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January 7, 2009

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local laws conc...

local laws concerning fossil hunting

7/3/2002 9:55:08 PM

ditchweezil

347 posts

local laws concerning fossil hunting

While there are many fossils to be found, there are in fact laws regulating their recovery. What are some of the laws where you hunt fossils?

7/3/2002 10:11:33 PM

ditchweezil

347 posts

SC laws concerning fossil hunting

South Carolina is one of the few states where you can use "personal dredging" equipment without a license for the recovery of fossils. What is "personal dredging" equipment? Simply put - sifters. It is legal to use non mechanical equipment for the recovery of artifacts and fossils. You cannot, however, use anything mechanical in the actual recovery, i.e. a pump that creates a stream of water that rinses the bank, a dredge that lifts sediments from the stream or river bottom, etc. you also can't use a back hoe to fill a sifter :-) You can, however, use a back hoe to dig a big hole, then use a shovel and sifter to extract the fossils. There is no requirement for a license to collect fossils on dry land. A license is required to recover fossils and artifacts with scuba equipment. There are two types - a hobby license and a commercial license. If you want to sell what you find, you have to get a commercial license. If its just for fun, you get a hobby license. The hobby flavor is pretty cheap while the commercial one is a little more. I think I paid $18 for a hobby license 2 years ago (mine lasts for 2 years). When you have a license, you are required to submit a quarterly report to the state archaeology/anthropology department. Submitting this report is mandatory whether you did any fossil diving in that time period or not. They issue you a little card and you have to have it with you when you're diving. There are game wardens out there and they can check you. I've never been checked, but I know people who have been. Always be aware of "No Trespassing" signs. If its posted, you'd better not go. Also, be sure to get permission from private land owner before going out on their land. All whom I have asked have said yes, and others can be persuaded to let you go in exchange for a few fossils you find along the way. There are probably more laws, but I haven't heard of them. Anyone else know anything about SC laws regarding fossil collection?

9/3/2003 4:11:21 AM

legacyForum

725 posts

Re: SC laws concerning fossil hunting

You have pretty much covered the laws in S.C. for collecting fossils. As far as state laws go, the only requirement is for the hobby or commercial diving permits. I would like to add one thing though, only because there are some misconceptions about what happens when you file the quarterly reports (when you have a diving permit). The diving reports are turned over to the Chief Curator of Natural History at the S.C. State Museum, who sometimes reads them just to see what has been reported. There are no laws on the books that gives the State Museum or anyone else the right to confiscate any fossils whatsoever, and even if there were, the curator would never, under any circumstances have any interest in confiscating anything. The fossils that are found in the rivers are out of geological context and therefore lose a lot (but not all) of their paleontological significance. The Chief Curator at the State Museum fully supports hobby diving and opposes changing the laws as they exist today.

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