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Permission,
in writing, in two minutes.

Knowing where to look is the easy half. This is the other half: a written record of who said yes, to whom, over which ground, on which dates, and what happens to anything that comes out of it. Fill it in, print it, both of you sign a copy.

Runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you type is sent to us or stored anywhere.

Your agreement

Permission to search with a metal detector

The parties and the land

[landowner’s full name] (the landowner) grants [detectorist’s full name] (the detectorist) permission to search [the field or area, and roughly how many acres], at [town or county], [state], on the dates below and on no others.

Dates

Permission runs from [start date] to [end date] inclusive. It covers those dates only and does not create any continuing right of access.

What is permitted

Search with a metal detector and recover targets by hand digging. No mechanical excavation, no digging below the plough layer, and nothing on any part of the land marked as excluded.

Care of the land

Every hole is filled and the surface restored. Gates are left as found. Trash is removed. Any damage is reported to the landowner the same day.

Ownership of finds

Anything recovered is owned jointly by both parties and its value is divided equally between them. Either party may buy out the other’s share at an agreed value. Nothing is sold without both parties agreeing.

What is excluded entirely

Objects that are not the parties’ to divide, including human remains, grave goods and Native American cultural items, are excluded from any division. Work stops, the position is left undisturbed, and the appropriate authority is notified.

Reporting

The detectorist will show the landowner everything recovered before leaving, so both parties have the same record of what came off the land.

Ending it

The landowner may withdraw permission at any time, including during a visit, and the detectorist will leave promptly.

Landowner · [landowner’s full name]

Detectorist · [detectorist’s full name]

Both parties should keep a signed copy.

You have the paperwork. Now you need the land.

The hard part was never the form, it was finding an owner who says yes. FieldFinders lists private ground across 16 East Coast states whose owners have already agreed, set their own day rate, and approve each request by name. The agreement, the mapped boundary and the finds record come attached to the booking instead of being typed out by hand.

Free to join while we launch. All we ask is that you invite a friend.

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What a written permission has to contain

Four things, and the reason each one is there is that leaving it out is what causes the argument. Everything else is detail.

Both names. Who granted permission and who received it. Permission is personal. It does not extend to a friend who came along.
The specific land. Which field, roughly how large, and anywhere excluded. “The farm” is not a boundary.
The dates. Permission that never ends is permission that cannot be cleanly withdrawn, which makes owners reluctant to give it at all.
What happens to finds. Settled before anyone digs, in writing, because settling it afterwards is how people fall out.

Why a verbal yes is not enough

A verbal permission is real, and it is also unprovable, unbounded and unremembered. Six months later nobody agrees on which fields were included, whether the permission was for one visit or forever, or what was said about a split.

It also leaves the detectorist exposed. If a neighbour, a farm worker or a deputy asks what you are doing on that land, a signed sheet with both names on it ends the conversation. Nothing else does.

This form is for private land only

No agreement between two people can grant access to land neither of them owns. Federal land is closed to detecting under the Archaeological Resources Protection Act and National Park Service rules, and state land is decided state by state, often park by park.

Each of our 16 state pages names the authority that actually decides for that state and links to it. If the ground is not private and you do not have the owner’s permission, this form is not the document you need.

Questions people ask

Do you need written permission to metal detect on private land in the United States?

You need the landowner’s permission, and it should be in writing. Verbal permission is not worthless, but it settles nothing when it matters: who said yes, which fields, on what dates, and what happens to anything found. A written agreement records all four, and it protects the detectorist at least as much as the landowner.

Is this permission form really free?

Yes. It works in your browser with no account, no email address and no payment, and nothing you type is sent anywhere or stored. Fill it in, print it or save it as a PDF, and both parties sign a copy.

Is this a legal contract?

It is a plain written record of permission, which is what almost every detecting arrangement on private land actually needs. It is not legal advice, and it does not replace advice from a lawyer where the land, the finds or the sums involved are unusual. It is the same wording FieldFinders attaches to every booking.

Who owns what you find on private land?

Whatever the landowner and the detectorist agree, which is exactly why it should be written down before anyone digs. This form offers the three arrangements people actually use: split equally by value, shown to the landowner who decides, or nothing leaves the land. Human remains, grave goods and Native American cultural items are excluded from any division and are handled separately by law.

Does this form work in every state?

The form itself is the same in every state, because permission on private land is a matter between the owner and the detectorist. What differs by state is public land, and that is set out on the 16 state pages. This form is for private ground only.

This form is a written record of permission, not legal advice. It uses the same wording as the search agreement attached to every FieldFinders booking. Where the land, the finds or the sums involved are unusual, take advice.

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