Metal Detecting in Maryland

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

Rules last checked in September 2026

1 Allowed

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Site Guides

Allowed

Ocean City Beach

Maryland, Worcester·Metal Detecting

Metal detecting is allowed on Ocean City's 9-mile town beach with no permit. The beach is closed midnight to 5 a.m., holes must be filled, and Assateague to the south runs two stricter rulebooks.

No Town of Ocean City ordinance mentions metal detectors, and no permit is required on the town beach
The beach is closed to everyone but police and maintenance crews from midnight to 5 a.m. (Town Code § 106-113)

Laws That Apply to These Sites

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.

Other Hobbies in Maryland

Fossil Hunting in Maryland(2)