Is rockhounding legal on public land?

Yes, on most BLM and national forest land under personal-use rules — up to 25 lbs per person per day without a permit. National parks prohibit all collecting. State parks vary, but most prohibit it. The land manager matters more than any general rule.

How much can I collect on BLM land?

25 lbs per person per day, 250 lbs per person per year for rocks, minerals, and gemstones under 43 CFR § 3622.2. These limits apply per individual, not per group or vehicle. Collecting for sale or in commercial quantities requires a mineral materials permit from the local BLM field office.

Do I need a permit to rockhound?

Not for personal use on open BLM or national forest land. You need a permit for commercial collection, for collecting in a designated fee-dig area, or on state lands that require one. Some specific sites — particularly those with high mineral value or archaeological sensitivity — have their own requirements. Check the specific location.

Can I collect fossils while rockhounding?

Common invertebrate and plant fossils (shells, leaf impressions, echinoids) can be collected under the same 25 lb/day personal-use rules on BLM land. Vertebrate fossils — bone, teeth, tracks of any backboned animal — are prohibited on all federal land under the PRPA regardless of size or how common they appear. National parks prohibit all fossil collection.

What happens if I collect from an active mining claim?

Collecting from an active mining claim without the claim holder's permission is theft of mineral resources — civil and potentially criminal liability. Claims look identical to open BLM land. Check the BLM LR2000 database before your trip to identify any recorded claims in your target area.

Rockhounding — Rules, Permits & Legal Sites

Verified locations

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Arizona

All Arizona sites →

Prohibited

Petrified Forest National Park

Arizona, Navajo·Rockhounding

Petrified wood and fossils cannot be collected at Petrified Forest National Park under any circumstances. Federal law under 16 U.S.C. § 1866(b) and NPS regulations prohibit all collection of natural or cultural objects — including petrified wood — from national parks. Taking even a small piece is a federal violation with fines up to $325. The park exists specifically because of historic over-collection; current protection is strict and actively enforced.

All collection of petrified wood, fossils, rocks, minerals, and any natural objects is strictly prohibited within Petrified Forest National Park under 36 CFR § 2.1(a)(1)
16 U.S.C. § 1866(b) (Petrified Forest Act) specifically prohibits collection of petrified wood from the park

Allowed

Quartzsite BLM Open Desert

Arizona, La Paz·Rockhounding

Rockhounding is allowed on BLM-managed open desert around Quartzsite under the federal casual-use rule: up to 25 lbs per day for personal, non-commercial use. No permit required for casual collecting. Active mining claims in some areas — verify before collecting.

Federal casual-use rule allows up to 25 lbs per day of rocks and minerals for personal, non-commercial use — no permit required (43 CFR § 8365.1-5(b)(2))
Annual limit of 250 lbs per person; casual use may not be conducted for commercial purposes

Allowed

Vulture Mine Area

Arizona, Maricopa·Rockhounding

The desert washes and BLM lands surrounding the historic Vulture Mine near Wickenburg, Arizona, are open for recreational rockhounding and gold prospecting under BLM casual use rules (43 CFR § 3809). The Vulture Mine ghost town itself is privately owned and requires paid admission for tours. BLM limits apply: 25 lbs per day plus one specimen, not to exceed 250 lbs per year. Always verify claim status via BLM LR2000 before prospecting in specific washes — the Wickenburg Mining District has active claims.

No permit required for casual-use rockhounding and gold prospecting on open BLM land surrounding the Vulture Mine area under 43 CFR § 3809
BLM personal-use limits: 25 lbs per day plus one specimen piece, not to exceed 250 lbs per year

Nevada

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Allowed

Garnet Hill — Ely BLM

Nevada, White Pine·Rockhounding

Garnet Hill near Ely, Nevada is one of the most accessible free rockhounding sites in the Great Basin — an exposed rhyolite flow studded with red almandine garnets that can be collected by the bucketful with no permit for personal use. BLM personal-use collection rules allow up to 25 pounds per day, 250 pounds per year. Garnets are found loose in the soil and matrix throughout the designated fee-free collection area managed by the BLM Ely District.

Personal-use collection of garnets and other surface minerals is allowed without a permit under BLM personal-use policy — up to 25 pounds per day, 250 pounds per year per collector
Collection must remain within the designated BLM collection area around Garnet Hill — not all surrounding land is open BLM; verify boundaries with Ely District office

Oregon

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Allowed

Glass Buttes (BLM)

Oregon, Lake·Rockhounding

Glass Buttes is open BLM land in the Oregon high desert where four varieties of obsidian — including rare fire obsidian — lie on the surface for personal-use collecting. The 25 lb/day limit applies. The catch most visitors don't expect: the site was a major Native American quarry for 10,000 years, and worked obsidian pieces are protected under ARPA regardless of how natural they look.

Surface collection of raw obsidian is allowed under BLM personal-use rules — 25 lbs per person per day, 250 lbs per year (43 CFR § 3622.2)
ARPA (16 U.S.C. § 470aa) prohibits collecting any worked obsidian — projectile points, scrapers, or any piece showing human modification. Glass Buttes was quarried for ~10,000 years and worked material is mixed into the surface scatter

Allowed

Hampton Butte (BLM)

Oregon, Deschutes·Rockhounding

Hampton Butte is an open BLM site in Deschutes County where surface collection of picture jasper — including dendritic and landscape-pattern varieties — is allowed under the 25 lb/day personal-use limit. Most visitors driving US-20 stop at Glass Buttes for obsidian; those who continue past Hampton find different material entirely.

Surface collection of rocks, minerals, and jasper is allowed under BLM personal-use rules — 25 lbs per person per day, 250 lbs per year (43 CFR § 3622.2)
No permit required for personal non-commercial use; commercial collection requires a mineral materials permit from BLM Prineville Field Office

Allowed

Succor Creek State Natural Area

Oregon, Malheur·Rockhounding

Succor Creek State Natural Area in eastern Oregon's Owyhee canyon country allows rockhounding within the state natural area without a permit for personal-use collection. The creek canyon cuts through Miocene rhyolite exposures that produce thunder eggs, jasper, and occasional obsidian nodules. Adjacent BLM land — the primary destination for serious thunder egg collectors — is open for free personal-use collection under standard BLM rules.

Personal-use rockhounding is allowed within the Oregon State Natural Area under Oregon Parks and Recreation Department rules — collection for personal non-commercial use without a permit
The adjacent BLM land (much of the broader Succor Creek area) follows standard BLM personal-use policy: 25 pounds per day, 250 pounds per year, no permit for personal use

Rules & regulations

How the rules work for rockhounding

Most rockhounding in the US happens on Bureau of Land Management land — 245 million acres across the western states, the majority of which allows personal-use collection of rocks, minerals, and gemstones without a permit. The rule is straightforward: 25 lbs per person per day, for personal non-commercial use, on open BLM land. No registration, no fee.

The complications are the exceptions — and there are enough of them that knowing the baseline rule isn't enough on its own. Mining claims look identical to open BLM land from the road. State parks prohibit collecting almost universally. National parks prohibit it entirely. And on any federal land, vertebrate fossils (bone, teeth, tracks) are separately regulated under federal law regardless of how common or small they look.

Collecting rules by land type

Land type	Collecting allowed?	Daily limit	Key caveat
BLM land (open)	Yes	25 lbs/day, 250 lbs/year	Active mining claims exclude personal-use rights
National Forest (USFS)	Generally yes	25 lbs/day (typical)	Check individual forest plan; some areas restricted
National Park (NPS)	No — prohibited	None	36 CFR § 2.1; no exceptions
State parks	Mostly no	None	Varies; most states prohibit collection in parks
State BLM / public land	Varies by state	Varies	Check state-specific rules; some states have separate limits
Private land	Owner permission only	N/A	No public collecting right

Based on 43 CFR Part 3600 (BLM), 36 CFR (NPS/USFS), and general state park frameworks as of 2026. Individual sites may have additional restrictions — check the specific location page.

Mining claims are invisible — and they override personal-use rights

Approximately 350,000 active mining claims exist on BLM land across the western states. A staked claim gives the claim holder exclusive mineral rights over that parcel — personal-use collecting rules don't apply inside an active claim, even if the land looks like open desert with no signs.

Claim markers (metal stakes, rock cairns, posted notices) aren't always obvious, and the BLM doesn't mark claim boundaries on standard recreation maps. Before any serious collecting trip to BLM land, check the BLM LR2000 database for active claims in your target area. It's free to search and shows all recorded claims by location.

Vertebrate fossils: a separate rule that applies everywhere

The Paleontological Resources Preservation Act (PRPA, 2009) prohibits casual collection of vertebrate fossil material on all federal land — BLM, NPS, USFS, and others. This is separate from the mineral collecting rules.

In practice: you can collect a bucket of agate or brachiopod shells on BLM land legally. You cannot collect a dinosaur tooth, a fish scale, or any bone fragment regardless of size or how common it looks. If you find vertebrate material, leave it and report it to the local BLM field office.

Common questions

Rockhounding — frequently asked questions