Metal Detecting in Florida

Florida has no single statewide law that settles whether metal detecting is legal — the answer depends on who manages the specific stretch of sand, and that can change from one jurisdiction line to the next along the same beach. What does apply across the state is Florida Statutes Chapter 267, the Florida Historical Resources Act: treasure trove and artifacts of historical or archaeological value abandoned on state-owned land or state sovereignty submerged land belong to the state, not the finder (§ 267.061), and removing them without a Division of Historical Resources permit is a crime (§ 267.13). On an ocean or Gulf beach, state sovereignty land generally runs seaward of the mean high-water line; the dry sand above it is usually city, county, or private land, unless the beach is inside a state park, which is state-owned throughout. The statute sets no age threshold; the familiar "50 years" figure is Florida State Parks policy, which treats anything over 50 years old as historic and doesn't let park visitors keep it. That rule sits underneath every verdict below, regardless of whether detecting itself is allowed, prohibited, or permit-required at a given site.

Against that constant baseline, the sites documented on this site split into four consistent patterns depending on the land manager.