Casual collecting on BLM land

The Paleontological Resources Preservation Act (2009) and the Bureau of Land Management's rules at 43 CFR Part 49 allow casual collecting of common invertebrate and plant fossils on most BLM-managed public land without a permit. Casual collecting means a reasonable amount, using non-powered hand tools, with negligible disturbance to the ground, for personal (non-commercial) use.

A reasonable amount is defined as up to 25 pounds per person per day and no more than 100 pounds per person per year. Negligible disturbance means an area of about one square metre and no more than a few centimetres deep, restored before you leave. Petrified wood is handled under separate rules (43 CFR 3622): up to 25 pounds plus one piece per day, 250 pounds per year, again for personal use only.

Vertebrate fossils — bone, teeth, scales, tracks, coprolites — may not be casually collected. They require a research permit issued to a qualified institution. Uncommon invertebrates and plants (scientifically significant material) are also excluded; if you are unsure whether what you have found is common, leave it and report it.

Material collected casually on BLM land may not be sold, bartered or traded, and cannot be used to establish a commercial claim. Stratum flags BLM-collected specimens as not for sale and the Market compliance gate refuses to list them.

Some BLM areas are closed to collecting — national monuments, wilderness study areas, areas with active permits. National Park Service and Fish & Wildlife Service land is closed to all collecting. The land status on your locality record is the first thing a buyer, a museum or an inspector will ask about.