Metal Detectorists

The current policy that the Archaeology Service adopts for Metal Detectorists is as follows:

• No metal detecting on any Council owned land or property.
• No metal detecting on or within 20m of any Scheduled Ancient Monument. This is a criminal offence with an associated fine of up to £20,000 and/or jail sentence.
• No metal detecting on known archaeological monuments. If you are unsure as to whether you are detecting on a known monument then please do not hesitate to contact us for advice.

Any finds made should be reported to a museum or ourselves with a note of the grid reference as to where they were found (a 6-figure national grid reference is preferable).

All finds in Scotland are subject to Treasure Trove Law. Unlike England the objects in Scotland do not have to be made of precious metals in order to be claimed under the Law. For full details on the Law can be found at the Treasure Trove website