Finally, before you go out to collect rocks, minerals, fossils, gems or any other material, you need to know the rules for collecting on private and public land. For collecting in Bureau of Land Management property, you should get in touch with the BLM field office as explained above. For collecting on private property, you will need permission from the landowner. For collecting in other areas, you will need permission from the person or organization in charge of the land.

Taking a few common rocks from private property without landowner permission is a crime known as “larceny” and you can get in trouble for it. Taking a lot of rocks from their property or a few very valuable rocks can be a crime known as “grand larceny” and you can go to jail for it. Remove the wrong type of fossil or cultural artifact from government land, and you can go to jail for a long time. Many people have learned this the hard way. For more information please see our article Legal Aspects of Rock, Mineral, and Fossil Collecting by Timothy J. Witt, J.D.