Metal Detecting at Lake Keowee
Oconee/Pickens County · Upstate · Utility lake
Last verified:
The rules
Duke Energy controls the Keowee reservoir and shoreline but publishes no metal-detecting rule; boating, swimming and wading need no Duke permit, and access-area shoreline is open for bank use except at boat ramps and courtesy docks. Public land access is through parks - Keowee-Toxaway State Park (SC State Parks permit policy) plus Oconee County's South Cove and High Falls parks - so follow the rule of whichever park you enter from.
Permit: None published by Duke; follow the access park's own rule
📞 Call ahead: 800-443-5193 (confirm the current rule before you go)
Why detect here
Detecting at public swim beaches inside the lake's parks (check each park first); Duke's own shoreline access areas are an unposted gray zone
More spots nearby: Upstate & the Mountain Lakes · See the full South Carolina metal detecting laws · federal rules · which detector to buy
Source: Duke Energy Keowee-Toxaway Lake Services / Shoreline Management. Verify against the managing authority before detecting.