Metal Detecting on Georgia's Metro Atlanta

10 locations · 5 prohibited · 5 limited

Rules last verified: 2026-08-19 · Georgia statewide rules

Metro Atlanta has no beaches and no open state land, so the rules are strict. The Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area and Kennesaw Mountain battlefield are national-park units where detecting is federally prohibited, and Sweetwater Creek and Red Top Mountain are state parks where it is banned outright. The realistic legal options here are the designated swim beaches on Lake Lanier and Lake Allatoona (Corps of Engineers rules — confirm the open areas with the project office) and, as always in Georgia, private land with the owner's permission. Check each county's park rules before detecting a local park.

Beaches and parks on the Metro Atlanta

🔴 Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area Prohibited · Fulton County
Federal NPS land — possessing or using a metal detector is prohibited throughout this unit (36 CFR 2.1(a)(7)); no digging, relic hunting or …
🔴 Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park Prohibited · Cobb County
Federal NPS land — possessing or using a metal detector is prohibited (36 CFR 2.1(a)(7)); this is a protected Civil War battlefield, so digg…
🟠 Lake Sidney Lanier (USACE) Limited · Hall County
Corps rule 36 CFR 327.14: detecting is allowed only on designated swim beaches or previously disturbed ground; removing historic or archaeol…
🟠 Lake Allatoona (USACE) Limited · Bartow County
Corps policy allows detecting only in listed 'approved' areas, daylight only; hand-dig holes max 4x12 inches in bare soil with all soil repl…
🔴 Sweetwater Creek State Park Prohibited · Douglas County
Georgia State Parks rules prohibit metal detecting and even possessing a detector; the Civil War mill ruins here are protected historic grou…
🔴 Red Top Mountain State Park Prohibited · Bartow County
Georgia State Parks rules prohibit metal detecting and even possessing a detector; the park sits on Lake Allatoona but is state-managed, so …
🔴 Stone Mountain Park Prohibited · DeKalb County
Stone Mountain Park Ordinance 8-103: metal detectors are not permitted at the park except for security purposes. The park is run by a Georgi…
🟠 Fulton County parks Limited · Fulton County
Fulton County's parks code has no metal-detector clause and no general dig-up/remove rule, but most parks are actually run by the city they …
🟠 Cobb County parks Limited · Cobb County
No detector ban in the code, but Cobb Sec. 90-59 makes it unlawful to dig up, damage or remove landscaping or historical/cultural artifacts …
🟠 Gwinnett County parks Limited · Gwinnett County
No explicit detector ban, but Gwinnett Sec. 78-37 makes it unlawful to dig up, cut, damage or remove rocks, vegetation or historical artifac…

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