RocksdayRockhounding in Arizona
Arizona is fire agate country: BLM notes the desert regions of Arizona, southern California and central Mexico are the only places fire agate is known to occur. BLM's Arizona office puts its "reasonable amount" at up to 25 pounds a day and 250 pounds a year. The catch is the checkerboard of land: Arizona State Trust land is not public land, and collecting there is not allowed.
This guide is for general education only. It is not legal advice. Collecting rules change and differ by parcel. Before you dig, confirm land ownership and current regulations with the land manager (BLM, US Forest Service, state lands, state parks, or the fee-dig operator). National Park Service units generally prohibit collecting. Respect mining claims, tribal lands, and private property — when in doubt, do not collect. Last verified 2026-10-28.
Where to dig in Arizona
Only sites whose land manager or operator publishes them for collecting. For recorded mineral occurrences across Arizona, see the rockhounding map; an occurrence is not permission to collect.
Black Hills Rockhound Area
Public collecting area · BLM Safford Field Office
A day trip for collectors whose main attraction is fire agate, which always occurs with volcanic deposits. Camping is allowed throughout the area for up to two weeks.
Finds: Fire agate
Access: No fees or permits. Open year-round; summer temperatures top 100°F. About 18 miles north of Safford on the north side of U.S. 191, just east of milepost 141.
Access and fees can change. Verify on the manager's official page before you go.
Round Mountain Rockhound Area
Public collecting area · BLM Safford Field Office
A popular designated rockhound area near Duncan in eastern Arizona, with camping and hiking. BLM's page doesn't list what is found there; ask the Safford Field Office.
Access: No fees. About 50 miles east of Safford on Highway 70 into New Mexico, just past milepost 5, then 12 miles on a signed dirt road.
Access and fees can change. Verify on the manager's official page before you go.
Arizona rules
BLM limits in Arizona
BLM Arizona sets reasonable personal-use limits for mineral specimens, common invertebrate fossils, semiprecious gemstones, rock and petrified wood. Collecting is not allowed on developed recreation sites unless BLM designates them as rockhounding areas.
- Up to 25 pounds per day and 250 pounds per year.
- Groups may not pool their yearly allotments to take a piece larger than 250 pounds.
- Metal detectors are allowed, except in the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area.
Source: Rock Hounding in Arizona (brochure BLM/AZ/GI-14/009)
Arizona State Trust land
State Trust land is not public land: you need a State Land Department Recreational Permit even to hike or camp on it, and the permit terms bar collecting or removing natural products, rock included. BLM's Arizona brochure says rockhounding and metal detecting are not allowed on State Trust land.
Source: Rock Hounding in Arizona (brochure BLM/AZ/GI-14/009); Recreational Permits Terms and Conditions (read through a search index; the site blocks scripts)
Federal land rules that apply in Arizona
The same federal regulations apply in every state. The full explanation is on rockhounding rules on public land.
Bureau of Land Management land
On BLM public land you may collect reasonable amounts of rocks, mineral specimens and semiprecious gemstones for noncommercial purposes, generally without a permit. This does not apply on developed recreation sites, in areas that are closed and posted, where there are active mining claims or other authorized mineral uses, or where the mineral estate is privately owned. BLM can close or limit collecting in specific areas through its land use plans.
- Noncommercial only: the collector is not selling the items for a business or financial gain.
- No explosives, motorized or mechanical devices to aid collecting, except metal detectors.
- A permit may be needed if you use certain equipment, cause more than negligible surface disturbance, or camp longer than the posted limit.
Source: 43 CFR § 8365.1-5, Property and resources; Public Collection of Rocks, Mineral Specimens, and Semiprecious Gemstones on Public Lands for Noncommercial Purposes: FAQ (Feb. 28, 2024)
BLM national monuments and wilderness
Collecting reasonable amounts for noncommercial purposes is generally allowed on BLM land inside national monuments and wilderness areas, except for rocks and minerals that a monument's proclamation, law or plan names as monument objects. In designated wilderness you may use non-motorized hand tools only, with minimal surface disturbance.
Petrified wood on BLM land
BLM land is open to free collecting of petrified wood unless a Federal Register notice says otherwise, within fixed weight limits, for personal use only.
- Up to 25 pounds plus one piece per person per day.
- No more than 250 pounds per person per calendar year; quotas may not be pooled.
- No explosives or power equipment.
- It may not be sold or bartered to commercial dealers.
Fossils on BLM and National Forest land
Casual collecting covers common invertebrate and plant fossils only: a reasonable amount for personal, noncommercial use, picked from the surface or dug with non-powered hand tools, with negligible disturbance. It is allowed on BLM land and National Forest land that is not closed to it. National monuments within the National Forest System are closed. Fossils outside that definition, such as vertebrate bones and teeth, need a permit.
- BLM: up to 25 pounds of common invertebrate and plant fossils per person per day; a larger slab may be taken with hand tools to keep an embedded fossil intact.
- Fossils from National Forest land may not be sold, including casually collected ones.
- No casual collecting of any fossil on National Park Service or Fish and Wildlife Service land.
Source: 43 CFR §§ 49.800–49.810, Casual collecting of paleontological resources; 36 CFR §§ 291.11–291.12, Casual collecting on National Forest System lands
National Forest land
Forest Service mining rules list collecting mineral specimens with hand tools, gold panning, metal detecting and non-motorized hand sluicing among activities that need no notice of intent when they cause no significant surface disturbance. Forest Service rules also prohibit damaging or removing any natural feature, and individual forests set their own closures, so ask the ranger district before you collect.
Source: 36 CFR § 228.4, Plan of operations and notice of intent (National Forest mining rules); 36 CFR § 261.9, Property (National Forest prohibitions)
National parks and other NPS units
National Park Service rules prohibit possessing, removing or disturbing minerals, rocks, cave formations and fossils in park areas. Possessing or using a metal detector is prohibited too, unless it is broken down and packed away.
Source: 36 CFR § 2.1, Preservation of natural, cultural and archeological resources (National Park Service)
Mining claims
BLM says collecting is generally not allowed where there are active mining claims. Claim boundaries are not always marked on the ground, and some designated collecting areas have private claims around or inside them. Search the BLM Mineral & Land Records System, or ask the field office, before you dig.
Source: Public Collection of Rocks, Mineral Specimens, and Semiprecious Gemstones on Public Lands for Noncommercial Purposes: FAQ (Feb. 28, 2024); Sunstone Collection Area; Mineral & Land Records System (MLRS)
Artifacts and historic sites
Removing or disturbing archaeological, historic or cultural resources is prohibited on BLM, National Forest and National Park land. Leave arrowheads, tools and old structures where they are.
Source: 43 CFR § 8365.1-5, Property and resources; 36 CFR § 261.9, Property (National Forest prohibitions); 36 CFR § 2.1, Preservation of natural, cultural and archeological resources (National Park Service)
Collecting to sell
Collecting from BLM land for sale or barter to commercial dealers requires a contract or permit from the BLM first.
Abandoned mines, desert heat, flash floods, and wildlife are real hazards. Share a trip plan, carry water, and never enter unstable workings.
Rockhounding in Arizona FAQ
What can you find rockhounding in Arizona?
At the sites in this guide, the land managers list fire agate.
Where can you rockhound in Arizona?
This guide lists 2 sites that land managers or operators publish for collecting: Black Hills Rockhound Area (public collecting area) and Round Mountain Rockhound Area (public collecting area).
Can you rockhound on Arizona State Trust land?
No. State Trust land is not public land, the Recreational Permit terms bar removing natural products such as rock, and BLM's Arizona brochure says rockhounding and metal detecting are not allowed there.
How much can you collect on BLM land in Arizona?
BLM Arizona sets the reasonable personal-use limit at up to 25 pounds per day and 250 pounds per year, for noncommercial use only.
Sources
We cite primary sources (federal regulations, state rules, and land-manager sites). Third-party listicles are not used as citations.
- Black Hills Rockhound Area — Bureau of Land Management (accessed 2026-10-28).
- Round Mountain Rockhound Area — Bureau of Land Management (accessed 2026-10-28).
- Rock Hounding in Arizona (brochure BLM/AZ/GI-14/009) — Bureau of Land Management, Arizona (accessed 2026-10-28).
- Recreational Permits Terms and Conditions (read through a search index; the site blocks scripts) — Arizona State Land Department (accessed 2026-10-28).
- 43 CFR § 8365.1-5, Property and resources — Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (accessed 2026-10-28).
- Public Collection of Rocks, Mineral Specimens, and Semiprecious Gemstones on Public Lands for Noncommercial Purposes: FAQ (Feb. 28, 2024) — Bureau of Land Management (accessed 2026-10-28).
- 43 CFR § 3622.4, Petrified wood collection rules — Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (accessed 2026-10-28).
- 43 CFR §§ 49.800–49.810, Casual collecting of paleontological resources — Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (accessed 2026-10-28).
- 36 CFR §§ 291.11–291.12, Casual collecting on National Forest System lands — Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (accessed 2026-10-28).
- 36 CFR § 228.4, Plan of operations and notice of intent (National Forest mining rules) — Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (accessed 2026-10-28).
- 36 CFR § 261.9, Property (National Forest prohibitions) — Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (accessed 2026-10-28).
- 36 CFR § 2.1, Preservation of natural, cultural and archeological resources (National Park Service) — Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (accessed 2026-10-28).
- Sunstone Collection Area — Bureau of Land Management (accessed 2026-10-28).
- Mineral & Land Records System (MLRS) — Bureau of Land Management (accessed 2026-10-28).
Last verified 2026-10-28. Corrections welcome: if a rule or site has changed, tell us and we'll re-verify.