on the Congaree with a rod and reel?
Yes — ordinary rod-and-reel fishing is regulated separately by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and has nothing to do with the Underwater Antiquities Act's tool restrictions. The ban is specific to magnets, rakes, scoops, and screens used to recover objects from the riverbed, not to fishing for fish.
What happened to the Confederate weapons found in the 2023 cleanup?
Roughly 300 pieces from the recovery — cannonballs, small arms, a saber, and other material — are set to go on public display at the South Carolina Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum in Columbia, in the Gist Gallery, from March 2027 through May 2028. That controlled, professionally managed recovery is the legal model for how this material is meant to come out of the river — not recreational magnet fishing.
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
- South Carolina Code of Laws, Title 54, Chapter 7 — Shipwrecks and Salvage Operations (Underwater Antiquities Act)(accessed 2026-08-19)
- 2025-2026 Bill 4398 — South Carolina Legislature Online(accessed 2026-08-19)
- Hobby License FAQ — SC Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of South Carolina(accessed 2026-08-19)
- The Post and Courier — Unearthing history: Workers finish cleaning toxic tar from Congaree River, recover Civil War relics(accessed 2026-08-19)
- Smithsonian Magazine — Civil War Weapons Recovered From South Carolina's Congaree River(accessed 2026-08-19)
Last verified: 2026-08-19 · Last updated: 2026-08-19