Land Use & Rock Collecting Laws In Michigan
Where Can I Collect?
USDA-administered National Forests and Recreation Areas
Private property with the express permission
of the landowner
State-owned land and property held in the
public trust
Most municipal parks and beaches (some have signage stipulating otherwise)
State-owned lands mostly refer to state parks. Lands held in the public trust include the soil/sand/rocks beneath the waters of the Great Lakes and Michigan rivers up to the “Ordinary High Water Mark” as defined by the Army Corp of Engineers.
The “Ordinary High Water Mark” (OHWM) is usually within a few vertical feet, sometimes just inches, from the current water level. It virtually never extends to the top of a beach, which may be private property or managed by another agency.
Lake elevations and OHWMs
can be found on the US Army Corp of Engineers website:
PLEASE NOTE:
Collecting stones and minerals may require a Free Use Permit
Check with a local ranger station. Rules and enforcement appear to vary.
Where Can’t I Collect?
From within the boundaries of any National Park or National Lakeshore
From private land without the express permission of the landowner
From historical sites such as parks or areas designated for preservation (IE Fayette Historic Park)
Collecting artifacts, meteorites, or antiquities of any kind from federal, state-owned, or public trust land is ILLEGAL.
Annual Limits
Federal
The annual limit for collecting USDA-administered National Forest and National Recreation lands is “a small reasonable amount for personal use.”
Some signs indicate this means about 10lbs.
Collecting invertebrate fossils is allowed on USDA lands.
State
The annual limit for collecting rocks on state-owned and public trust lands is 25lbs per year in Michigan
25lbs PER PERSON, per year.
25lbs includes invertebrate fossils.
25lbs TOTAL, not of each rock variety.
25lbs TOTAL, not from each location.
Private
There are NO LIMITS on collecting from Private Property as long as you have PERMISSION from the landowner.
Note: These annual limits EXCLUDE fordite and slag glass (such as Leland Blues, superior blues, etc.), as these are man-made byproducts. Most locations allow you to collect slag glass, except otherwise noted by signage.
Download Our Laws & Regulations Guide for Future Reference:
These are general laws and regulations that may be superseded by additional rules and ordinances (such as municipal parks, and historic sites)
Rules may differ FROM LOCATION TO LOCATION
look for POSTED signage
obey all posted rules AND regulations
Disclaimer:
You are responsible for staying up-to-date on current laws where you are rockhounding.
Although we make strong efforts to make sure our information is accurate, Michigan Rockhounds cannot guarantee that all the information is correct, complete, or up-to-date. To the maximum extent permitted by law, in no event shall Michigan Rockhounds be liable for consequential, incidental, special, financial, indirect, or exemplary damages whatsoever arising out of or in any way relating to this document or use of or inability to use the information provided. It is the users' understanding that Michigan Rockhounds is not rendering legal advice, and each user should do their own legal research.