Metal Detecting in California

On state park land

Varies by park

Each state park unit sets its own position, so there is no single statewide answer – check the unit you are going to.

14 CCR 4307, 4326 · Checked 20 September 2026 · Consolidated code + per-unit orders

1. The rule, in full

California – 14 CCR 4307 / 4326, and per-unit superintendent orders

California has no single statewide metal detector ban. Two layers:

1. Resource protection, applying across the state park system: 14 CCR 4307 (disturbing geological features) and 14 CCR 4326 (disturbing or removing archaeological or historic features).

2. Per-unit superintendent orders prohibiting detectors outright in named units. Example, Order No. 690-039-2023, Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park:

"No person shall possess a metal detector or other geophysical discovery device, or use a metal detector or other geophysical discovery techniques to locate or recover subsurface objects or features within Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park."

Exempt when transporting but not using the device in a vehicle on a public road. Authority cited: Public Resources Code 5003 and 5008, and 14 CCR 4301(i), 4307, 4308 and 4326.

Determination: California State Park System units only. Does NOT reach municipal parks.

Consequence for the directory: California cannot carry a single state-land answer. The state entry must say the rule is per-unit, because a reader told "allowed in designated areas" would be wrong at Marshall Gold, Folsom Lake and Auburn SRA, where possession alone is prohibited.

Source: parks.ca.gov superintendent order 690-039-2023 and 14 CCR. Checked 19 Sep 2026.


2. Cities in California that publish a rule

Awaiting review. None of the city or county rows publishes until its status is set and its quotation chosen by hand.

3. County rules

Awaiting review. None of the city or county rows publishes until its status is set and its quotation chosen by hand.

4. Cities checked — no published rule

Awaiting review. None of the city or county rows publishes until its status is set and its quotation chosen by hand.

Scroll to Top