Metal Detecting on Florida's Daytona & the Space Coast

8 locations · 6 allowed · 2 prohibited

Rules last verified: 2026-08-13 · Florida statewide rules

Daytona, New Smyrna, Cocoa and Melbourne Beach: drive-on beaches, big event crowds (race weeks, Bike Week, spring break) and generally permissive rules on the open public sand — Cocoa Beach just caps holes at 18 inches and requires you to fill them, and Brevard County's beach parks ban digging with tools. Canaveral National Seashore is the hard no — federal land, detecting prohibited — and Volusia County bans detecting in every county park (the open county-run beach is governed separately). Satellite Beach goes the other way and writes metal detecting into its code as a protected beach use. The 1715 Fleet beaches start just south, past Sebastian Inlet — check the Treasure Coast rules before you head there.

Beaches and parks on the Daytona / Space Coast

✅ Daytona Beach Allowed · Volusia County
The Volusia County Beach Code (Ch. 20), which overrides city rules on the beach (Sec. 20-6), says nothing about metal detecting or digging. …
✅ New Smyrna Beach Allowed · Volusia County
The Volusia County Beach Code (Ch. 20), which overrides city rules on the beach (Sec. 20-6), says nothing about metal detecting or digging. …
🔴 Canaveral National Seashore Prohibited · Volusia County
Federal NPS land — possessing or using a metal detector is prohibited (36 CFR 2.1(a)(7))
✅ Cocoa Beach Allowed · Brevard County
The City of Cocoa Beach code has no metal-detecting rule. Sec. 5-34(c)(4) bans holes deeper than 18 inches (or knee depth of the shortest pe…
✅ Melbourne Beach Allowed · Brevard County
The Town of Melbourne Beach Code, Ch. 40 (Beaches and Waterways), has no metal-detecting or digging rule. It does ban beach driving and walk…
✅ Ormond Beach Allowed · Volusia County
The beach is run by Volusia County; the Beach Code (Ch. 20) has no metal-detecting restriction on the open sand. Stay off dunes and the cons…
🔴 Volusia County parks (county park system) Prohibited · Volusia County
Volusia County's published park rules state that metal detecting is not allowed in any Volusia County park — inland and beachfront parks ali…
✅ Satellite Beach & Indialantic (Brevard County beaches) Allowed · Brevard County
Satellite Beach Code Sec. 26-1(c) lists metal detecting as a protected customary use of the dry-sand beach; Brevard County code is silent. T…

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Want to hunt with locals? Find a Florida metal detecting club →

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