Big Boys Hobbies

Know of any non-illegal metal detecting location in Virginia

T

Tyler Riley

New Member
Joined
May 9, 2018
Messages
11
Hello everyone I hope you’re doing well and digging some awesome relics! I just wanted to know if anybody that’s from or around Virginia goes to a place in Virginia where it’s not illegal to metal detect. I understand that Virginia has some serious laws about metal detecting here, due to the fact that Virginia is the oldest of all stars, but I have a feeling there’s at least 1 or 2 places in Virginia. Anyways, if you know of a place and wouldn’t mind sharing the location that would be awesome! Good luck everyone and happy hunting to all!
 
Are parks outlawed in Virginia? Do you know anyone who has an old home, or know anyone who knows anyone that has an old home?
 
Tyler Riley said:
... I understand that Virginia has some serious laws about metal detecting here,...
Click to expand...

Where do you get that from ? You might have been the latest victim of "no one cared till you asked" routine. Or be reading from a compendium that has compiled their data from just-that-fashion.

Just go. Avoid obvious historic sensitive monuments, and ... Just go.
 
pryan67 said:
Are parks outlawed in Virginia?
Click to expand...

Tom_in_CA said:
Where do you get that from ? You might have been the latest victim of "no one cared till you asked" routine. Or be reading from a compendium that has compiled their data from just-that-fashion.

Just go. Avoid obvious historic sensitive monuments, and ... Just go.
Click to expand...

“Virginia” does appear to be stricter than many other places I’ve attempted to detect. I put that in quotes only because it’s not just the state, but an unusually high percentage of the individual municipalities within the state specifically call out metal detecting in their ordinances. And not just parks - they specifically prohibit MD use in rights-of-way (curbstrips), etc. Hopewell, VA is one example (emphasis mine):

Sec. 25-61. Preservation of natural, cultural and archaeological resources.

(a)​Prohibited. The following is prohibited on public streets, roads, sidewalk areas, alleys, parks, rights-of-way, and other municipally owned lands;

(1)​Possessing, destroying, injuring, defacing, removing, digging or disturbing paleontological specimens, cultural, historical or archaeological resources, or parts thereof, residing on said public or municipally owned lands.

(2)​Using a mineral or metal detector, magnetometer, side scan sonar, other metal detecting device, or subbottom profiler, unless such a device is utilized by city personnel, or by a utility company to locate underground pipes, lines, cables or other conduit.

(b)​Penalty. Any person who violates subsection (a) of this section without permission of the city shall, upon conviction, be fined a sum of not more than five hundred dollars ($500.00) or be imprisoned for a period of not more than ninety (90) days, or shall suffer both fine and imprisonment, in the discretion of the court.

(c)​Notification. The city clerk, during the process of awarding bids for work on city lands, shall provide each contractor with a copy of this preservation section. In addition, the director of public works shall make and publish from time to time copies of this section to be distributed to public utility companies and private contractors.

(d)​Ownership of artifacts recovered on city-owned property. All paleontological specimens, cultural or archaeological resources, or the parts thereof, recovered from city-owned lands, shall remain the property of the city.
Click to expand...

Or Petersburg:

Chapter 74 OFFENSES AND MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
ARTICLE IV. OFFENSES AGAINST PROPERTY
Sec. 74-102. Destruction of trees, shrubs and other plants.
(a) It shall be unlawful for any person to pick, pull, pull up, tear, tear up, dig, dig up, cut, break, injure, burn or destroy, in whole or in part, any tree, shrub, vine, plant, flower or turf found, growing or being upon the land of another, including any city-owned property, or upon any land reserved, set aside or maintained by the commonwealth as a public park, or as a refuge or sanctuary for wild animals, birds or fish, or upon any land reserved, set aside or maintained as a public park by a park authority created under the provisions of Code of Virginia, § 15.2-5702, without having previously obtained the permission in writing of such owner or his agent or of the superintendent or custodian of such park, refuge or sanctuary so to do, unless such activity is done under the personal direction of such owner, his agent, tenant or lessee or superintendent or custodian of such park, refuge or sanctuary.

(b) Archaeological resources on city property are an accessible and irreplaceable part of the city's heritage which are increasingly endangered because of their commercial attractiveness. The purpose of this section is to prevent the loss and destruction of these archaeological resources from uncontrolled excavations and pillage and to secure for the present and future benefit of the citizens of the city the protection of archaeological resources and sights which are on city property.

(c) For purposes of this section, the term "archaeological resource" means any material remains of past human life or activities which are of archaeological interest which shall include, but not be limited to, pottery, basketry, bottles, weapons, weapon projectiles, tools, structures or portions of structures, pit houses, crockery, eating utensils, or any portion or piece of any of the foregoing items. For purposes of interpreting this section, any of the above enumerated items found below the surface of the ground are presumed to be of archaeological interest.
(d) It shall be unlawful for any person, without authority of the city council, to hunt, search out for, attempt to find or seek relics, or to use or be in possession of a mineral or metal detector, magnetometer, side scan sonar or other metal detecting device or sub-bottom profiler on city-owned property within the boundaries of the city or on property owned by the city located outside the city boundaries.
(e) Any person violating this section shall be guilty of a class 1 misdemeanor;
Click to expand...

Anyway, you get the idea - any town that I bothered to look up ordinances for had similar, specific language. So yes, parks are basically outlawed in many, many Virginia municipalities for MDing in a way that I just don’t see in my area. I usually side with Tom (in general) when it comes to “permission” for detecting on public land - I hunt parks and curbstrips and various other municipal properties in my area regularly without even considering asking permission, because no regulations specifically mention metal detecting. But in the case of Virginia, it would be extremely unwise to “just go”, in my opinion. They know people are coming there for the Civil War history, and they wrote their regs specifically with MDing in mind. Do they actively enforce those laws? I don’t know - that’s a question for someone who lives in those areas. But reading those regs was enough to convince this Ohioan to leave his detector at home when I went out to Virginia for a few days last year, and I’m generally not afraid to go hunt a park or curb strip.

Obviously, private property permissions are a completely different story.
 
LOL....just GO, it'll be alright :laughing:

As I've said before, there's the problem asking local advice from people who aren't local.
1- They don't know
2-They don't care
3-Who's stuff will be confiscated if you get busted for breaking the law?
(Here's a hint, YOURS, not theirs)

OP, stop asking for others to do your work for you. Go knock on some doors of property owners, and ask for permission. How do you think others do it?
 
Gauntlet said:
LOL....just GO, it'll be alright :laughing:

As I've said before, there's the problem asking local advice from people who aren't local.
1- They don't know
2-They don't care
3-Who's stuff will be confiscated if you get busted for breaking the law?
(Here's a hint, YOURS, not theirs)

OP, stop asking for others to do your work for you. Go knock on some doors of property owners, and ask for permission. How do you think others do it?
Click to expand...



Well said, sir.
 
I'm from NE TN and worked out of VA most of my life. There are great places all over VA to detect. There are some of the oldest houses and farms and not to mention closed country stores. Just make sure you stay safe in the back country areas. Moon shiners and pot growers will burry you. So make sure you ask on obvious private property. I've been told no a few times, but a little friendly conversation before you ask will go a long way. Tom says show him the law. Just goes to show he hasn't visited the back country of VA. No offense meant Tom. Well they make there own laws in the mountains. The mountains of TN and VA are great places to find the old treasure.
 
Gauntlet said:
...
3-Who's stuff will be confiscated if you get busted for breaking the law?
(Here's a hint, YOURS, not theirs) ....
Click to expand...

And certainly you have examples of "confiscated metal detectors". For hunting routine innocuous parks in VA. Right ? As "imminent" as this threat is, I'm sure you don't lack for links. Go ahead and share them.
 
Tom_in_CA said:
And certainly you have examples of "confiscated metal detectors". For hunting routine innocuous parks in VA. Right ? As "imminent" as this threat is, I'm sure you don't lack for links. Go ahead and share them.
Click to expand...

That’s just it - they aren’t “routine innocuous parks” in many cases. We aren’t talking about the standard “don’t disturb the grass, plants, and trees” rules we see most people quote about parks. These are codified ordinances that specifically prohibit the use of metal detectors in parks and right-of-ways, with prescribed fines and/or jail time as consequences. The ordinances I quoted above are directly from the codified ordinances from the municipalities’ web sites/documentation.

Sure, I know you’re going to say “alcohol is prohibited in most parks too, but detectorists find beer caps and can slaw littering every park they swing a coil in”. True enough - and we all know certain laws get selectively enforced. But these particular regs were written and crafted in a way that screams out “we’re serious”. Regardless, I’m not the type of person who’s willing to be the guinea pig and test the resolve of the local LEOs. If the ordinances specifically say “no alcohol”, I’ll be the guy in the park without a beer in his hand. If they specifically say “no metal detecting”, I’ll be the guy missing out on the “fun” of looking over my shoulder every time I’m digging out a Zincoln. Maybe I’m a stick-in-the-mud with no sense of adventure, but I’m also a guy with a family and a career in which a misdemeanor record or worse would seriously impact my employability.

Again, all this is said as an Ohioan looking at the regulations and ordinances of an area that’s outside of my “home” turf. Perhaps folks from Virginia will come on and say they hunt parks in these towns all the time with no fear or problems. But to me, their ordinances are consistently the most strongly worded, specifically anti-metal detecting regulations I’ve come across for municipal/public lands - it’s more than enough to convince me to stick to private property permissions in Virginia.
 
No alcohol in the park and I have been known to have a travel mug full of beer. I ignore the no smoking sign if there is no one in smelling distance. I pay no attention to the do not dig/disturb rules, but if they specify no detecting, I don't detect.
 
AirmetTango said:
“Virginia” does appear to be stricter than many other places I’ve attempted to detect. I put that in quotes only because it’s not just the state, but an unusually high percentage of the individual municipalities within the state specifically call out metal detecting in their ordinances. And not just parks - they specifically prohibit MD use in rights-of-way (curbstrips), etc. Hopewell, VA is one example (emphasis mine):



Or Petersburg:



Anyway, you get the idea - any town that I bothered to look up ordinances for had similar, specific language. So yes, parks are basically outlawed in many, many Virginia municipalities for MDing in a way that I just don’t see in my area. I usually side with Tom (in general) when it comes to “permission” for detecting on public land - I hunt parks and curbstrips and various other municipal properties in my area regularly without even considering asking permission, because no regulations specifically mention metal detecting. But in the case of Virginia, it would be extremely unwise to “just go”, in my opinion. They know people are coming there for the Civil War history, and they wrote their regs specifically with MDing in mind. Do they actively enforce those laws? I don’t know - that’s a question for someone who lives in those areas. But reading those regs was enough to convince this Ohioan to leave his detector at home when I went out to Virginia for a few days last year, and I’m generally not afraid to go hunt a park or curb strip.

Obviously, private property permissions are a completely different story.
Click to expand...

So they specifically spell out "Archeological Resources" they dont say anything about coinshooting. The reference to Metal detecting reverts back to relic hunting, and says nothing about coinshooting at all, just protecting archeology. I might push my luck and try that one.

Think of it this way, when a certain species of fish is closed, that doesn't mean you can't fish for another species.
 
Big Treble said:
So they specifically spell out "Archeological Resources" they dont say anything about coinshooting. The reference to Metal detecting reverts back to relic hunting, and says nothing about coinshooting at all, just protecting archeology. I might push my luck and try that one.

Think of it this way, when a certain species of fish is closed, that doesn't mean you can't fish for another species.
Click to expand...

Good post and Good logic. However, the muni-codes he cited went a bit further than that: To actually say that the mere "possession" of a detector , was also a no-no.

But I agree with your logic, if this particular wording hadn't gone that far. Your logic has actually passed muster in the case of ARPA, for example. Some people have come to believe that makes md'ing a no-no in any place where ARPA would apply (federal parks, etc..). But you're right : *Technically* you can hunt. But you just can't find any coins over 50 yrs. old (how good is your math ?)

Yet I would not push that luck to try to snoop around obvious historic sensitive monuments though. They would not buy this deflection in those cases. But for cellar holes in the middle of nowhere, etc... I never find old coins. Do you ? :roll:

And as for the word "relic", I think it would be a stretch to try to say a coin can't be a "relic". Yes it's true that us md'rs have a category of "relic" that is separate from "coins" in our vocabulary. But in the mind of an archie: A coin (any dug object, for that matter) is a resource or a relic or an artifact, etc..... It's just semantics.
 
Knock on some farmers doors and ask to hunt fields they usually don't mind.
And if you get anywhere near the Battle fields there will be eyes on you LOL.
 
Get a yellow plastic hard hat and a orange neon vest. If someone asks you're looking for a gas line connection.
 
Tom_in_CA said:
And as for the word "relic", I think it would be a stretch to try to say a coin can't be a "relic". Yes it's true that us md'rs have a category of "relic" that is separate from "coins" in our vocabulary. But in the mind of an archie: A coin (any dug object, for that matter) is a resource or a relic or an artifact, etc..... It's just semantics.
Click to expand...

Tom I've been in TN and VA for most of my 67 years. I agree with your don't ask don't tell in some locations. But VA is known to cuff you and stuff you. Sometimes after they beat the H out of you. Lots of people call VA the communist state for a reason. Great people and beautiful country but walk softly. My advice is if you want proof, take your detector go on a vacation in VA and try don't ask don't tell. VA is not like CA where anything goes. Your dealing with mountain justice there. That's home town knowledge speaking. Good hunting.
 
dirtydog said:
Tom I've been in TN and VA for most of my 67 years. I agree with your don't ask don't tell in some locations. But VA is known to cuff you and stuff you. Sometimes after they beat the H out of you. Lots of people call VA the communist state for a reason. Great people and beautiful country but walk softly. My advice is if you want proof, take your detector go on a vacation in VA and try don't ask don't tell. VA is not like CA where anything goes. Your dealing with mountain justice there. That's home town knowledge speaking. Good hunting.
Click to expand...


He only says stuff like that because he is thousands of miles from their jurisdiction. He wouldn't talk big if he lived there.
Treating people with kindness and respect will get you a lot further than showing your hindend in that part of the country.
 
KinTN said:
He only says stuff like that because he is thousands of miles from their jurisdiction. He wouldn't talk big if he lived there.
Treating people with kindness and respect will get you a lot further than showing your hindend in that part of the country.
Click to expand...

Nope. I treat my own locale the exact same way. I consider md'ing to be "kind" and "respectful". Also healthy, educational, innocuous, non-harmful, and nutritious :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Z
Silver ore
Replies
6
Views
75
KOB
KOB
V
Who did it?
Replies
8
Views
135
jimther
jimther
strandjutter
Traveling by plane
Replies
3
Views
86
strandjutter
strandjutter
longbow62
Older vs. Newer Coins
2
Replies
27
Views
476
Xxray
Xxray
randy
filling holes
2
Replies
23
Views
546
Rock Jock
Rock Jock
Back
Top Bottom