Wyoming · BLM
Wyoming BLM rockhounding rules
Most free Wyoming rockhounding happens on BLM land. BLM Wyoming's rockhounding handout says nearly all of its land is open to taking limited amounts of rock for noncommercial use without charge. Collect by hand, for yourself, and leave no mark. The traps are claims, the state and private sections mixed into BLM country, and overlays.
The rule
- The national baseline: “except on developed recreation sites and areas, or where otherwise prohibited and posted,” you may collect reasonable amounts of “rocks, mineral specimens, and semiprecious gemstones” for noncommercial purposes (43 CFR 8365.1-5(b)). No “explosive, motorized or mechanical devices, except metal detectors” (8365.1-5(a)(3)). Anything for sale or barter to commercial dealers needs a contract or permit (8365.1-5(c)).
- How BLM Wyoming describes it: a reasonable amount means a personal hobby collection or home display, collected from the surface or with nonpowered hand tools, with negligible disturbance. “Explosives or power equipment is not an acceptable method,” and disturbances are to be reclaimed.
- Petrified wood: 25 lb plus one piece a day, and no more than 250 lb a calendar year (43 CFR 3622). No pooling with friends, and no sale or barter. A permit is needed above these limits.
- Common invertebrate and plant fossils: 25 lb per person per day, surface or nonpowered hand tools, negligible disturbance, never sold (43 CFR 49). Vertebrate fossils (bones, teeth, tracks) need a permit.
- Gemstones: reasonable amounts for personal use. Large quantities, or anything for resale, need a permit.
- Artifacts: BLM Wyoming says petroglyphs, graves, pottery, stone tools, arrowheads and other remains are protected by law. Leave them, and report sites to the field office.
Mining claims and jade
BLM Wyoming spells out how claims change things. On an unpatented claim located for jade, you may collect any mineral except jade. On a claim located for all locatable minerals, you may collect none. BLM Wyoming also says a claimant may not charge fees for recreation on an unpatented claim. A patented claim is private land. BLM's “Can I Keep This?” page is stricter: collecting on claims “is prohibited without the claimholder's permission.” Get permission in writing. How to check MLRS
Where you can't collect on Wyoming BLM
- Claims located for what you want, without permission. See above.
- Developed recreation sites, excluded by 43 CFR 8365.1-5(b).
- Wilderness study areas: BLM Wyoming lists 43 of them in three districts. BLM's “Can I Keep This?” page limits WSAs to non-motorized hand tools and minimal surface disturbance. Ask the field office before collecting.
- State and private sections inside BLM country, often unfenced. State land has its own rules (day use only); private land needs permission.
- Caves and abandoned mines: cave resources are protected, and BLM Wyoming says never enter old mines.
Red Gulch Dinosaur Tracksite
BLM's Worland Field Office manages Red Gulch, which BLM calls the largest tracksite in Wyoming and one of only a few in the world from the Middle Jurassic. It has a boardwalk and interpretive signs. Tracks are vertebrate fossils. Look, photograph and leave them.
Gold panning and small dredges
Wyoming DEQ's recreational prospecting guideline says hand panning, metal detecting, in-stream sluicing and dredges with an intake of 3 inches or less and a motor of 10 hp or less need no DEQ authorization if you follow it. Only hand panning is allowed in Class 1 streams, including the Sweetwater River, and work in Class 2 waters is limited to July 1 through September 1. BLM or the Forest Service must be notified before you operate on their land. The guideline was last revised in 2012. Verify with DEQ (Wyoming DEQ, Land Quality Division) before you go.
Who to call
Wyoming State Office 307-775-6256 · Buffalo 307-684-1100 · Casper 307-261-7600 · Cody 307-578-5900 · Kemmerer 307-828-4500 · Lander 307-332-8400 · Newcastle 307-746-6600 · Pinedale 307-367-5300 · Rawlins 307-328-4200 · Rock Springs 307-352-0256 · Worland 307-347-5100. Numbers are from blm.gov office pages; confirm before you call. Give the township, range and section when you ask.
Compare: Idaho BLM rules · Oregon BLM rules · Nevada BLM rules · Arizona BLM rules · Utah BLM limits.
Sources: BLM Wyoming, Rockhounding handout (rev. 2018); BLM Wyoming, Mining and Minerals; BLM, What We Manage in Wyoming; BLM Wyoming, National Conservation Lands; BLM, Red Gulch Dinosaur Tracksite; 43 CFR 8365.1-5; 43 CFR 3622; 43 CFR 49; BLM, Can I Keep This?; BLM, MLRS; Wyoming DEQ, Land Quality Division; BLM office pages.
Informational only — not legal advice. Rules, boundaries and seasons change. Confirm with the managing agency for the exact parcel before you collect. Last verified November 9, 2026.