Volusia County Annual Metal Detecting Permit

Requirements

• Call Volusia County Beach Safety at (386) 239-6484 to register — no in-person visit required for the permit itself
• Permit covers all Volusia County-managed beaches including Daytona Beach and New Smyrna Beach (city and county sections north of the Canaveral National Seashore boundary)
• Detecting is permitted on the beach strand only — the permit does NOT authorise detecting in inland county parks, nature preserves, or any non-beach county property
• Canaveral National Seashore boundary at New Smyrna Beach: the permit is invalid south of 7611 S. Atlantic Ave (the Apollo Beach entrance station) — that section is NPS land where metal detecting is absolutely prohibited under 36 CFR 2.1(a)(7)
• All holes must be filled immediately after recovery — leaving open holes on a Volusia County beach is a violation of Ch. 20 Beach Code
• No digging in dune vegetation or the dune face — Fla. Stat. § 161.053 (Coastal Construction Control Line Act) prohibits disturbance of dunes year-round
• Sea turtle nesting season May 1 – October 31: stay away from flagged nests; avoid night digging in the lower berm in nesting season
• Florida Statutes Chapter 267 applies below the mean high-water line: historic artifacts abandoned on state sovereignty land belong to the state (§ 267.061) and can't be removed without a Division of Historical Resources permit (§ 267.13) — if something looks historic, leave it, note the location, and contact DHR at (850) 245-6444
• Vehicle access on the hard-packed sand (vehicle beach sections in Daytona area): detecting is allowed in these zones but you must have both the Volusia County detecting permit and a valid vehicle beach access permit — the beach driving permit is separate and has its own fee