Metal detecting laws in England

Last updated: 9 September 2026

Metal detecting is legal and popular in England — there's no general licence to buy. But a handful of rules carry real legal weight, and a few are widely misunderstood. Here's what actually applies, in plain English, with the official sources so you can check for yourself. This guide describes England: the Treasure Act 1996 and the Ancient Monuments Act 1979 also apply in Wales, but there the consent bodies are Cadw and Natural Resources Wales rather than Historic England and Natural England. Scotland has a separate system (Treasure Trove) and isn't covered.

Do you need permission to metal detect?

Yes — on every piece of land, and before you start. There is no land in England without an owner, so "public" ground still belongs to someone: a council, the National Trust, Forestry England, the Crown Estate or a private owner. Detecting without permission can be criminal damage or theft, quite apart from any heritage law.

Permission can be spoken, but a short written agreement is strongly recommended — it protects both sides and should say who owns any finds and how any reward is split. It has to come from someone entitled to give it: the owner, and where relevant a tenant farmer who works the land. When in doubt, ask the owner. Our guide to where you can metal detect in England goes through farmland, commons, footpaths and the foreshore in detail.

Scheduled monuments and protected sites

This is the rule that turns a hobby into a criminal matter, so it's worth being exact. Under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 (section 42), it is an offence to use a metal detector in a "protected place" without written consent. In England that consent comes from Historic England (a "section 42 consent"), and for a casual detecting outing it is essentially never given.

A "protected place" means a scheduled monument, a monument in the guardianship of the state or a local authority, or a designated area of archaeological importance. Using a detector there without consent is a fine up to level 3 on the standard scale. Removing an object you detect in a protected place without consent is more serious still — up to an unlimited fine on conviction on indictment.

The catch is that a scheduled monument often looks like an ordinary field. Muld draws the National Heritage List for England — scheduled monuments and other protected sites — directly on the map, so you can see one before you walk onto it. Our guide to scheduled monuments and metal detecting explains the designations and the consent process.

Where else is detecting restricted?

Beyond scheduled monuments, several designations restrict detecting even with the landowner's permission — and they're the ones the guides tend to skip:

• Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). Metal detecting and digging are usually operations that need prior written consent from Natural England, and that consent is rarely given. The landowner's permission alone is not enough.
• Agri-environment scheme land. Land in a Countryside Stewardship or Environmental Stewardship agreement often has detecting restricted or excluded under the agreement, and Historic England advises checking before you search.
• Rights of way. A public footpath or bridleway is a right of passage only — it is not permission to detect or dig on or beside the path.
• Access ("right to roam") land. The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 gives a right to walk on access land; it does not give a right to metal detect there.
• Commons and registered common land. Extra restrictions can apply on top of the landowner's permission.

The Treasure Act 1996 — what must you report?

Treasure is defined by the Treasure Act 1996, and finds that meet the definition belong to the Crown. The core criteria are:

• Any object (other than a coin) at least 300 years old and made of at least 10% gold or silver by weight.
• Two or more coins from the same find that are at least 300 years old and meet the 10% precious-metal test — or ten or more coins from the same find that are at least 300 years old (this covers base-metal coin hoards).
• Prehistoric finds: any prehistoric object with a precious-metal part, and two or more prehistoric base-metal objects from the same find — regardless of the 300-year and 10% tests.
• Objects found in association with treasure, and objects at least 200 years old in a class the government has designated.

The 2023 change. For finds made on or after 30 July 2023, a new class was added: a find with a metal element that is at least 200 years old and that provides "an exceptional insight into an aspect of national or regional history, archaeology or culture." This finally captures nationally important objects — such as significant Roman base-metal pieces — that used to slip through the precious-metal test. If a find feels genuinely important, treat it as potential treasure even if it isn't gold or silver.

Note the "or": treasure isn't limited to precious metal. If you're unsure, the safe course is to treat a find as if it might be treasure — leave it as intact as you can, note exactly where it came from, and report it.

How and when to report treasure

By law you must notify the coroner for the area within 14 days — counted from the day after you found the object, or from the day you first had reason to believe it might be treasure, whichever is later. In practice you report to your local Finds Liaison Officer, who handles the coroner notification and the process. Failing to report treasure can lead to an unlimited fine or up to 3 months in prison.

If a museum wishes to acquire the treasure, the independent Treasure Valuation Committee commissions a valuation and recommends the market value and how any reward is shared — typically between the finder and the landowner. Detecting in good faith and with permission protects your share; trespass or failing to report can reduce or forfeit it. This is exactly why a written permission that settles finds ownership up front matters.

Recording other finds (the Portable Antiquities Scheme)

Most finds aren't treasure — a single Roman coin, a medieval buckle, a Georgian button. These are recorded voluntarily through the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS), run by the British Museum and Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales, through a network of local Finds Liaison Officers. Recording is free, it doesn't mean giving up your find, and it turns your find into part of the national archaeological record — nearly two million objects and counting.

Muld keeps a private journal of your finds — photo, position and notes made in the field — so that when you visit your FLO the record is already there. Nothing leaves your phone unless you choose to share it. You can find your local FLO and record finds at finds.org.uk.

The Code of Practice and good practice

Beyond the letter of the law, the official Code of Practice for Responsible Metal Detecting in England and Wales is the shared standard that keeps landowners happy and the hobby respected. In brief:

• Get permission — landowner and, where relevant, tenant — in writing, including who owns the finds.
• Know the protected sites before you go: check scheduled monuments and other designations (the Government's MAGIC map, your FLO, or the Historic Environment Record).
• Work already-disturbed ground and stay within plough depth; don't dig into undisturbed layers.
• Minimise disturbance, and reinstate every hole neatly.
• Record your findspots as accurately as you can — a GPS position, or a grid reference to at least the nearest 100 metres.
• Report treasure under the Act, and record other finds with the PAS.
• Follow the Countryside Code — gates, crops, livestock, litter and wildlife.

Official sources

This page is a plain-language summary — not legal advice, and not a substitute for the sources themselves. Rules change, much depends on the exact spot you're standing on, and the legal responsibility is yours. Always verify against the official sources.