Big Boys Hobbies

New guy from Roseville Calif.

AquaHunter

AquaHunter

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Joined
Apr 19, 2019
Messages
113
Hello everyone.

I am interested in metal detecting and found this great forum. Glad that there are so many others to get advice from as I am a complete newbie.

Before I buy a detector I want to find out all I can about the local restrictions on where I can and cannot MD in the Roseville and Northern California. It seems to be a gray area of the law. I don't want to have to knock on doors to MD on private property so I don't know if that will limit me too much to make it not worth it?

In case anyone is wondering, my username 'N6BY' is my ham radio call sign.

Brett
 
Welcome from South Carolina !!!!

There should be some California members who can hopefully help after they see your post.

:mder: ______ :mder: ______ :mder: ______ :mder:
 
Welcome from Salinas, CA. There's a monthly club meeting in Sacramento. Tell Ron I said "hi" :)

As for "grey area of the law", what do you mean ? What are you seeing that leads you to think that ? Are you looking for express "allowances" ? If so, you won't find that. Instead, if you see nothing there that says "no md'ing", then presto, it's not disallowed . Just avoid obvious historic sensitive monument type places. Be discreet in nicely manicured turf, blah blah. Or are you worried about catch-all "remove", "deface" type verbiage ?

Oh, but since you asked, ... Yes, there is a rule here in CA : You must send me 30% of all your finds. I accept paypal. Any other Q's ? :cool3:
 
Tom_in_CA said:
Welcome from Salinas, CA. There's a monthly club meeting in Sacramento. Tell Ron I said "hi" :)

As for "grey area of the law", what do you mean ? What are you seeing that leads you to think that ? Are you looking for express "allowances" ? If so, you won't find that. Instead, if you see nothing there that says "no md'ing", then presto, it's not disallowed . Just avoid obvious historic sensitive monument type places. Be discreet in nicely manicured turf, blah blah. Or are you worried about catch-all "remove", "deface" type verbiage ?

Oh, but since you asked, ... Yes, there is a rule here in CA : You must send me 30% of all your finds. I accept paypal. Any other Q's ? :cool3:
Click to expand...
30%, no problem. You can have 30% of the bottle caps and nails. :lol:

Actually I am not sure if it would be worth it to get an MD. Still trying to figure out where I would be allowed.

This research reminds me of when I almost bought a drone. Discovered I would not have been able to fly it in my own backyard because I am within 5 miles of an 'airport'. Actually its a hospital with a helicopter pad.
 
Last edited:
N6BY said:
Hello everyone.

I am interested in metal detecting and found this great forum. Glad that there are so many others to get advice from as I am a complete newbie.

Before I buy a detector I want to find out all I can about the local restrictions on where I can and cannot MD in the Roseville and Northern California. It seems to be a gray area of the law. I don't want to have to knock on doors to MD on private property so I don't know if that will limit me too much to make it not worth it?

In case anyone is wondering, my username 'N6BY' is my ham radio call sign.

Brett
Click to expand...

You can detect most places except National and Historic state parks,and cemetaries.
 
Greetings from "Parts Unknown" NY!
As for MD in CA, I say I hope it's not like NY! Permits permits permits for public areas for "Safety" reasons as they say, I call it a trash cleaning tax! LOL

I'm on dmr tac 311 when I MD!



Sent from my LGLS775 using Tapatalk
 
DbblTap said:
Greetings from "Parts Unknown" NY!
As for MD in CA, I say I hope it's not like NY! Permits permits permits for public areas for "Safety" reasons as they say, I call it a trash cleaning tax! LOL

I'm on dmr tac 311 when I MD!



Sent from my LGLS775 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Actually I think restrictions and fees are worse in CA than any other state.

We had a drought in 2013 and our nearby lake (Folsom Lake) nearly dried up and people started going out and MD'ing areas that haven't seen daylight in decades. So they made it illegal to MD in the Folsom Lake recreation area. Didn't want people removing items from the lake bed. If that is a big deal then why is it OK for them to put in a dam and flood the area, but not OK to unearth items when there is a chance? :?:

After much research I found out that I might need a permit to MD here in Roseville. But the web link on how and where to get the permit is broken.

I will have to make some phone calls to various agencies next week before I decide whether or not to get a detector.
 
N6BY said:
Actually I think restrictions and fees are worse in CA than any other state.



We had a drought in 2013 and our nearby lake (Folsom Lake) nearly dried up and people started going out and MD'ing areas that haven't seen daylight in decades. So they made it illegal to MD in the Folsom Lake recreation area. Didn't want people removing items from the lake bed. If that is a big deal then why is it OK for them to put in a dam and flood the area, but not OK to unearth items when there is a chance? :?:



After much research I found out that I might need a permit to MD here in Roseville. But the web link on how and where to get the permit is broken.



I will have to make some phone calls to various agencies next week before I decide whether or not to get a detector.
Click to expand...
What I always do to get out of any sticky situations is to always pick up garbage I see and keep a pouch full of it at all times. I am building a MD vest and I just ordered a MOLLIE dump bag that should be big enough to be noticed by anybody with a shield. Just keep in mind also a security guard has no police powers no matter what they say or threatening to do to you. I laugh at them as of my background.

At the end of the day, who is going to give anybody who maybe breaking a I known law with a pouch full of garbage and is actually picking it up and seen doing it? I got other "Tips" I use myself.

Sent from my LGLS775 using Tapatalk
 
N6BY said:
Actually I think restrictions and fees are worse in CA than any other state.

We had a drought in 2013 and our nearby lake (Folsom Lake) nearly dried up and people started going out and MD'ing areas that haven't seen daylight in decades. So they made it illegal to MD in the Folsom Lake recreation area. Didn't want people removing items from the lake bed. If that is a big deal then why is it OK for them to put in a dam and flood the area, but not OK to unearth items when there is a chance? :?:

After much research I found out that I might need a permit to MD here in Roseville. But the web link on how and where to get the permit is broken.

I will have to make some phone calls to various agencies next week before I decide whether or not to get a detector.
Click to expand...

n6by : Me thinks you are over-thinking this. I have detected in CA for well over 40 yrs. now (since Jr. High school). And have never lacked for public places to hunt. And .... barring obvious historic sensitive monuments, will simply detect in any city's parks I travel to.

If you start calling "various agencies" asking "hi can I metal detect?", you will simply become the latest victim of "No one cared till you asked" psychology . Eg.: Some pencil pusher imagines geeks with shovels. Or passes your "pressing question" to the desk of an archie for approval :roll:

Your question is backwards actually : There is never "allowances" for md'ing. Ie.: As if you're going to find a sign or law that says "Metal detecting allowed here". Instead, you would only need to wonder if there were something that said "no md'ing". If the law is silent on the subject, then presto: Not disallowed, not prohibited. You do not need some govt. official to tell you "it's allowed". Lest you merely go swatting hornet's nests.

And the Folsom reservoir thing you're talking about is QUITE the exception/fluke. I will address that in my next post here......
 
That oft-link oft-told story about Folsom reservoir comes up often. In short: During the drought (that ended a few years ago), the water levels became so low, that some foundations of an old ghost town "Mormon Island" came into view . The newspaper and nightly news did some coverage, that drew crowds of curiosity seekers and lookie-lous. And of course brought out the state archie to do some commentaries, blah blah .

And a few of the curiosity seekers came armed with metal detectors . Who were simply clueless beginners, and had not an ounce of common sense to be seen wandering around right next to the archies and rangers being interviewed @ the news. Most were ignored. A few got "scrams". And then one of them got a ticket. Simply because the place was crawling with archies, and they wanted to make an example of him. Whatever rule they cited , was about cultural heritage issues that apply to state parks. Ok, sure. But let me tell you: Folsom reservoir locations had always/ever been md'd, forever in time, prior to that. For example, some other old tent-city gold rush zones further up in the fingers. Or for random beach-goer losses md'ing. etc... And it had never been an issue. But now sure, if you go parading into an archie convention event, at a sensitive monument thing, then sure, what did you expect ?

Fluke stories such as that are like reading a shark-attack story. You might think "it's dangerous to swim at the beach", right ? Yet the truth is: 100,000 people every day swim at the world's beaches, and never get attacked by sharks. But if single person in a year ever got bit, guess what the news headlines are the next day ?

Of course don't throw caution to the wind. If you're skittish that there might be an express/specific "no md'ing" rule somewhere, you look it up for yourself. All rules of park (forest, beach, etc...) usage are available for public viewing somewhere. Eg.: Dogs on leash, no fireworks, etc....
 
And lastly, when you do your own reading of applicable rules, to see if there's any specific "no md'ing" rule/law : I do not construe catch-all verbiage to apply to us. Eg.: Things that talk about "alter" & "deface". Or "remove" & "harvest". Or "lost & found" laws. Notice that this is a lot of the stuff that gets tossed about in Tn-sharpshooter's link. That various past desk-jockey's, when given this "pressing question" , passed back as the answer that gets on those wonderful compendiums :roll:

If you leave no trace of your presence (cover, stomp and fluff your spots), then presto: You have defacED or alterED anything. Now have you ? And seriously: The "harvest" and "remove" language was so that no numbskulls think they can take home the park benches, or start commercially taking truck-loads of sand, timber, etc... It was never meant to apply to fumble fingers stuff. Until of course someone goes in swatting hornet's nests, and some genius pencil pusher might toss out that answer. When in fact, no one ever cared, nor would the person answering have ever given it a moment's thought.

In fact, even cultural heritage issues (as long as you're not tromping on obvious sensitive monuments) don't necessarily apply. Ie.: Fine then, just don't find coins older than 50 yrs. old :roll:

So don't over-think this. Go to the Sacramento club meeting, and you'll see those fine folks are hitting parks, beaches, school yards, forests, etc... no problem.
 
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