Metal Detecting at Lake Marion (Santee Cooper)
Calhoun / Clarendon / Orangeburg County · Midlands · Utility lake
Last verified:
The rules
Lake Marion is a Santee Cooper (state public-service utility) reservoir on formerly navigable waters, so submerged artifacts and fossils are State property and their recovery requires a SCIAA Hobby License (S.C. Code 54-7-630/670) — hand collection only, no digging. Relics exposed at low water must be left in place unless you hold that license. Santee Cooper Property Management, not USACE, controls the shoreline land.
Permit: Required (SCIAA Hobby License) for artifact/fossil recovery
📞 Call ahead: 800-925-2537 (confirm the current rule before you go)
Why detect here
Huge Santee Cooper lake where low water exposes pottery and relics — lawful recovery needs the SCIAA hobby license; shoreline detecting is unsettled
More spots nearby: Midlands, Lakes & Rivers · See the full South Carolina metal detecting laws · federal rules · which detector to buy
Source: S.C. Code Title 54, Ch. 7 (Underwater Antiquities Act) + Santee Cooper Lakes. Verify against the managing authority before detecting.