First things first: this is general reference information, not legal advice. Rules differ by country, they change, and in a dispute what decides it is local law rather than an article on the internet. Check the current rules for your country and for the specific parcel before you go.
That said, there is a shared logic worth understanding: almost everywhere the law protects not the metal but the context — what an archaeologist could read from where the object was lying. Most of the prohibitions follow from that.
Legality is not one question
Lawful access to the land, the absence of a monument on the map you happened to look at, and owning a detector are answers to three different questions. Before you go, separate four checks: right of access, cultural heritage status, special-regime restrictions on the territory, and your plan for a chance find. If even one of them has no clear answer, don't turn the doubt into a field experiment.
Related: ethics in the field, reading old maps.
Four checks before you go
These are four different questions, and none of them closes the others. Work through them at home, not on site.
| Check | The question to ask | What is not a sufficient answer |
|---|---|---|
| Access to the land | Do I have a lawful basis to be here and, where required, the consent of the authorised person? | “The field is open”, “nobody is around”, “other people do it” |
| Heritage | Is there a cultural or archaeological heritage object, its territory or a protection zone; do I need to check with the regional authority? | The absence of a sign, or a single search of one map or register |
| Special regime | Are there conservation, border, restricted, municipal or other limitations? | The ordinary look of the ground |
| Find scenario | What will I do if I see a cultural layer, a burial, a hazardous object or a possible artefact? | “I will figure it out on the spot” |
Off limits almost everywhere
The list is short and surprisingly consistent across jurisdictions:
- Cultural heritage sites and known archaeological monuments.
- Burial grounds, nature reserves, national parks and other protected areas.
- Private land without the owner's consent.
- Restricted and military zones.
Country detail is in regional rules.
The European framework
Many European regimes grew out of the ideas in the Valletta Convention: archaeological heritage is a public interest, and interference with it is regulated.
For England and Wales the main reference points are the Treasure Act 1996 and the PAS recording scheme.
United Kingdom
The British model gets cited as an example of responsible amateur detecting, and not without reason. It comes down to three things: the landowner's consent, voluntary recording of finds with PAS, and a separate mandatory procedure for anything falling under the Treasure Act.
The point is that a detectorist here isn't an opponent of archaeology but a source of data. The full breakdown for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is in regional rules.
Poland
Detector searching generally requires a permit, and unauthorised work on monuments carries serious risk. The procedures changed noticeably through the 2020s, so old forum advice is not a safe basis. Detail in the regional overview.
Russia and the CIS
Key reference points (check the statutes in official sources):
- The concept of the cultural layer and of archaeological heritage objects.
- Article 243.2 of the Russian Criminal Code, covering liability for unlawful searching for and removal of archaeological items from where they lie. Read the wording and the practice in official texts only, with a lawyer if needed.
- A beach or an agricultural field does not mean "always allowed here". Land status, protection zones and local rules decide.
- Documenting a find in an app does not substitute for complying with the law.
Russia and Belarus — the rules differ
The two neighbouring regimes are often retold as one. They are in fact different permit systems, different registers and a different procedure when something turns up.
| Topic | Russia | Belarus |
|---|---|---|
| Archaeological searching | The Russian Ministry of Culture treats searching for and removing archaeological items as work on identifying and studying archaeological heritage objects, which runs under the open-sheet (otkrytyi list) permit system | Searching for archaeological objects and artefacts is carried out within archaeological research authorised by the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus |
| Metal detector | Do not read the absence of a “general licence for the device” as permission to search for archaeological items; check the purpose, the place, the heritage status and the regime | Official guidance states a prohibition on using metal detectors to search for archaeological objects and artefacts outside authorised research |
| Register | The unified state register of cultural heritage objects (EGROKN) plus the regional heritage protection authority | Registers and the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, plus the local executive body as the situation requires |
| Chance find | Stop at any sign of heritage or hazard, do not widen the intervention, and find out the regional procedure | Take measures to preserve it, stop any action affecting it, and notify the local authority in writing within the period set by the official procedure |
Important: a map, the owner's consent, the absence of a visible sign and a clean result from one register are not, on their own, permission to search or to dig. This is an educational overview, not legal advice: check the official texts and the competent authority.
Official reference points: open sheets — Russian Ministry of Culture, EGROKN, official guidance on protecting archaeological heritage in Belarus.
The detailed comparison of the two regimes is in Metal detectors and the law: Russia and Belarus.
France
Searching for archaeological objects with a metal detector without authorisation is prohibited, and amateur detecting is tightly constrained by heritage legislation.
Worth stating separately: don't take your cues from other people's field videos. That somebody filmed it and had no trouble is not a legal argument. Check permits and zones in official sources; mapping services such as Geoportail are useful for context but are not law.
The minimum before you go
- Whose land it is and whether you have consent.
- Whether the site has monument status or sits in a protection zone.
- Whether a permit is required in this country or region.
- What to do if a find triggers a duty to report.
- Ethics on site: filled holes, respect for the turf and for the neighbours.
Stop signals
If you meet any of the signs below, do not carry on “just to check”:
| Sign | What to do |
|---|---|
| A barrow, a burial, a cemetery, a cultural layer, masonry, the remains of a structure | Stop, move nothing and widen nothing; follow the local procedure |
| An unidentified munition, shell, fuze or other hazardous object | Do not touch it and do not carry it; move away and call the emergency or competent services |
| A dense scatter of pottery, bone, building fragments or objects lying in relation to one another | Treat it as context, not as a haul of “finds”; record what is visible without clearing |
| A fragile object with organics, glass, plating or a mark or inscription | Do not clean it; keep it in the state you found it and switch to the conservation route |
| A possible archaeological artefact in Belarus | Carry out the duties to preserve, to stop and to notify; do not dispose of the object |
Deepening the hole “to see what is down there” is not a check, it is excavation. Where the line runs is set out in Test pit: the line between research and amateur practice.
What the app is for
Maps and a diary help you keep the context and record properly where that's appropriate and lawful. The app is not a permit, does not issue one, and does not get around heritage legislation — and no app does.
FAQ
Where is it off limits almost everywhere?
Monuments, burials, reserves, other people's land without consent, restricted sites.
Russia — what matters?
The cultural-layer provisions and article 243.2, from the official texts only and with a lawyer where needed. Beach and field are not synonyms for "always allowed".
Is the field owner's permission enough?
No. It may be needed for access, but it does not replace cultural heritage status, conservation restrictions, special-regime limits, or a permit for archaeological research.
The register showed nothing. Does that mean I can?
No. A register is an important first source, not a legal opinion and not a permit. At any sign of heritage, or at any doubt, stop and check the status with the competent authority.
How is the UK different?
Through the landowner's consent and a culture of voluntary recording via PAS. The Treasure Act is a separate, mandatory reporting route that does not overlap with PAS.
Poland / Germany / France?
A permit is often required, and archaeological searching without one is explicitly prohibited. Detail in the regional overview. Other people's field videos are not a guide.
I found something contested — where do I look?
At the find procedure, then at your local heritage body. The ethical side is in the safety guide.
What do I do with an unexpected old find?
Don't clean it, don't sell it, don't publish the exact location and don't alter the circumstances of the find. Record what is visible, stop anything that acts on it, and follow the rules of your country and region. In Belarus the official material describes written notification of the local authority within two calendar days and a procedure for temporarily handing over a movable valuable. How to record all this is in the find context card.
Does the app replace a permit?
No. It documents and it teaches. The permit and the land status are a separate matter, to be settled before you leave.
What to read next
- Metal detectors and the law: Russia and Belarus — a detailed comparison of the two regimes, their registers and what to do on a find.
- What to do when you find something — context, hazardous objects and stopping safely.
- Test pit: the line between research and amateur practice — why authorised archaeological work is not the same as a deeper hole.
- From signal to context — what you already know about an object before the spade touches the ground.
- The find context card — how to keep the photo, the place, the notification and the object's condition.