Finds & Responsible Detecting Code of Conduct

Metal detecting is a privilege built on trust — trust with landowners, with the public and with future generations who inherit our shared heritage. This Code of Conduct sets out how FieldFinders expects every detectorist to behave on land booked through the platform. It is built around UK law and the established good practice promoted by the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) and detecting bodies. It forms part of our Terms of Service.

1. Always get permission

Never detect on land without the landowner’s permission. A FieldFinders booking is your permission for the specific land, dates and boundaries shown. Carry proof of your booking and stay within the agreed area. If in doubt about a boundary, ask before you dig.

2. Follow the Countryside Code

• Leave gates and property as you find them and follow paths where they exist.
• Protect crops, livestock and wildlife; keep dogs under control.
• Take all litter home, including any rubbish you dig up that is not worth retaining.
• Park considerately and never block access for farm vehicles.

3. Fill in every hole

Always backfill your holes neatly and replace the turf so the ground is left as you found it. Open holes are dangerous to people and livestock and are the fastest way to lose a permission for everyone. Use a proper digging tool and recover targets carefully to minimise disturbance.

4. Report treasure under the Treasure Act 1996

By law you must report potential treasure to the coroner within 14 days of finding it (or of realising it may be treasure). “Treasure” broadly includes certain finds of gold or silver, groups of coins, and prehistoric metalwork — if you are unsure, report it. Your local Finds Liaison Officer can guide you through the process.

5. Record your findspots

Record exactly where each significant find came from, ideally with a grid reference or GPS location. The findspot is often more important to history than the object itself. Accurate recording lets archaeologists understand the wider context of a site.

6. Work with your Finds Liaison Officer and the PAS

Voluntarily report all archaeological finds (not just treasure) to the Portable Antiquities Scheme via your local Finds Liaison Officer. Recording finds on the PAS database adds to our shared knowledge of the past and is a core part of being a responsible detectorist.

7. Respect Scheduled Monuments and protected sites

It is illegal to use a metal detector on a Scheduled Monument without consent from the relevant authority, and you must not detect on protected or designated sites. FieldFinders listings should never include such land; if you believe land has been wrongly listed, stop and report it to us immediately.

8. Honour the agreed finds split

Discuss and agree how any finds (and any proceeds, where treasure is rewarded) will be shared with the landowner before you start, and honour that agreement in full. Transparency about finds builds the long-term trust that keeps land open to detectorists.

9. Insurance and conduct

You must hold a current NCMD or FID membership before detecting — that membership includes the £10 million public liability insurance required to detect on private land. We check the membership card photo at the point of booking; FieldFinders does not provide separate insurance. Behave courteously toward landowners, the public and fellow detectorists, and remember that your conduct reflects on the whole hobby.

Questions about this Code can be sent to admin@fieldfinders.co.uk. Detect responsibly, and help keep the fields open for everyone who comes after you.