The natural spaces of Florida are enjoyed by residents and visitors alike. Florida has more than 12 million acres of publicly accessible state land including uplands, wetlands, lakes, rivers, springs, and islands providing abundant opportunities to explore natural Florida. While exploring our state lands, you may discover a fossil. Fossils are the remains of ancient life. Finding a fossil can be very exciting. However, depending on where your find is located, it may or may not be legal for you to take it with you. It is suggested that fossil collectors check with the manager of any state lands they are interested in collecting from as some areas may be off-limits to collecting of any kind.
There are some places where collecting fossils on public land is not allowed. These include national parks, state parks, wildlife refuges, water management district and other lands owned and managed by state and local government agencies. If you are collecting on private land with the landowner’s permission, or you are the landowner, you do not need a permit to collect fossils if there is no mining involved. If you are unsure what would qualify as mining or what permitting is needed for mining operations you can find out more at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Mining and Mitigation Program Mining FAQ.
On state lands that are not part of a state park, wildlife refuge, or a state vertebrate paleontological site, you may collect plant fossils or invertebrate fossils such as petrified wood, shells, or echinoids found on the land surface without a permit. You may also collect shark teeth (a vertebrate fossil) without a permit. Collecting any other vertebrate fossil requires a Florida Fossil Permit obtained through the Florida Museum of Natural History. The permit costs $5.00 and is good for one year. All vertebrate fossil finds must be reported to the Florida Museum of Natural History and ones that are deemed scientifically significant may be claimed by the State as a condition of issuing the permit.
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