Metal Detecting Guides & Reviews

Civil War relic hunting is legal mainly on private land with permission. Learn the federal and state rules, how to research camps and routes, and how to hunt safely and respectfully.

A plain-English guide to the Archaeological Resources Protection Act for detectorists: where it applies, the 100-year rule, the coin and bullet exclusion, and penalties.

Metal detecting is legal in many US places, but the rules depend on who owns or manages the land. Here is how federal, state, local and private-land rules fit together.