South Carolina SUCKS!

juggernaut0055

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Feb 8, 2016
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211
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South Carolina Upstate
So I have been reading up on the "laws" regarding parks, and even some beaches. Now maybe I am wrong but from what I have read I can't even move some dirt with the tip of my shoe! I was hoping to go to a few parks to try and find some coins but that looks like it's over. And beaches... S.C. law states that from the high water mark OUT TO 1 MILE SEAWARD is also state jurisdiction.... wth? We detectorist dig like 8 to 10 inches 98% of the time...this is ridiculous .. sure, I get there are lots of historical areas and they don't want any old jackass out there destroying stuff but I swear they think we are out there with backhoe's!

So now it looks like I am completely dependent on private property land owners giving permission... Which is really hard for me as I get stage freight with strangers .... Am I missing something?
 
Yes most public property is off limits. Most beaches are fine though. Just fill your holes
 
It seems most areas have the same blanket rules for detecting. Where I live in Lee's Summit, Missouri. I stopped by parks and recreation and ask them about hunting the parks I was told so long as I'm not destroying anything knock yourself out no permits needed. The rules are contradicting at best for other areas anything Corp of engineers in Missouri is off limits however Longview lake is a C.O.E. lake and you can get a permit. State wildlife areas are also off limits I stopped at James A Reed wildlife area and spoke with them about it and they said no dirt can be disturbed in any way shape or form so I ask them about fishermen driving rod holders in the ground, I was told that was being a little petty, I responded is that disturbing the soil or not and if not where is the line drawn. Most people you talk with automatically respond with no it's just easier than dealing with you. There's ways around it. And when reading any of the laws about detecting the deck is defiantly stacked against us. Tom in California has a burr in his saddle on this subject and as soon as he reads this he'll definitely give you some decent advice on the matter it seems to be his calling on what to do and what not to do. But you're not alone it's nation wide and not just your neck of the woods. Good luck.
 
Yes I think I read an article Tom wrote. I love the fishing rod holder reference! I honestly think most of these people think we use power equipment and dig down 3 or 4 feet... ridiculous. Kids can turn over rocks half buried looking for worms and its cute, we dig a 6" hole, usually remove trash or some other soil contaminate, cover it up as nice as we can and we are looked at as some kind of felon.
 
.... Am I missing something?

Hah, thanx for the intro Hdn-south :lol:

juggernaut0055 : I think your confusion is that whatever you're reading about "South Carolina" is for their state park rules. Yes they can seem "dire". But do NOT confuse that with OTHER forms of public land. Because those rules you are probably reading on a site like the FMDAC's state-by-state listing, only apply to STATE PARKS.

This has been a common mis-interpretation of compendium lists like this, and I WISH the maker of that list would put some sort of intro. note to explain this distinction. Otherwise, it gets mis-interpretted as "all parks in such & such state". Or "all public land in such & such state".

On the contrary, it only applies to state parks. Not city parks, not county parks, not various forms of federal land, and not other forms of state land (as not all state land is state "park" land). And rules DIFFER ALL THE TIME in those other entities. Ie.: it is not automatically subrogated downwards to the smaller sub-entities.

So knock yourself out in other types public land. Assuming of course, there is no rule that said "no md'ing" in them. And if you are skittish and wonder, look it up for yourself. Ie.: don't go asking bored pencil pushers "can I metal detect?". Lest you find yourself the victim of an arbitrary whimsical "safe answer" to your "pressing question". If you find nothing that specifically says "no metal detecting", then presto, it's not prohibited.

Trust me: there are South Carolina guys md'ing public parks, beaches, schools, forest lands, etc... all the time.
 
Tom,

Thanks for the info. Have you an idea as to where I should look for info pertaining to city parks? Like you said, I don't want to go asking city officials as I am sure to get a "NO"

Should I look for a city website pertaining to parks or go to the town hall and look for regulations? Greenville city has a rule of no soil disturbance in any city park, so I am assuming that Md'ing is a no go.

I'm headed out with the little lady to seek some private permissions if we can. I just didn't realize how many laws are around stating things like no soil disturbance but yet you can drive in spikes for a badminton net....go figure
 
Jugger, You dont have to follow any laws if you dont want to! Take a look around...people get away with all sorts of things!:laughing:
Mud
 
So true , but you might need to add your disclaimer here . :lol:

Yeah...I know right!....:laughing::laughing::laughing:

Tom will tell a story about a guy who was hunting an "Off Limits No Detecting beach" for a year making amazing finds, he got away with it too! Old gold and silver up the wazoo! He was wondering why he had this place all to himself! hunting it daily right in front of the Rangers and everything! He was completely unaware he was breaking the "law"! He just never bothered to ask, and nobody told him to stop!:laughing:
Mud
 
....Should I look for a city website pertaining to parks or go to the town hall and look for regulations?...

Well, personally, I would just hunt, unless I saw a sign saying "no detecting". But if you're still skittish that there might be some rule at city hall, that just doesn't happen to be on a sign there, then yes: You can check city websites. And in this day & age, it's getting to where even SMALL cities now have websites. And yes: Often there is a link for municipal ordinances, park rules, blah blah... You can just do a key word search on variations of "metal", or "detecting", etc.... sometimes to speed it up :)

If the city you wonder about doesn't have a website, or their municipal charter, codes, laws, etc.... on there, then the next way is this: You can go to city hall, and ask: "Where can I find the municipal laws, codes, regulations etc....?" And they should be able to direct you to where it exists in binder form . If they answer "what is it that you needed to know?" You stick to your guns and say "to see the city laws, rules, ordinances, charter, etc..."
 
... Greenville city has a rule of no soil disturbance in any city park, so I am assuming that Md'ing is a no go....

Juggernaut, if you think verbage like this automatically means 'no md'ing', then I got news for you: You can just hang it up right now. Take up some other hobby (or stick entirely to private land). Because verbage like that exists in EVERY city code. Wording like "alter", "deface", "disturb", "molest", "vandalize", etc....

But think about it: All such words INHERENTLY apply to the end result. So for example: If you leave no trace of your presence (cover your spot, stomp it, ruffle it back up), then technically you have not disturbED anything. Now have you ? Same for alter vs alterED. Deface vs defacED, etc.. And when you think of it, all of those are merely present tense vs past tense, right ? Thus same for dig vs dug. (yet I know that's a little more tricky, doh!).

Now is this to say that every last gardener in a bad mood goes along with those semantics? Of course not. But you are simply not going to please ever last person around, in a hobby like ours that has admitted connotations. So pick lower traffic times and avoid such lookie lou killjoys. :roll:

Hey, I lived in Greenville, S.C. for a few months, back in the early 1980s. I got some silver out of the parks, and a particular school I recall. PM me and I'll give the locations I hunted, and a particular old coin (my first silver dollar) I recall.
 
... He just never bothered to ask, and nobody told him to stop!:laughing:
Mud

Mud, you remember that true story, eh ? Glad someone read it! haha

Yeah, it never occurred to the guy you NEEDED to ask. I mean, duh, what harm can anyone do to a BEACH afterall. So it's not that he had anything against "asking", ... or that he was an advocate of lawlessness (he was in fact very law-abiding and upstanding). It was merely because it never occurred to him that a beach could be off-limits. Ie.: he'd never given the matter thought before.

Kind of like: In the same way you wouldn't stop and wonder "gee, I wonder if throwing frisbees is allowed here?". Ie.: the kind of question that just doesn't come to mind, as you'd never envision a place like that wouldn't.

And yeah, for a year or so he had a personal private honey-hole. Until internet forums started to appear (this was the early days of PC's and the net). He figured out some early forums, and thus began to meet others in his area. Commuted to a nearby city to a club he learned existed, etc.. Still though, he kept mum about where all his rings were coming from. Till someone got his confidence up, and he confided his "secret spot". Imagine his surprise when they told him "isn't that off-limits?".

And yes: Oddly, he'd never been hassled questioned, etc... Right in the open , right in front of rangers, etc.. Not saying that makes it right mind you, but ... you can only imagine, that ... in-light of his new-found info, he had half a mind to simply keep going. Since it was painfully obvious no one cared, or were appraised of this minutia.

But we were not talking obvious historic monuments, where ... yes , such rules are to be given much latitude.
 
Mud, you remember that true story, eh ? Glad someone read it! haha

Oh yeah! I remember it alright! :laughing::laughing: From several years back even!...Do not doubt nobody reads or learns anything from you here! I try to read each and every post and retain tidbits of info that can make me a better hunter...When it comes to detecting, I got what folks call a 'phonographic memory'...so thanks!:lol:
Mud
 
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For real though Jug, you are worrying FAR to much! Hit some curb strips or something and enjoy the time out. Everywhere I've lived has said no "digging", "defacing" "probing" WHATEVER to the grass. Just keep it clean and you will be FINE
 
One way to make yourself VERY welcome in city parks is this: EVERY piece of broken glass, rusted old nails, jagged hunk of metal you FIND in a park... take to the people running it and say "This is what I pulled out of your grounds and your totlot! If you like, I will continue to do this, taking out trash and dangerous objects, as I detect."

You would be amazed at some of the nasties I found in the tanbark in the totlot! Jagged hunks of steel with razor sharp edges and points! Nails six inches long and wicked sharp. Broken glass, and even shredded cans! The park now WELCOMES me!

SageGrouse
 
One way to make yourself VERY welcome in city parks is this: EVERY piece of broken glass, rusted old nails, jagged hunk of metal you FIND in a park... take to the people running it and say "This is what I pulled out of your grounds and your totlot! If you like, I will continue to do this, taking out trash and dangerous objects, as I detect."

You would be amazed at some of the nasties I found in the tanbark in the totlot! Jagged hunks of steel with razor sharp edges and points! Nails six inches long and wicked sharp. Broken glass, and even shredded cans! The park now WELCOMES me!

SageGrouse

I have thought about that, showing how much trash I am likely to be removing. I mean I should just go I guess and wait for someone to say I can't. I figure the first time they would just warn me/us and tell us we can't do it right? What I don't need is some rookie go getter stickler type trying to make a name for them self or try and confiscate my expensive detector in which case there may be an assault! They always say ignorance is no excuse when it comes to the "law" ... It's like I hit my 40's and suddenly care..lol when I was 30 I couldn't care less. I just went anywhere. I'm going to be looking into churches and old schoolyards too.
 
So I have been reading up on the "laws" regarding parks, and even some beaches. Now maybe I am wrong but from what I have read I can't even move some dirt with the tip of my shoe! I was hoping to go to a few parks to try and find some coins but that looks like it's over. And beaches... S.C. law states that from the high water mark OUT TO 1 MILE SEAWARD is also state jurisdiction.... wth? We detectorist dig like 8 to 10 inches 98% of the time...this is ridiculous .. sure, I get there are lots of historical areas and they don't want any old jackass out there destroying stuff but I swear they think we are out there with backhoe's!

So now it looks like I am completely dependent on private property land owners giving permission... Which is really hard for me as I get stage freight with strangers .... Am I missing something?


Hey juggernaut I just came across this thread , I am In Greenwood SC and have been hunting in some great spots including some county parks, I also have some great permissions . Send me a PM and I will be more than happy to send you my info.
 
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