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Living in a "No Dig" town

That must be a very sad looking town without flowers and bushes in the peoples gardens. :laughing::laughing::laughing:

And smelly? As they can't burry their death. :?:




(cause how to do so if no one may dig even 1/10 of an inch? :roll: )
 
Why is that? Because being seen actually digging is breaking the ordinance since "dig" is in the documentation. It's a moot point if the ground is then put back in place, if push comes to shove. I don't feel we could squirm our way out of it in front of a judge.

Correct. I agree that not everyone will agree with the semantics of what I said.

BUT SO TOO might a judge say you violated "alter" and "deface" (even though you left no trace). Why ? Because of the temporary evil of the interim process. Thus I guess that means that every single park in the entire USA is off-limits. Because, trust me, some fashion of the wording exists.
 
Does anybody else live in a town with ordinances like this and how do you deal with it. So far I have stuck to my backyard, permissions, and public property with beaches and sand like volley ball courts, but haven't found much.

Sec. 14.03. - Prohibited Conduct Generally.
It shall be unlawful for any person in a public park or recreation area to:

Subd. 2. Dig or remove any soil, rock, sand, stones, trees, shrubs or plants or other wood or materials, or make any excavation by tool, equipment, blasting or other means or agency.

Subd. 4. Damage, cut, carve, mark, transplant or remove any plant, or injure the bark, or pick flowers or seed of any tree or plant, dig in or otherwise disturb grass areas, or in any other way injure the natural beauty or usefulness of any area.


The town I work in is even worse:

Sec. 32-23. - Unlawful acts.
It is unlawful for any person in any park to engage in any of the following prohibited conduct:

(3)
Dig, or remove any sand, whether submerged or not, or any soil or other materials, or make any excavation by any means;
(4)
Damage, cut, carve, transplant, or remove any tree or plant, or injure the bark, or pick the flowers or seeds, of any tree or plant. A person shall not dig in or otherwise disturb grass areas, or in any other way injure or impair the natural beauty or usefulness of any area;

Both towns are historically significant to MN. Would love to get into some of that public ground...What do I do!

I never know what I recently lost in parks, until I find them.

:)
 
The police themselves aren't really concerned about us all by themselves around here. I've had them come up to me without responding to a call, and asked questions about what they should buy one of their children. Talked many minutes, all the while my 31" Sampson was hanging from my belt carrier and a small plug was out.

I was once confronted by two cops in a school yard on a Sunday. They said they were responding to a call that an older man was wandering around the yard. Very pleasant, plus one officer volunteered a statement to me, "What you are doing is not against the law, have a good day." Then gave me advice where I could try hunting.

I'll tell ya...I was sure I had a probem that one time when the police SUV drove the SUV across the grass to where I was already pinpointing my dig.

Makes me think that as long as we don't smart-off, we'll hardly ever get a citation. LEOs are just people too. I still give then respect and not make a hole if they are in eyesight. That dig can wait a few minutes.

No sense being bold. It's not that hard to adjust and "stay friendly" with just simple respect. I really don't think any cop wants the paperwork to do at end of shift for a metal detector.
 
As Tom said, most towns have ordinances like that, if you look hard enough you can probably find some law that can be interpreted as "no detecting."

But I can positively say that metal detecting, if done correctly (no holes) doesn't damage the landscape and in many ways is beneficial to parks, playgrounds, etc. I can't count the number of times I've removed something from the ground that could hurt someone (nails, sharp can slaw, fish hooks, pins, forks, etc). The parks are a lot safer (and cleaner!) for me having been there (since I pick up trash I see while detecting as well as detected trash).

But there are always those who will give you a hard time just for the sake of it. To avoid trouble I always try to detect where people won't care and when they're not looking. If there are a lot of people in an area, or people who look like they'd give me trouble, I don't detect the grass. I go where people don't care about, like woodchip areas, sand, and dirt when I'm being watched.

As a woman, I don't feel safe detecting when no one is around, or at night, in certain places. So I probably limit myself more than I should in avoiding grassy areas a lot of the time. But I'd rather play it safe than get kicked off of a place and lose a detecting spot.

Word of advice is to carry around some of the more hazardous objects you've found so you can show them how detecting keeps people from getting hurt. I've been personally thanked by parents who see the nails and other sharp objects I've removed from parks and playgrounds.
 
The police themselves aren't really concerned about us all by themselves around here. I've had them come up to me without responding to a call, and asked questions about what they should buy one of their children. Talked many minutes, all the while my 31" Sampson was hanging from my belt carrier and a small plug was out....

While this might be true for your locale, and for those specific individual cops you met......: I'll bet you dollars to donuts that I could go into the police station in that town, talk to various superior officers, and fetch a "no". It depends on how the question is worded, their mood, their mental image, etc...

And actually, to simply ASK already casts an aspersion on the activity-in-question. The mere fact someone asks, implies that something is wrong, harmful, risky, etc... Ie.: Because if it were innocuous and harmless, YOU WOULDN'T BE ASKING. (in the same way you don't ask if you can fly frisbees). This connotation is not lost on the recipient of your question, and he will be inclined to give the "safe" answer.

All the while, it's exactly as you portrary: The reality of the "did anyone really care?" is quite different. So long as you're not being a nuisance, being cool, etc...
 
While this might be true for your locale, and for those specific individual cops you met......: I'll bet you dollars to donuts that I could go into the police station in that town, talk to various superior officers, and fetch a "no". It depends on how the question is worded, their mood, their mental image, etc...

And actually, to simply ASK already casts an aspersion on the activity-in-question. The mere fact someone asks, implies that something is wrong, harmful, risky, etc... Ie.: Because if it were innocuous and harmless, YOU WOULDN'T BE ASKING. (in the same way you don't ask if you can fly frisbees). This connotation is not lost on the recipient of your question, and he will be inclined to give the "safe" answer.

All the while, it's exactly as you portrary: The reality of the "did anyone really care?" is quite different. So long as you're not being a nuisance, being cool, etc...

We are on the same page. Thanks.
 
The town of Norwich, Conn. is the town I grew up in but no longer live there. They have a blanket ordinance that in no uncertain terms prohibits metal detecting within the city limits. PERIOD ! I've detected a couple of the schools in that town and a few other places with no problem.
 
First of all I want to thank everyone for all of the input. What a great community that I can get this much feedback in such a short period of time. It is very much appreciated.

Secondly I have a confession. I was pretty much fishing with this post. Even before I bought my metal detector this year I had read similar posts here about Md'ing and public grounds and while I was pretty sure I knew what you all were going to say I wanted to make sure(hoping) you were going to say the same thing in regards to an actual city ordinance.

Which brings me to my conclusion. I work overnights and get off at 7:00 in the morning. I am thinking this will be the best time of day to try my hand at my first public (grass lawn) medal detecting session.

Here's to hoping I don't get arrested or all my newly purchased gear confiscated. :laughing::no::(:lol:
 
The town of Norwich, Conn. is the town I grew up in but no longer live there. They have a blanket ordinance that in no uncertain terms prohibits metal detecting within the city limits. PERIOD ! I've detected a couple of the schools in that town and a few other places with no problem.

That must mean on any city land. Not all land (even private) within the city-limits. But if you say you've never had a problem, then it's probably one of those silly things that got into muni. codes 20+ yrs. ago. Yet today, you'd scarcely find anyone in authority to even know it exists. Hence ...... why rock the boat ? If no one cares, then ..... gee, that sounds good enough to me, eh ? :laughing:



First of all I want to thank everyone for all of the input. What a great community that I can get this much feedback in such a short period of time. It is very much appreciated...

You're welcome. Our rates are reasonable: You send me 30% of all your finds (I accept paypal :cool: )

.....Here's to hoping I don't get arrested or all my newly purchased gear confiscated. :laughing::no::(:lol:

TroJanClan, If we're talking about normal routine city parks (and not historic sensitive monuments) then I highly doubt you could find any examples of "someone getting arrested and confiscated". A scram from a gardener having a bad hair day, perhaps, at most. But at the times you're talking about (7am to 9am-ish), the parks will not have even filled with any such busy-body park-goer patrons I bet. Good luck.
 
Here's to hoping I don't get arrested or all my newly purchased gear confiscated. :laughing::no::(:lol:

Tactics to terminate this potential unfortuitous escalation have also been addressed here ...'Methods employed at the initial LEO encounter'....

If you somehow manage to be the first one of us here to get Cuft N Stuft for detecting a public park, Get some pictures and do a post once you get out of the pokey!! Oh Man, better yet get a vid, on account of that would go Viral!

Oh, I wouldnt say 'MudPuppy says you can go straight to bleep' though..:laughing:.unless you want additional charges piled on!
 
Just want to clarify that my comment about getting arrested was a joke. if I really thought that would happen I would never actually do it. And no. They are not historical sites either. I know to leave those alone.
 
What it really boils down to is your conduct. Lets face it, 99% of cops have a vastly more important agenda on any particular day than hassling a Detectorist who isn't making a mess, leaving open holes, etc. There are typically thousands of laws for any municipality that neither you nor anyone else knows about, or cares either. The vast majority of those "no dig" laws are to keep people from stealing the shrubs and whatnot out of parks-which does happen, by the way. Metal Detecting responsibly will not ruffle LEO feathers in general. They've got much, much more important things to deal with. Odds are they are more irritated at Nosy Nellie who called it in than anything else. If approached by LE, simply be polite and respectful and comply with anything they ask you to do. Most will not care, so long as you don't make a mess.
 
I got politey asked to leave a historical state beach some years ago by a
Park ranger,not knowing it was wrong at the time...no prob.
Also got asked to leave by a sheriff at the Sonoma square(Historical) which
I did.
I definitely won't put up an attitude to authorities.:D
 
lol

"I was in the Park looking to stab a Barber, bag a Walker, or nail myself an Old Indian fatty!"

Now that is funny right there...:laughing:
 
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That means someone already has "Dibs" in that town!!! I have seen 2 small towns with "No Metal Detecting" signs everywhere. You can bet someone does it!!! A Selectman, Historic Society Member, Maintenance, Grounds Keeper, Children, Retired people, Elderly, Disabled, those working for the city, etc.


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I read an interesting article yesterday concerning the sheer amount of Laws in this Country...Between Federal State and Local laws that are punishable with imprisonment...100,000 plus and climbing!...Said the average American is GUILTY of committing THREE felonies on a daily basis just going about normal life and doesnt even know it!...



so hey, go get you some!



And if the worst thing happens, and you find yourself in an interesting cage, and somebody asks..."What are ya in here for Boy?" ...Better not say "Metal Detecting" :laughing:



Say instead, "I was in the Park looking to stab a Barber, bag a Walker, or nail myself an Old Indian fatty!":laughing:



Nice come back hopefully that wasn't experience speaking!


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Awww it aint no biggie...Common experience in this Sport and Life in General....You aint really living unless you get tossed off a site a time or two...just a part of the overall Life experience...:laughing:
 
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