Getting Permission -- Do I Need It?

Yep, you need permission if you're on Private property. Always.

Might suggest a quick glance at the MD Code of Ethics if you haven't yet read them:
http://metaldetectingforum.com/showthread.php?t=639

If its someone's personal property you would need permission from the owner.

If it's private property and you don't own it, then YES you MUST get permission first!

I always get permission on private property. Public land, I'm probably wrong but I generally help myself. If you ask permission then there's a good chance they'll say yes. However, if you're caught trespassing they'll most likely run you off.

Got it. I will go to town hall and try to find out who owns this land. Remember, I'm 2 miles in on a public ( tho not maintained ) road. I may not even be in my town at some point.
Maybe I'll luck out and it will be public land listed in next town over - it runs between the backsides of 2 lakes.

Thank you

PS Am I asking for tax maps off this road?

Always a good idea to find out who owns the property, and whether or not you are allowed to bring tools, remove things from the ground, public or private. Sure, vast majority of the time, you just get some harsh words, and run off, which isn't really good for the hobby. For some, squeezing into places, where no one cares, until you get caught, is part of the fun and thrill. Think overall though, knowing whether or not you are allowed to hunt a piece of land, is the better choice, and respecting those in charge of it. There are a lot of protected areas, some can get you in some bad trouble, 'Sorry', 'ignorance' won't cut it either. Might eventually get off with a warning, but lawyers cost money, and it's not real good for the rest of us either. We really don't know what people with metal detectors have been doing, everywhere, for the past 50 years or so. Pretty sure there was a lack of ethics, as visions of treasure tends to strip that away from many...

Got it. I will go down to the town hall and find out name and contact info for landowner. I'm not even sure if I'm still in my town at this location. Hey, maybe I'll luck out and discover it's public land between these two lakes.
Will I be asking for the tax maps at the town hall to get this information?

Thanks for your help and advice

Got it. I'll go to town offices and get name and contact info for landowner.
Would this info be found on tax maps?
Maybe I'll luck out and find it is public land located in the next town over. Think positive.

While I'm thinking of it -- how about ''conservation'' land? Usually privately owned but open to the public for hiking, biking, horseback riding, x-country skiing etc.

You might also ask at the Township hall for a list of abandoned propertys....might be a house just down the street with no owner and a yard full of old silver...'course you can generally spot those just driving around...I did real good one one day spotting a demo site of an abandoned home and getting in there right before a new Habitat home was built...even found the curbstop for the dozer operator...(so he gave me permission) it would be nice to have a list though...
I doubt anybody would care, if its a bank repo and/or abandoned, I would not even know who to contact..
Mud.

robren, so you are viewing all these from the safety of the public middle-of-nowhere road, right ? Stone walls, foundations, etc.... you can see in the distance (while keeping your feet on the public pavement), yet haven't ventured over for a closer look at any, right ? Your dog must've wandered over to the private property if he almost fell in a well though.

While your post seems to say you've viewed these things from a public road, yet some other posts are sort of ironic, in that someone posts a pix of a ruin, or foundation, or cellar hole, etc.... And muses "I wonder if I can detect here? How do I find out?". Yet you gotta ask yourself: "Wait a minute, how can the person be standing their circling it and taking pix, and then wonder 'can I be here?' "

Detectorists Code...is open to Interpretation and Timing!
'Tresspassing'
This is a good and funny subject that is best discussed face to face around a fire..theres lots of variables....some people dont care, and others think they own the whole world including public parks and beaches!

People 'tresspass' on my river property all the time, they camp, fish, etc...do I care? Not one bit! I figure I have it coming!

Its like this: "If a person tresspasses on my property and I dont know about it, how does this bother me in any way?"

Of course its nice to see signs that somebody respected the property, not for my sake, but to protect the general ambiance of the place.

I am only here for a short time, and then it will be somebody elses problem! Of course situations are different everywhere, just saying all property owners have different levels of tolerance and understanding.

Asking is best, but sometimes not expediant or practical...
Mud

Yea you will want to look up the county tax. My county has a website that has a interactive map, all property lines are marked out and you simply click the property and it tells you who owns it and an address.

Thanks for the responses. I did go to Town offices today and realized that property taxes are DUE today, as well as end of the month registration of vehicles. Line was out the door. I'll try again after the holidays. This was kinda what I was afraid of, getting information could take quite a while, for many reasons. As for getting info online, I live in NH, almost NOTHING is on line. Town does have a website but only lists depts and phone numbers, selectmens meeting minutes, etc. No town records that I've seen. I'll need to go and speak with someone.

Tom in CA, thanks for the response. I've read a lot of posts that you have responded to in this regard. You seem to have a pretty good handle on this. To be clearer, I am not standing on pavement of a public road. This is an abandoned road, no longer maintained by the town, and Yes I have technically ''trespassed'' on property off each side of this road -- unless this property is in some sort of conservation or land trust. Hard to say because the ''posted'' sign along the beginning of the road are only there for a couple hundred feet. I need to find out who owns the property. And No I have not brought the detector in -- I am still learning and really do want to do the right thing.
I guess I knew the answer to the original question -- Yes I need to get permission to detect on private property. A better question may have been, How do I find out IF this is private property. Human nature being what it is -- I don't want to make this harder than it has to be.
Thanks again

Have you tried the county website? That's who collects taxes around here, and has the records for property. "Posted" signs, usually mean restricted, and as a warning. Those signs usually have some small print, and contact information around here. I've got plenty of hassle-free places to hunt around here. I'd want to know for sure I'm allowed to be there, before hunting such a place. Just isn't as much for me, if I'm focused on not getting caught, and how to 'handle' the situation, if things go bad. Probably a good idea to bring a two-legged friend as well, if your dog nearly fell into an old well. Doesn't sound like there will be anyone nearby to help, if you get into trouble.

robren said:

Thanks for the responses. I did go to Town offices today and realized that property taxes are DUE today, as well as end of the month registration of vehicles. Line was out the door. I'll try again after the holidays. This was kinda what I was afraid of, getting information could take quite a while, for many reasons. As for getting info online, I live in NH, almost NOTHING is on line. Town does have a website but only lists depts and phone numbers, selectmens meeting minutes, etc. No town records that I've seen. I'll need to go and speak with someone.

Tom in CA, thanks for the response. I've read a lot of posts that you have responded to in this regard. You seem to have a pretty good handle on this. To be clearer, I am not standing on pavement of a public road. This is an abandoned road, no longer maintained by the town, and Yes I have technically ''trespassed'' on property off each side of this road -- unless this property is in some sort of conservation or land trust. Hard to say because the ''posted'' sign along the beginning of the road are only there for a couple hundred feet. I need to find out who owns the property. And No I have not brought the detector in -- I am still learning and really do want to do the right thing.
I guess I knew the answer to the original question -- Yes I need to get permission to detect on private property. A better question may have been, How do I find out IF this is private property. Human nature being what it is -- I don't want to make this harder than it has to be.
Thanks again

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Nail a FOR SALE sign on one of the trees with your phone number on it... the property owner will call you

"Trespassing/Property" has always been an intriguing concept, Not only in Humans either...some animals are very territorial...along these lines, it seems if you have the strength to defend and maintain a certain patch of earth, its YOURS...if you dont, then it isnt!

Seems its in Humans DNA to 'Trespass' aggressively and often...its also in our DNA to 'stake out claims' to ground...Humans love to stake out 'territories'! I dont care if its Genghis Khan, the Holy Roman Empire, a street corner drug dealer or an Avon Rep! As long as they are working it and able to defend it, its THEIRS, as soon as they cant, its NOT! Somebody else stronger comes in, 'trespasses' and takes the plunder!

Historically, lots of famous trespassers are today celebrated as heroes, explorers, adventurers, like Daniel Boone, Christopher Columbus, Geo Washington was a damned surveyor for Petes sake! Staking out land and claims that certainly were not his to begin with!
Some trespassers are considered villians, like when Hitler invaded Poland...so ethically speaking, it really just depends on whos writing the story!

What I'm getting at is trespassing shouldnt be considered a character flaw...its a natural part of being a Human, if anything, it should be looked upon as a skill that takes years of practice and commitment to master!

Its a matter of timing, strength, etc...and you dont know if you got it right unless you try!

Somehow, just recently in our time here on this Planet, last 50 yrs or so, lawyers figured out they could pass/enforce a 'tax' to make a bit of money on the side concerning this issue..get it into the court system where they can make a bit off either side to profit off a natural Human trait! Sneaky btards!...ie: prosecute/defend an 'offender'...

So in this context, and in the scheme of history, Who cares if some old dope with a metal detector hops a fence into a gated sportsfield every so often? Or hunts some broken down rock foundation way out in nowhere? If nobody ever saw him or caught him, NO problem or issue! Bad image to the Sport? Sheesh, its not like we are rolling tanks into Warsaw! All we want is a few old pennies!

I have no doubt I could hunt the Whitehouse Rose garden, front lawn, or Gettysburg unopposed if I could just time it right...and nobody would ever see me or know...so I would not damage the image of our Sport, (which is all we really care about when this subject comes up it seems)...but then again, I have a lot of practice and natural talent in this discipline, (Norse heritage)...so I cant help it...born this way I guess, so dont judge me too harshly, or go ahead and do, I dont give a damn!

Humans are just not built to inhabit confined areas, except for 9 mos before birth, and eternity in an urn or box afterwards....You only got a few good years on this Planet, so "Over the Fence and down the road, hunting for silver, searching for Gold!" Viking here!...thoughts?
Mud

robren said:

....To be clearer, I am not standing on pavement of a public road. This is an abandoned road, no longer maintained by the town, and Yes I have technically ''trespassed'' on property off each side of this road -- .....

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Robren, ok thanx for clarifying. So yours is amongst similar posts of persons who take a pix of some ruins, cellar hole, etc... wondering "can I detect here?" or "how do I get permission?", etc... And it's ironic that they're standing there to get the pix, in the first place.

Then in my opinion, metal detecting is equally as innocuous and harmless as walking your dog there. If you've already determined that it's harmless (and no one cares etc...) that you "walk your dog" there, then presto, why is md'ing in an evil dangerous objectionable class of activity different than that ?

Tom_in_CA said:

Robren, ok thanx for clarifying. So yours is amongst similar posts of persons who take a pix of some ruins, cellar hole, etc... wondering "can I detect here?" or "how do I get permission?", etc... And it's ironic that they're standing there to get the pix, in the first place.

Then in my opinion, metal detecting is equally as innocuous and harmless as walking your dog there. If you've already determined that it's harmless (and no one cares etc...) that you "walk your dog" there, then presto, why is md'ing in an evil dangerous objectionable class of activity different than that ?

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YES IT IS! Good lord Tom, You are now equating criminal trespass, vandalism and theft to walking across private property! You are seriously going to far with this. The concept of detecting in a public park that doesn't expressly forbid detecting is a worthwhile topic to discuss, but here you are advocating criminal activity! To enter private property with the intent of removing items without permission is criminal trespass. Digging the ground while you trespass is now vandalism, and removing ANYTHING is theft.

Jason, everything you're saying is equally true (ie.: "shouldn't do it") with the mere fact of standing there too. Then let's cut to the chase: The man shouldn't have even been standing there, to have observed these things, in the first place (yet I notice no one chided/reprimanded him for that).

Thus yes, everything you're saying is true, sure. Just pointing out the irony that is missed in posts like this.