California state parks
Managed by California State Parks. These are statewide rules; individual parks may post stricter ones. Federal land inside California follows federal rules, and drones also follow FAA rules.
Metal detecting Unclear
State park rules ban disturbing or removing earth, sand, rocks or minerals, which limits digging. Some units expressly ban possessing metal detectors (Folsom Lake SRA, Auburn SRA). Whether detecting is allowed depends on the district or unit.
- Permit
- Check with the district or unit.
- Sources
- parks.ca.gov · parks.ca.gov · parks.ca.gov
- Notes
- 14 CCR 4307. Unit-level orders vary.
- Verified
- 2026-10-21 · official text read
Confirm with the park before you go. Individual parks can post their own closures and rules.
Drones Designated areas only
Drones are allowed in state parks, beaches, historic parks, SRAs and SVRAs except where a District Superintendent's posted order prohibits them. They're banned in state wilderness, natural preserves and cultural preserves (14 CCR 4351).
- Permit
- None statewide; follow posted orders.
- Sources
- parks.ca.gov
- Verified
- 2026-10-21 · official text read
Confirm with the park before you go. Individual parks can post their own closures and rules.
Machine-readable: /api/states/ca.json