What is Your Ultimate Metal Detecting Permission?

The ultimate metal detecting permission can be sacred to many metal detectorists. Our experts have shared some of theirs with us.
What is my Ultimate Metal Detecting permission you ask? Let me share with you this short story and video.
Awhile ago, I was having lunch with my buddy. We got talking about each others hobbies. I brought up I loved metal detecting.
He looked at me and said “that’s cool, did you know I own an old Gold Mine”.”
“What!” I exclaimed “You’ve got to be kidding me.” So I asked him for permission to go up to metal detect in the area, although I didn’t know what we would actually find.
I must say we were not disappointed. It was the Ultimate Permission.
I loved the gold mine area and can’t wait to go back.
We also decided we wanted to run a contest and allow you the chance to enjoy it as much as we do.
Please watch this video to find out how you can win a change to dig the Ultimate Metal Detecting Permission.
Good Luck!
– Admin Ultimate Metal Detectors
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Old farmer time
I was at a loose end one morning and decided to hit the road in order to gain new permissions . I live in a city so I needed to get on the highway out into the countryside . Not being overly familiar with the more rural areas 30 miles or so from home I was just winging it basically and knocking on farmers doors .
I had a couple of knock backs and was feeling a little deflated . I took a small side road and was slowly driving down it keeping my eyes peeled for farmhouses .
That’s when I saw him .
A little old guy was pottering slowly out of his driveway on an old Massey Ferguson tractor that was literally held together by string in some areas . I pulled up and gave him my speech , he looked at me and asked me if I was the genuine type . I laughed heartily and put my hand in my pocket . Then I crossed his palm with a variety of silver coins from the 1800s.
This seemed to do the trick and he pointed out some of his nearby fields . The old chaps name was Derek . Eighty five years old and a farmer thru and thru .
He was as much a part of the local Cheshire landscape here in the U.K. as the hedgerows and the old oak trees . That first day I didn’t find much really.
However I went back again and again and soon found one little field next to the local church that started producing finds that meant a great deal to me and also to many of my friends I’d take up there . One of my favorite finds was an enamel Roman disc brooch with lots of color left on it .
Here in England finding a medieval Hammered silver coin is a big deal especially your first one . It’s kind of like gaining your Boy Scout badge for metal detecting . Well imagine how happy I was when I took a friend up there and he got his first Hammered coin a Queen Elizabeth the first from the 1500s .
I soon pumped old Derek for some information on his neighbors farms .
After about 18 months of going up there I had gained maybe as many as eight farms in that locality . I went on to find many Hammered coins and so did my friends .
Roman brooches and some really cool relics , buckles etc .
I’d still be going up there to this day but a few months ago I moved south to be with my girlfriend . I can’t deny that I do miss my old friend Derek greatly . He was the one who sparked off my love of old tractors .
He had many that belonged to his father mainly Ford Majorsons and Massey Fergusons . Although a lot of the finds came off Derek’s neighbors farms it was gaining that initial one that gave me the keys to that rural idyll .
Some of my other favorite finds from up there were a George 3 rd silver Bank token from 1811 and a gold half sovereign from the early 1900s .
I also went on to find a shoulder plate from a red coat soldier from the time of King George the third . This was worn on the white sash on his breast over his iconic red coat .
The list of bucket list finds we made up there is a long one but more than that it was really the making of my YouTube channel being able to get many of these exciting finds on film .
My advice to anyone seeking new permissions is look for an old man driving a tractor and cross his palm with silver .
Treat him with respect and get to know his neighbors. Do that and you will truly be at one with yourself , our hobby and the beautiful countryside.
YouTube
Over the years I have had several permissions that stand out in my mind.
The “Spud diggers ultimate permission,” when I found a Chinese coin, that was great .
A trip down to Nevada ghost town with Monte’s group where I found a functional railroad lock and a barber dime.
Those are just a couple of my favorite permissions. But my most favorite was just down the street. There is a guy whose house is just a couple blocks away. He lives in a 50’s house with a detached garage. He repairs cars in his dilapidated old garage to make a living. He is really good with older cars.
I asked him one day how old his house was. He said it was moved onto the property in the early fifties. So I asked him if I could metal detect his yard. He said “okay”, but that one of kids already had.
That didn’t deter me. His yard is pretty big. So I took my F19 and started gridding the yard. I was meticulous, but couldn’t even find a clad penny.
His kid had done a great job. Finally behind some bushes I got a good signal. It was too good.
It read in the 90’s. Of course I dug it anyway. 6 inches down I found this;
That really made my day. No site is ever completely cleaned out. That was the biggest silver coin I’ve ever found.
Garry aka the Desert Rat
YouTube Channel Spud Diggers
Read our review of the Tesoro Silver uMax Click [Here]
Easily my best metal detecting permission
is an old mining town from the late 1800s on private property.
Sites are hard to come by in Idaho, so this has been a real treat.
Spud Digger obtained this permission through a friend. It’s a big area that could probably be detected forever and still find cool stuff.
Some would say that the finds have not been that great but to me they are awesome. The place has lots of tin and trash, so that makes it challenging but fun.
I have found a lot of firsts at this location. I’ve found several cool coins. A buffalo, 1889 V nickel, two Indian head pennies, one that was a worn 1873.
A Standing Liberty quarter from the 20s and a very toasted 1877 seated dime. My one and only seated.
I have also found many cool relics from axe heads, pocket watch to several spoons. Even a cool bottle or two. The scenery is amazing so that is nice also. Doing the research and seeing some old pictures of the area has also been fun.
Thanks,
Darby (Goondock)
YouTube Spud Diggers
I wanted to share one of our videos from that site




My most memorable permission was the winter of 2015.
We were having a very mild winter to this point, which is very unusual for Wisconsin. It was December 23rd and I was freestyling in Pulaski Wisconsin when I spotted an older home that was for sale.
It looked to be from the 30’s or 40’s. I called the phone number off the real estate sign that was posted in front of the house.
After getting the ok, I did a quick search to see if this was going to be a hot spot.
Within an hour, silver seemed to be the special for the day, with one silver ring and a Mercury dime.
As the sun started to set, I decided to pack up and get a fresh start in the morning.
The next day turned out to be a great day for silver. Well, why tell you about it, when you can watch for yourself
Thanks for watching
You tube channel, V3i SWEEPER
You can always find me on Facebook at
My web site global-detecting.com
Hear me on The Global Detection Adventures Podcast.
Here is a great video on how to find the Ultimate Metal Detecting Permission.
HOW TO GET FARMERS PERMISSION. A GUIDE FOR BEGINNER METAL DETECTORISTS (UK)
Video Credit to
YouTube Channel Addictedtobleeps
Read our review on the Whites V3i Click [HERE]
LAND-OWNER / DETECTORIST CONTRACT
I (full name) ________________________________________________
the occupier/owner of the land/premises
known as _________________________________ situated at _________________________________________
hereby grant a detectorist license to (name)______________________________ (hereinafter called the ‘licensee’).
- In consideration of payment of _____________% of the value of any property found the owner/occupier hereby grants to the
licensee the right to enter the said land (which land is called the licensed area) and subject to the conditions herein to search for
treasure, metals, buried coins and artifacts.
2.The licence shall, subject to determination as hereinafter provided, continue in force:
from ____________________________(day/month/year) until _______________________ (day/month/year)
3.The licensee hereby covenants with the owner as follows:
- i) to fill and make good any excavations
- ii) to protect any livestock upon the said land and prevent their escape
iii) to protect the Wildlife, whether plant or animal, upon the said land
- iv) to prevent fire
- v) to bear full responsibility for any damage to the property, including all livestock, wildlife, plant and animals thereon and including
any injuries suffered by the licensee or any other person as a direct result of the licensee’s activities thereon
- vi) to immediately inform the owner/occupier of the said premises of any finds of gold or silver objects which might be considered
treasure trove
vii) to deposit any property found with a named and agreed independent person/authority in the event of any dispute over the
ownership of the property until the determination of ownership is finalized
viii) to report any archaeological discoveries to the owner/occupier of the land
- ix) to report any bombs or other like missiles to the police
- x) to respect the country code
- xi) so far as the licensee may validly do so, at all times to keep the owner/occupier effectually indemnified against all actions or
proceedings, costs, charges, claims and demands whatsoever, which may be made or brought against the owner by any party in
connection with this license or any matter or thing done or purported to be done in pursuance thereof.
- The licensee shall not assign or part with any rights granted by this license in relation to the whole or any part of the licensed area
or grant any sub-license in respect of any such rights.
- If there shall be any breach or non-observance by the licensee of any of the terms and conditions of this license, the
owner/occupier may revoke this license, and thereupon the same and all the rights granted shall cease and be determined with or
without notice by the owner/occupier and immediately on being requested to do so the licensee will vacate the land or part thereof.
Any material items discovered prior to such events so arising will maintain possession of the goods with agreed independent
person/authority until such time that disputes of just cause for premature license revocation are settled.
- The value of any objects will be determined by agreement between the parties named herein or by sale for the highest available
price or by appraisal by at least two independent persons jointly selected. Thereafter payment of any monies due to either party to
this license must be made upon the sale of said objects, or within a reasonable period following an evaluation and prior to any sale
where the purchasing party seeking sole ownership may obtain the necessary funds in payment to the other party.
Signed and agreed ___________________________on this day (day/month/year)______________
Credit to
Read our review on the Garrett AT Pro CLICK [here]
Metal Detecting In The USA
Metal detecting tips, finds, and stories about metal detecting, civil war relic hunting, and treasure hunting.
Permission Letter for Metal Detecting
How to obtain permission to metal detect or search private property.
Trespassing on private property can result in your being arrested or jailed. Your finds, metal detector, and even your vehicle could be confiscated and later sold at public auction. Fines could be in the tens of thousands of dollars. Before you even set your coil on the ground it is best to be absolutely positive that metal detecting is allowed or you have permission from the landowner.
A landowner could be a private individual, mayor, city police, county police, school superintendent, or even park rangers. It all depends on where you are going to metal detect.
To metal detect on public property, contact the mayor’s office (city hall) or city police. They will be able to either grant you permission or refer you to the person in charge of the property.
School superintendents and principals can grant you access to public school grounds and athletic fields. All schools have an office with a principal that can grant you the permission you need. A superintendent of schools can grant you access to more than one school. You should still contact the individual school principal and let them know that you have been granted permission from the superintendent just out of common courtesy.
City parks usually have a Parks Department. The head groundskeeper or Park Superintendent can grant you access. Sometimes the parks come under city property and a permit may be required. The permit is usually free and good for one year. Inquire at city hall for more information on metal detecting city parks.
Courthouse and county owned parks and property come under the authority of a county judge or sheriff department. There may even be a County Parks Department and they would be able to grant access or refer you to someone else.
Before metal detecting a state park inquire at the park office or the head ranger. Some parks allow detecting and some don’t. Some have special hours or even months that you cannot detect…like during peak tourist season.
All federal parks are covered by the 1979 ARPA law (Archaeological Resources Protection Act). Click here to read the 1979 ARPA in pdf format. Check with the park ranger. Maybe they allow metal detecting at a beach or shallow water hunting. It cannot hurt to ask. Leave your detector at home before inquiring. You do not want to be caught with a metal detector in your possession if metal detecting is not allowed.
Lakes, beaches, or swimming areas that are along navigable waterways could be controlled by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Check with them for permission or referral.
Churches are not public property. They are private and you need to acquire permission. Larger churches have an office. Rural churches may require a little detective work. Some have signs posted with contact numbers (if you are lucky enough).
Graveyards can fall into any category of ownership. I personally will not hunt in graveyards.
Drive-in theaters are private property usually owned by an individual, investors, corporation, etc.
Private Homes You know you need permission to metal detect a private residence. This is going to require an interaction between you and the home owner. When I was stationed at Tooele Army Depot I went knocking door to door in Tooele, Utah. My hunting partner Jeff Herke was with me. I would say we received permission at least 75% of the time. We would knock on the door, introduce ourselves and politely ask if we could search their lawn for old coins. This was around 1977-1978 and it worked very well for us. I am not so sure that I would take this approach in 2010. If the homeowner was out doing yard work or washing his car or something to that effect, I would casually introduce myself and ask. I personally would not knock on the door but instead would send a letter of introduction. for a permission letter to metal detect on private property(see example below). Highlight and copy and paste into your word processor and make the necessary changes. (It would be more personal to hand write the letter). Good luck!
Metal detecting overseas in a foreign country has it’s own set of rules and regulations. It is best to inquire at the government level of the city or town nearest to where you want to search. Contact metal detector users from foreign countries in the forums. There is metal detecting in England, Scotland, Germany, France, Italy, etc. and one should be able to find a contact through these forums.
This is just a guide. It is up to each individual to obtain permission to metal detect on public and private property.
Website: Metal Detecting In The USA
Read our review on the Fisher F2 CLICK [HERE]
Permission Letter
Date
Dear Property Owners Name,
I would like to introduce myself. My name is (Name) and I have lived in (Your Town) for (Number of Years). I am (Age) years old, (married/single) with (number of children). Normally, I would prefer to meet you in person, but I feel that a letter beforehand is a better approach than just knocking on your door at an inconvenient time and invading your privacy.
I have been engaged in the hobby of metal detecting for (Number of Years) years and find it a healthful, enjoyable pastime that allows me to meet many interesting people. The thrill of finding old coins, buttons, etc. is very rewarding to me.
Recently, I have researched information that your property and the area surrounding it goes back many years. I would like to obtain permission for myself and a friend to detect your property.
I want you to understand that I always respect the property that I search and leave it in the same condition that I found it. Normally the targets are no deeper than 4 or 5 inches and I retrieve them such that the ground appears not to be disturbed. In addition, I would like to offer my services to you.
Perhaps you or someone you know has lost a valuable ring, a cache or a farm tool. I would be willing to assist just for the thrill of the search. I have enclosed a self addressed stamped envelope for your convenience and would be happy to meet with you if further discussion is required.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
(Your Name)
(Telephone Number)
Credit to
Metal Detecting In The USA
Metal detecting tips, finds, and stories about metal detecting, civil war relic hunting, and treasure hunting.
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