⚖️ Dig Regulations

Alabama State Parks

Collection of rocks, minerals, or fossils is prohibited in Alabama State Parks. Fern Gully and Noccalula Falls areas have specific signage.

Bureau of Land Management - Eastern States

Limited BLM land in Alabama, but casual collecting of rocks and minerals is permitted on open BLM tracts for personal use.

USDA Forest Service - Alaska Region (Tongass & Chugach)

Casual collecting of rocks and minerals for personal use is generally permitted in Alaska's National Forests. Jade, garnets, and gold are popular targets.

Bureau of Land Management - Alaska

Alaska offers vast public lands for rockhounding. Personal use gold panning and mineral collecting is allowed on most BLM lands without a permit.

National Park Service

Collection of rocks, minerals, fossils, or any natural material is strictly prohibited in all National Parks, including Petrified Forest, Grand Canyon, and others.

Bureau of Land Management - Arizona

Rockhounds may collect up to 25 lbs of rocks and minerals per day for personal use without a permit. Gem and mineral collecting is popular at many Arizona BLM sites.

Bureau of Land Management - Eastern States

Casual collecting of rocks, quartz crystals, and minerals is allowed on BLM lands in Arkansas for personal use without a permit.

Arkansas State Parks - Crater of Diamonds

Crater of Diamonds State Park is the only place in the world where the public can dig for real diamonds and keep what they find. A daily fee applies.

Bureau of Land Management - California

Casual collecting of reasonable amounts of rocks, minerals, and fossils for personal use is allowed without a permit. Commercial collecting requires a permit.

California State Parks

Collection of rocks, minerals, plants, or animals is prohibited in California State Parks. Observation and photography only.

Bureau of Land Management - Colorado

Casual collecting of rocks, minerals, and common invertebrate fossils is allowed on BLM lands in Colorado for personal use without a permit.

Colorado Parks & Wildlife

Collection of geological specimens, rocks, and fossils is generally prohibited in Colorado State Parks and Wildlife Areas.

USDA Forest Service - Rocky Mountain Region

Casual collection of rocks, minerals, and invertebrate fossils for personal use is generally allowed in National Forests. Some areas may have specific restrictions.

Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission - Public Waterways

Fossil collecting including shark teeth is allowed in many Florida rivers and on public beaches. Venice Beach and the Peace River are popular sites.

Florida State Parks

Collection of fossils, rocks, and minerals is prohibited in Florida State Parks. Florida is well-known for shark teeth and marine fossils.

Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites

Rock and mineral collecting is generally prohibited in Georgia State Parks. Amicalola Falls and other parks prohibit removal of natural materials.

Hogg Mine / Private Fee Dig Sites - Georgia

Georgia has several fee-based dig sites for quartz, kyanite, and staurolite. Graves Mountain and other private sites allow public collecting for a fee.

Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites

Dahlonega and Consolidated Gold Mines areas allow gold panning. Most state parks prohibit natural material collection.

Bureau of Land Management - Idaho

Idaho is a rockhound paradise. Casual collecting of star garnets, opals, and agates is allowed on BLM lands without a permit for personal use.

USDA Forest Service - Idaho

Casual collecting of rocks and minerals for personal use is allowed in Idaho's National Forests. Clearwater and Payette Forests are popular.

Bureau of Land Management - Idaho

Idaho offers world-class star garnet and opal collecting on BLM land. Personal use collecting is allowed without a permit at most sites.

Kentucky Geological Survey - Open Lands

Fossil collecting on private farmland and stream beds is generally possible with landowner permission. Kentucky is famous for crinoids and brachiopods.

Kentucky State Parks

Rock collecting is prohibited in Kentucky State Parks. The Mammoth Cave area has federal protections as a National Park.

USDA Forest Service - Hiawatha & Ottawa National Forests

Collecting rocks, minerals, and Petoskey stones for personal use is allowed in Michigan's National Forests without a permit.

Michigan DNR State Parks

Rock collecting of Petoskey stones (Michigan's state stone) and other beach rocks is allowed on Michigan State Park beaches for personal use.

Minnesota DNR State Parks

Collection of rocks and minerals is prohibited in Minnesota State Parks. Lake Superior agates are a popular target on public lake beaches outside park boundaries.

Minnesota DNR - Public Lake Shorelines

Collecting Lake Superior agates and other rocks on public shorelines is generally allowed. Tettegouche and Split Rock areas are popular.

USDA Forest Service - Northern Region (Montana)

Casual collecting of rocks, sapphires, and garnets is allowed in Montana's National Forests for personal use without a permit.

Bureau of Land Management - Montana

Hobby collection of rocks, minerals, and common invertebrate fossils is permitted without a permit for personal use. Montana is famous for its sapphires and garnets.

USDA Forest Service - Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest

Rock and mineral collecting for personal use is allowed in Nevada's National Forests. Turquoise, opal, and obsidian are popular finds.

Bureau of Land Management - Nevada

Nevada has extensive BLM land open to rockhounding. Casual collecting without a permit is permitted for personal use. Nevada is known for opals, turquoise, and gold.

Bureau of Land Management - New Mexico

New Mexico's extensive BLM lands are open to rockhounding. Turquoise, geodes, agate, and petrified wood are popular finds. Personal use collecting allowed without permit.

USDA Forest Service - Carson & Santa Fe National Forests

Casual collecting of rocks, minerals, and common fossils for personal use is allowed in New Mexico's National Forests.

Herkimer Diamond Mines - Private Fee Sites

Several private fee-based quarries near Herkimer, NY allow visitors to dig for the famous doubly-terminated quartz crystals known as Herkimer diamonds.

New York State Parks

Collection of rocks and minerals is generally prohibited in New York State Parks. Herkimer diamonds (quartz crystals) are found near Herkimer County at private fee sites.

USDA Forest Service - Nantahala & Pisgah National Forests

Casual collecting of rocks and minerals for personal use is allowed in NC's National Forests. Gem collecting is popular in the western NC mountains.

Emerald Hollow Mine / Commercial Fee Dig Sites - NC

North Carolina has numerous fee-based gem mines in the Spruce Pine mining district offering public collecting of emeralds, rubies, sapphires, and garnets.

North Carolina State Parks

Rock and mineral collecting is prohibited in NC State Parks. However, NC has several commercial gem mines that allow public digging.

NC Division of Parks and Recreation

Limited collecting allowed at Reed Gold Mine State Historic Site and some other sites. Most state parks prohibit collecting.

Ohio Department of Natural Resources

Rock and fossil collecting is prohibited in Ohio State Parks. Flint Ridge State Memorial is a notable site where flint collection is restricted.

Private Quarries & Stream Collecting - Ohio

Fossil collecting in Ohio is popular in stream beds and private quarries. Trilobites, brachiopods, and bryozoans are common. Always obtain landowner permission.

USDA Forest Service - Pacific Northwest Region

Casual collecting of rocks and minerals for personal use is allowed in Oregon National Forests. Thundereggs, agates, and jasper are popular finds.

Oregon State Parks

Rock and mineral collecting is prohibited in Oregon State Parks. Fossil collecting is strictly prohibited at John Day Fossil Beds (managed by NPS).

Bureau of Land Management - Oregon

Oregon offers great rockhounding on BLM lands including sunstones, thundereggs, and agates. Personal use collecting is allowed without a permit.

Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry

Collecting rocks, minerals, and fossils for personal use is permitted in Pennsylvania State Forests with a free permit. Popular sites include the Laurel Highlands area.

Pennsylvania State Parks

Rock collecting is prohibited in Pennsylvania State Parks. Fossil sites like Presque Isle may have additional restrictions.

South Carolina State Parks

Rock and mineral collecting is prohibited in South Carolina State Parks. Fossil collecting is also restricted.

Private Sites & Rivers - South Carolina

Fossil shark teeth and other marine fossils can be collected from rivers and private lands with landowner permission. The Edisto River is a popular site.

USDA Forest Service - Black Hills National Forest

Rock and mineral collecting for personal use is allowed in Black Hills National Forest. Quartz, feldspar, and mica are common finds.

Bureau of Land Management - South Dakota

Casual collecting of rocks and minerals is allowed on BLM lands in South Dakota for personal use. The Black Hills are known for gold, quartz, and feldspar.

Black Hills National Forest

Casual collecting of rocks and minerals including gold panning is allowed in the Black Hills National Forest. Popular for gold, quartz, and agates.

Tennessee State Parks

Rock and fossil collecting is prohibited in Tennessee State Parks. Ruby Falls and other caves have strict no-collection policies.

Private Fee Sites - Tennessee

Tennessee has several private fee-based sites for collecting agates, geodes, and garnets. Deer Lodge area and private river access sites are popular.

Bureau of Land Management - New Mexico (covers Texas)

Limited BLM land exists in far west Texas. Casual collecting of rocks and minerals is permitted on open BLM tracts. Big Bend area has popular rockhounding spots.

Private Land - Texas General

Most rockhounding in Texas occurs on private land. Always obtain landowner permission. Topaz, agate, and petrified wood are found across the state.

Private Landowner

Most of Texas is private land. Rockhounding on private property requires explicit written permission from the landowner. Many pay-to-dig ranches operate in the Texas Hill Country.

Texas Parks & Wildlife Department

Rock and mineral collecting is prohibited in Texas State Parks. Seminole Canyon and Balmorhea parks have specific mineral interest but no collection allowed.

USDA Forest Service - Intermountain Region

Casual collecting of rocks and minerals is allowed in Utah's National Forests for personal use. Wasatch-Cache and Manti-La Sal Forests are popular.

Bureau of Land Management - Utah

Utah has abundant BLM land open to rockhounding. Topaz Mountain, Dugway Geode Beds, and many other sites offer free collecting of geodes, topaz, and red beryl.

Virginia State Parks

Rock collecting is generally prohibited in Virginia State Parks. Natural Bridge State Park and others have strict no-collection policies.

USDA Forest Service - George Washington & Jefferson National Forests

Casual collecting of rocks and minerals for personal use is allowed in Virginia's National Forests. Feldspar, mica, and quartz are common finds.

USDA Forest Service - Pacific Northwest Region (Washington)

Rock and mineral collecting for personal use is allowed in Washington's National Forests. Gifford Pinchot and Okanogan-Wenatchee are popular.

Bureau of Land Management - Oregon/Washington

Casual collecting of rocks and minerals is allowed on BLM lands in Washington for personal use. Agates, fossils, and petrified wood are popular targets.

USDA Forest Service - Bridger-Teton & Shoshone National Forests

Casual collecting of rocks and minerals for personal use is allowed in Wyoming's National Forests. Jade and agates are common finds.

Bureau of Land Management - Wyoming

Wyoming offers excellent rockhounding on BLM lands. Jade, fossils, agates, and South Pass gold are popular targets. Personal use collecting allowed without permit.

Bureau of Land Management - Wyoming

Wyoming BLM lands are open to casual collecting of rocks and minerals. The state is famous for jade, petrified wood, and fossils.