Coins
Read the coin before chasing a number.
Use size, edge, date, portrait, and mint mark to narrow a U.S. coin. Target ID is only a clue.
Open the U.S. coin guideUnited States detecting atlas
Find legal ground—and recover more coins.
Start with the land manager, not a pin. Then choose the target and ground: coins in permitted parks, jewelry on approved beaches, or relics only where collecting is clearly allowed.
Three useful routes
Start with your real question.
Each route keeps the legal check beside the field skill, so a promising signal never outruns permission.
Beaches
Separate dry sand from wet salt ground.
Ownership, local ordinances, nesting areas, tides, and detector stability can all change within one beach.
Start the beach routeRules
Find the manager before the field.
Check the exact park, beach, forest unit, or private parcel. A statewide answer is only the first layer.
See how sources are checkedSource-checked launch coverage
Six state guides with local follow-through.
We build depth before adding a new state. Every guide names the first official source and the last local check.
South
Texas
A permission-first guide with named USACE beach zones, a moving shoreline permit, and selected city parks.
- Typical ground
- Dry soil, river ground, parks, and Gulf sand
- First check
- Site manager and written local rules
Varies by managerSoutheast
Florida
Eight source-checked routes separate open beach sand, permit ground, county no-go areas, and federal land.
- Typical ground
- Salt beaches, dry sand, and mineral-light inland soil
- First check
- Beach, city, county, or park authority
Varies by siteWest
California
A land-manager-first route through a state with many overlapping local and protected-area rules.
- Typical ground
- Ocean beaches, desert soil, and highly mineralized ground
- First check
- Exact managing agency for the parcel
Designated areasMidwest
Michigan
Start with the designated-area question, then check the rules for the exact park or shoreline.
- Typical ground
- Freshwater beaches, parks, and mixed inland soil
- First check
- Current state recreation-area guidance
Local check neededNortheast
New Jersey
Beach rules can change by town, season, and land manager. The exact entrance matters.
- Typical ground
- Atlantic beaches, boardwalk towns, and inland parks
- First check
- Municipality plus property manager
Area limits applyPacific Northwest
Oregon
Use the official area list and check cultural-resource limits before detecting.
- Typical ground
- Ocean sand, wet parks, forests, and volcanic soil
- First check
- State park and land-manager guidance
The ground ladder
Move from broad rule to exact patch.
The name on a map does not tell you who controls digging, collecting, or detector use today.
- 1Name the parcel.
Save the exact park, beach entrance, field, or forest unit—not only the nearest town.
- 2Name the manager.
City, county, state, federal agency, private owner, or a leaseholder can control access.
- 3Read the current rule.
Search for metal detecting, digging, cultural objects, permits, closures, and hours.
- 4Confirm the exact zone.
Historic, archaeological, wildlife, dune, and event areas may have tighter limits.
- 5Leave a clean recovery.
Use the smallest opening that works, refill it, and take sharp trash away.
Source ledger
Checked against the original source.
Last source review: August 28, 2026. Rules and databases can change, so open the source again before acting.