Looking for places to in Dedham Mass.

don't know the area, but use google earth to find parks with totlots and volleyball courts.

Used to live in that town many years before I got into detecting. It's very old and there's got to be a lot in the ground there, but other than parks it'll all be private.

Super unlikely you would get it, but maybe try to find out who owns Endicott Estate and see if you can get permission. It's an event venue (hell, it might be where your wife's conference is!) but has a lot of open ground around it that dates to the late 1600s or so.

I’d start with local parks. If you’re uncertain, call the local PD and just ask if you’re allowed to metal detect in some of the parks around town. Most of the time they won’t care. I would call them over town hall - technically they’re more likely to be the “area supervisor” and they’re also MUCH more likely to say “go for it”. If you’re willing to drive a ways, I always have luck at Hampton Beach in NH or up at Dogtown near Gloucester (just get off of the crushed stone path - it’s full of slag metal)

ThatGuyAgain said:

... If you’re uncertain, call the local PD and just ask if you’re allowed to metal detect in some of the parks around town. Most of the time they won’t care. I would call them over town hall - ....

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Huh ? What is there to be "uncertain" over ? Why any need to call the police dept. or town hall ? That's just swatting hornet's nests.

If someone is "uncertain", why can't they just look up potential rules / laws for oneself ? In this wonderful digital day & age that we live in, there's practically no place that doesn't have their muni codes, park rules, etc... on-line. Eg.: Dogs on leash, no fireworks, closes at sunset, blah blah blah. If it doesn't say "No metal detectors", then presto : Not prohibited.

And if the location is ssseeeooo small (some podunk teensy town or county where the parks dept. has no website, no listed digital rules, codes, charter, etc...) then : It has to exist *somewhere* in print form. Eg.: At city hall in binder form behind the front counter, etc... You are welcome to look at it if you are skittish (which I rarely am).

The problem with going and asking the police "Can I ?" (as if this needs someone's princely blessing) is that 1) They could simply say "no" (because they envision geeks with shovels), or 2) They tell you "go talk to city hall or parks dept".

So then the skittish md'r trots off to town hall, where his "pressing question gets bandied back and forth between desks (to persons who, quite frankly, probably never gave the matter any thought before). Until someone decides the easy answer and says "no". (envisioning geeks with shovels) Ie.: You become victim of the "No one cared UNTIL you asked" psychology routine.

So why not md'rs simply look up rules for themselves, if they are skittish ?

Massachusetts added new statewide laws in 2014 against metal detecting. Some towns enforce them, others don’t. Anything controlled by DCR and most state controlled land is off limits unless you get permission from the “area supervisor” (not a well defined term). Being caught in violation can result in fines into the thousands and forfeiture of your machine. Better to be safe here. The local PD are the ones who would enforce it anyway, so if you can say you called and they said to go for it, then you’re generally good. This is especially true after 2020 since many of the ACTUAL area supervisors offices closed down or the people were laid off, so it fell back to the PD anyway.

ThatGuyAgain said:

....Massachusetts added new statewide laws in 2014 against metal detecting. .....

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Got a link ?

There is no way in heck that anything the state level issues can apply to any other entity's land. Eg.: It won't affect Fed land. It won't affect county land. It won't affect city lands. It won't affect private lands. If you think you've got something on the MA state level, that can apply border to border, for any/all/other land, I would LOVE to see a link.

But something tells me we are going to hear the sound of crickets. If I'm wrong, I would love to hear it. This is a common mistake that md'rs make, when they see some "state" law : They think that means everything in the "state" . Since that's what the word "state" seems to imply. But on the contrary, it would only be for state lands. And even then-so for state parks (since, not all land is state PARK land. There's other types of state owned land)

ThatGuyAgain said:

....Anything controlled by DCR .....

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Again, this ^^ is a state land agency. Has no bearing on other forms of land within-the-state.

ThatGuyAgain said:

....unless you get permission from the “area supervisor” .....

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For state land ? ^ ^ Sure ! And guess why such wonderful ".... with permission ..." lingo entered into the verbiage, in-the-first-place ?

ThatGuyAgain said:

....not a well defined term......

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And guess what's the fastest way to get it "well defined" against us ? Easy : Go seek clarifications. Presto, they will address our "pressing question". See the self-fulfilling vicious loop ?

ThatGuyAgain said:

.... Being caught in violation can result in fines into the thousands and forfeiture of your machine......

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Can you cite ANY such example ? Of ANYONE in MA, who got a "fine for thousands" or had his "machine confiscated " ?

And for purposes of this question, we're talking normal routine parks, forest, beach, etc.... NOT : *obvious historic sensitive monuments* My hunch is: We shall hear the sound of crickets.

ThatGuyAgain said:

.....so if you can say you called and they said to go for it, then you’re generally good......

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I would say that if you look it up, and there's nothing that says "no md'ing", then : You're: "generally good". Why swat hornet's nests and risk the "no one cared TILL you asked" routine ?

MDHTalk does a decent job of compiling regulations and laws around metal detecting by state. It isn't exhaustive, but it works. http://www.mdhtalk.org/cf/city-regulation.cfm?st=MA

There are additional bylaws by town that may require a permit or may exclude certain lands. Generally speaking, anything controlled by DCR is off-limits unless you get permission.

And also:

The language that is usually pointed to elsewhere governs state forests and parks:

As for people facing fines and having their equipment seized, that all comes from the Cape Cod National Seashore. They're known to be particularly bad there. There are a lot of references to an old arrest for metal detecting there and to equipment seizures + fines, but I don't have names for you. Still, this is absolutely one where a little due diligence can save you a lot of trouble.

ThatGuyAgain said:

MDHTalk ....

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That-Guy-Again : Everything you've cited from MDH-Talk reflects (drum-roll) : State land. And Has no bearing on city, county, Fed. or private.

And to the extent that MDHTalk has various "dire sounding" things about *some* individual cities or locations : You sometimes have to read between the lines

For example : I am looking, right now, at their page for CA . And they cite some "dire" stuff about CA lost & found laws. SURE ! Every state has "lost & found" laws (that if you ask long enough and hard enough to enough lawyers, will tell you applies to stuff we find). Yet .... seriously now..... how many of us rush to the police station to turn in rings we find ?

And though some of the cities they say require permits, the dirty-little secret in those cities is : No one can ever recall anyone being "carded". In fact, sometimes you'll hardly find anyone in those couple of city halls that knows what you're talking about or where to get one.

And despite what a first-blush reading of our state park's verbiage says, the reality is : You can hunt state parks here till you're blue in the face. As long as you're not tromping on obvious historic sensitive monuments, or waltzing over beach blankets at an archie conventions.

Thus : Sometimes you have to read between the lines.

And be aware that a lot of the stuff that MDH-talk got their info. from was (drumroll) people waltzing in, years ago, asking "Can I ?" And if a "no" got passed down, that was never actually something in codified print, it can sometimes make it onto those wonderful compendiums. And then ... decades later, everyone is sitting around asking themselves : SAYS WHO ? and WHERE IS THAT ACTUALLY WRITTEN ? So they point to compendiums like this and say : "There it is, written right there ". But when you trace back FURTHER, to see where it's anything more than someone's commentary , sometimes you find that it's actually not codified anywhere. You might just be reading commentary.

In other words : A random whimsical "no" or "scram" does not constitute actual law (even when it makes its way onto someone's web-site list). Here's a thread on the difference between commentary vs law :

http://metaldetectingforum.com/showthread.php?t=264945

To the OP of this thread and others who have posted...Just ignore Tom! (kidding buddy ) These "permission" issues are, as he likes to put it, "a Bee in his Bonnet".

Just check for rules as best you can, in particular look for signs or posted rules in a park or area you intend to hunt. If it is not specifically spelled out as No Metal Detecting, give it a shot!

Tom_in_CA said:

Got a link ?

There is no way in heck that anything the state level issues can apply to any other entity's land. Eg.: It won't affect Fed land. It won't affect county land. It won't affect city lands. It won't affect private lands. If you think you've got something on the MA state level, that can apply border to border, for any/all/other land, I would LOVE to see a link.

But something tells me we are going to hear the sound of crickets. If I'm wrong, I would love to hear it. This is a common mistake that md'rs make, when they see some "state" law : They think that means everything in the "state" . Since that's what the word "state" seems to imply. But on the contrary, it would only be for state lands. And even then-so for state parks (since, not all land is state PARK land. There's other types of state owned land)

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Tom... your opinions are not 1 size fits all for every state... Mass enforces their laws...

I used to hunt a certain beach every year then found out they banned hunting at this beach... they would arrest you and take away your detector... I decided to leave my detector home...

A year later or so a detecting club got that law reversed...

But Mass still can and will enforce rules in other parts of the state.... you remember what happened to blacksambellamy when he was arrested and his detectors taken away.... he even talked about it on his user CP

as the weather warms up ill get my boat out and post all my finds. looking for a Military Plane this year and if i find it ill prolly get read my rights again...lol


We are not going to debate on this thread... go back to dents run...

Cfmct said:

...... Mass enforces their laws........

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Well sure. Of course. EVERY location "enforces their laws". But the question is : Is there a border to border "no detecting" ? That's what this quote sounded like was being asserted:

..."Massachusetts added new statewide laws in 2014 against metal detecting."....

Doesn't that sound like someone is saying that it's "all the state" ? (aka "statewide" )

And I think you can agree : This is not the case. But at isolated places, on places where a law *does* exist, sure ! By all means obey. I was only addressing the notion that a : Entire state can be "no md'ing".

Ok ?

Send me a PM if you’re looking for a hunting buddy for the weekend. I’m relatively close by and would enjoy the outing.

I detect 2-4 times a week in MA. I have been for 13+ years and I still have all my machines. :-) I have only been kicked off of one town property. It was a power ego thing and it wasn't worth my time. Stay away from DCR properties except the beaches like Salisbury State Park Beach which you can detect (lots of silver, new and old has been found there). The 2014 law pertains to DCR properties.