Permitted Pursuits

Metal Detecting in Arizona

1 location in Arizona checked against the rules of the agency that manages each one: 1 prohibited. Each page gives the permit requirements, limits, restrictions and penalties, with the primary sources it was checked against.

Rules last checked in October 2026

1 Prohibited

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Site Guides

Prohibited

Lost Dutchman State Park

Arizona, Pinal·Metal Detecting

Metal detecting is prohibited at Lost Dutchman State Park, as in every Arizona state park, and Tonto National Forest bans it in the Superstition Wilderness the park's trails lead into.

  • Arizona State Parks & Trails doesn't allow metal detecting in any state park, Lost Dutchman included, and offers no permit for it
  • The park's rules make removing archaeological, geological or historical objects an offence (A.A.C. R12-8-103), and a ranger can order you out for 72 hours (R12-8-102)

Laws That Apply to These Sites

ARPA Explained: The Archaeological Resources Protection Act for Detectorists, Rockhounds and Collectors

The Archaeological Resources Protection Act makes it a federal crime to dig up or remove artifacts at least 100 years old from federal and tribal land. It doesn't cover coins, bullets or rocks unless they're part of an archaeological site, and its famous arrowhead exception doesn't make picking up arrowheads legal. Here's what the law covers, what it doesn't, and how it fits with the land managers' own rules.

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