... Its reasonable to inquire about local metal detecting rules....
Ok. And you tell us : What will the answer, that the person gives you, be based on ? 1) Actual rule or law that they can point to ? or 2) Personal whimsical opinion & mood ?
I suspect that you will answer option #1. Right ? The person who answers the question will tell you
actual rules/laws, right ? Because if it's just their mood or personal opinion, then gee, that's rather arbitrary , right ?
Then if we both agree that you're inquiring about *actual* rules/laws, then .... gee.... why can't a person simply look up those rules/laws for themselves. Right ? Such that they don't risk bumping into the "No one cared till you asked" psychology. Eh ?
....but you cannot dig....
I can think of 100 parks, that can be md'd no problem. Yet guaranteed: If I walked into city hall and said "Hi, can I dig in the park ?" that I could no doubt find someone to say "no".
As you can probably surmise: It won't do any good to detect, if you can't dig the targets. Unless you simply enjoy hearing "beeps"
This answer (that someone gave to your "pressing question") is true of EVERY SINGLE SPECK of public land in the USA. AKA: "alter", "deface", "destroy", "molest", "dig", etc..... if all-such-words automatically mean "no md'ing", then ..... how is it that the finds-forum-pages are filled with stuff that people found @ public land ?
... I'll find out later today which one is right when I go to the office in person....
Sure. Keep going higher and higher up the bureaucratic ladder, till you eventually find someone to say "no". And then perhaps they'll need to propose a new law or rule to "address this pressing issue" at their next council meeting, eh ? And then we can all sit back and lament our "lack of freedoms" and "overbearing rules". When it was we, ourselves, who brought them upon ourselves by swatting hornet's nests.
Aren't you getting it ? Look up laws rules for yourself. As for "possible stink eye" or "someone who might gripe", then ... sure .... like nose-picking : Choose discreet times so that you're not begging for attention. You're simply not going to please every last person on earth. If that is your goal, then you've chosen the wrong hobby.