Can I metal detect without permission in the UK?

No. There is no land in England without an owner, so detecting without permission can be criminal damage or theft, and it can reduce or forfeit your share of a treasure reward. Even on open, walkable land — commons, footpaths, access land — a right to walk is not a right to detect. Always get the landowner's permission first.

How do I get permission to metal detect on farmland?

Ask the person entitled to give it — the owner, and on rented land the tenant farmer too. Be specific about the field, offer to share and record finds, promise to fill every hole and respect crops and livestock, and put the agreement in writing, including who owns any finds. A written permission prevents almost every dispute detectorists run into.

Can I metal detect on a public footpath or common?

No. A public footpath or bridleway is a right of passage only, not permission to detect or dig. Common land carries a right to walk, not to detect, and can have extra restrictions. In both cases you still need the landowner's permission, and it may not be granted.

Where can I metal detect in England?

Q: Where can I metal detect in England?

On any land where you have the owner's permission and no protected designation applies. Farmland with the owner's (and any tenant farmer's) permission is the mainstay. Council land, National Trust and Forestry England land mostly restrict detecting, and scheduled monuments and usually SSSIs are off-limits regardless of the landowner. The Crown foreshore is more open, subject to the Crown Estate's terms.

Q: Can I metal detect on the beach in England?

Often, yes. On Crown Estate foreshore you can currently detect without a formal permit, provided you follow the Crown Estate's terms and the Treasure Act. But some beaches are privately or council-owned and need that owner's permission, the tidal Thames foreshore needs a permit from the Port of London Authority, and foreshore within an SSSI or marine protected area may be restricted.

Last updated: 9 September 2026

The short answer: on land where you have the owner's permission and no protected designation gets in the way. The longer answer is what most detectorists actually need — how to get a permission, who to ask, and which "public" places are the ones that catch people out. Here's how to find ground you can legally search in England.

In short

You need the landowner's permission everywhere — no land in England is unowned.
On farmland, get the owner's and, where relevant, the tenant farmer's permission, ideally in writing.
Councils, the National Trust, Forestry England and the Crown Estate own land and mostly restrict detecting.
A public footpath is a right of passage only — not permission to detect. "Right to roam" access land isn't either.
Scheduled monuments and usually SSSIs are off-limits regardless of the landowner's say-so.
On the Crown foreshore you may detect without a formal permit, subject to the Crown Estate's terms.
Muld puts the protected sites and map layers on one view, so you can plan a permission before you search it.

The golden rule: permission first

There is no land in England without an owner, so the first question is always "whose is it, and have they said yes?" Detecting without permission isn't a grey area — it can be criminal damage or theft, and it can reduce or forfeit your share of a treasure reward. Get permission before you start, ideally in a short written agreement that also settles who owns any finds and how a reward would be split. That one piece of paper heads off most of the disputes a detectorist runs into.

Farmland — and tenant farmers

Farmland is the mainstay of English detecting: ploughed fields turn the soil, so finds move within the disturbed layer where you're meant to search. To detect a field you need the permission of the person entitled to give it — and on rented land that can be two people: the owner and the tenant farmer who works it. A tenant's permission doesn't always cover everything an owner's would, so where the land is rented, it's safest to have both.

Approaching a farmer is simpler than it looks: be specific about which field, offer to share finds and to record them properly, promise to fill every hole and respect crops and stock, and put it in writing. It helps to work out whose field you're looking at before you knock, and to plan your search around the protected sites Muld draws on the map.

"Public" land you can't just detect

Plenty of open, walkable land is owned by bodies that restrict or forbid detecting. Treat these as "ask first, expect a no":

Council land — parks, recreation grounds and verges belong to the local authority; some councils permit detecting under a scheme, many don't. Ask the council, not just turn up.
The National Trust — generally does not permit metal detecting on its land.
Forestry England — the public forest estate is not open to detecting without permission.
Common land — a right to walk on a common is not a right to detect; extra restrictions can apply on top of the landowner's permission.

Places that are off-limits

Some designations restrict detecting even if the landowner agrees:

Scheduled monuments and other protected places — using a detector there without written consent from Historic England is a criminal offence. See our guide to scheduled monuments and metal detecting.
Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) — detecting and digging usually need prior written consent from Natural England, which is rarely given.
Agri-environment scheme land — fields in a Countryside Stewardship or similar agreement often have detecting restricted or excluded under the agreement; check before you search.
Public rights of way — a footpath or bridleway is a right of passage only; it isn't in itself permission to detect or dig there, so you'd still need the landowner's consent.
Access ("right to roam") land — the Countryside and Rights of Way Act gives a right to walk, not to detect.

The full legal detail is in our guide to the metal detecting laws in England. A useful habit: check a heritage and designations map before you commit to a field. Muld draws the protected sites on the same map as everything else.

Beaches and the foreshore

Beaches are popular and, on the whole, more open — but "the beach is free" is a myth. Ownership still governs it. The Crown Estate manages about half of the UK foreshore (the strip between the high and low water marks), and on Crown foreshore you may currently metal detect without applying for a formal permit, provided you follow the Crown Estate's terms and conditions and the Treasure Act. But some beaches are privately or council-owned and need that owner's permission, the tidal Thames foreshore needs a separate permit from the Port of London Authority, and a foreshore inside an SSSI or marine protected area may be restricted. Our guide to beach metal detecting in England covers the foreshore, the conditions and the best times to go.

Clubs, rallies and digs

Joining a detecting club or a well-run rally is one of the easiest routes to permitted land: the organisers arrange the landowner's agreement, and experienced members help newcomers detect and record responsibly. A good club also keeps you current on the law and good practice. It's a faster start than cold-calling farmers — and more sociable.

Planning a permission on the map

Once you have a permission, the next job is working out where to search it — and that's where the map earns its keep. Muld puts LiDAR, historic maps and the protected sites on the same view, so you can plan a field before you walk it and keep a private journal of what you find, all on your own phone. There is no public map of where you detect, so your ground stays yours; nothing is shared unless you choose to.

Official sources

This page is a plain-language guide, not legal advice. Ownership and designations vary spot by spot, and the responsibility is yours — check the official sources.

Code of Practice for Responsible Metal Detecting in England and Wales The official standard: permission, protected sites, recording and reinstatement.
Portable Antiquities Scheme — guidance for landowners What a permission should cover, including ownership of finds.
GOV.UK — SSSIs: consent for activities Why detecting on an SSSI usually needs Natural England's consent.
The Crown Estate — metal detecting on the foreshore The current position and terms for detecting on Crown foreshore.

A note on accuracy. We've sourced this from official guidance, but it's a summary for detectorists, not lawyers, and local situations vary. If anything looks out of date or wrong, tell us at hello@muld.dev and we'll fix it.

Plan your permission on the map

See the protected sites, read the landscape with LiDAR and historic maps, and keep a private find journal — built into a focused detecting app for England. The core app is free.

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