Fossils
The rules pertaining to fossil collecting depend
upon the type of fossil (vertebrate, invertebrate, or plant). Under the Paleontological Resources
Preservation Act (PRPA) of 2009 (codified at 16 U.S.C. § 470aaa-5), “paleontological
resource” means “any fossilized remains, traces, or imprints of organisms, preserved in or on the
earth's crust, that are of paleontological interest and that provide
information about the history of life on earth…”
For vertebrate fossils (e.g., dinosaur) & trace fossils from vertebrate animals (e.g., tracks, eggs, coprolites), collecting by recreational rockhounders is illegal. A permit (scientific) is required to collect.
For invertebrate fossils (e.g., trilobites, snails) & trace fossils from invertebrates, recreational rockhounders may ‘casually collect’ in ‘reasonable amounts’ for non-commercial personal use by surface collection or use of non-powered hand tools resulting in only ‘negligible disturbance to the Earth’s surface and other resources.’
For plant fossils (e.g., leaves) and trace fossils from plants, recreational rockhounders may ‘casually collect’ in ‘reasonable amounts’ for non-commercial personal use by surface collection or use of non-powered hand tools resulting in only ‘negligible disturbance to the Earth’s surface and other resources.’
Note: Pursuant to the Paleontological Resources Preservation Act (PRPA) of 2009, the BLM and USFS (along with the National Park Service) are required to develop uniform federal rules regarding fossil collecting on federal public lands. The USFS adopted final rules in 2015.
Federal Enforcement Tools:
Illegal fossil collecting may be punished under a variety of federal laws including the Paleontological Resources Preservation Act (PRPA) of 2009, which has extensive civil and criminal penalties.