Wyoming · state land
Wyoming state lands and parks: can you collect?
Three state agencies matter: the Office of State Lands and Investments (OSLI), which manages about 4.2 million acres of trust land under rules set by the Board of Land Commissioners; Wyoming State Parks, Historic Sites & Trails; and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD). Each has its own rule.
State trust land: day use, surface only
- Rock hunting is listed. Chapter 13 gives the public the privilege of using legally accessible state lands for casual recreational day uses, and its definition of those uses includes “rock hunting.”
- Not allowed: overnight camping (except where the Board allows it), off-road vehicle travel, fires, and damage to the land. The Board can close parcels; OSLI lists closures. A violation is a misdemeanor, up to $750 and six months (W.S. 36-2-107).
- Legally accessible means reachable by public road, right-of-way or easement, by public waters, across adjacent public land open to public use, or across private land with the owner's permission (Chapter 13). Check access on the OSLI, Land and Lease Map Viewer.
- No amount limit is published. Keep it to a small personal amount and ask OSLI (307-777-7331) about anything bigger. Verify.
- Fossils belong to the state. Chapter 11 allows noncommercial collecting of invertebrate fossils lying loose on the surface, with no digging and no permit. Everything else needs a Board permit (OSLI, Fossil permits).
- Prospecting: DEQ's recreational prospecting guideline says prospecting on state land is prohibited unless a mineral lease is obtained. That covers panning and sluicing.
State parks: no
Wyoming's park rules prohibit removing or disturbing soil, rock, mineral formations, petrified wood or artifacts without the superintendent's permission, and the rules taking effect January 1, 2027 add fossils to the list. Metal detecting is prohibited at historic and archaeological sites and needs the superintendent's written permission at parks and recreation areas. Wyoming State Parks: (307) 777-6323.
Game and Fish lands: ask
WGFD's Chapter 23 rules govern Commission lands and Access Yes areas. They don't name rock collecting, but they prohibit uses that interfere with the area's purpose. For Walk-in and Hunter Management Areas, WGFD says “Access areas are open only for a managed hunting or fishing opportunity, and all other uses require permission from the landowner.” WGFD: (307) 777-4600.
Antiquities and fossil permits
W.S. 36-1-114 requires a permit from the Board of Land Commissioners before anyone excavates archaeological or paleontological deposits on any state or federal land in Wyoming, and 36-1-116 sets penalties up to a felony for removing artifacts worth more than $500 for gain. Pick up only what the land type allows, and never dig into a fossil bed or a site.
Compare: Idaho state lands · Arizona State Trust Land · Utah SITLA permit · Nevada state lands.
Sources: Board of Land Commissioners rules, Chapter 13; Chapter 11 (fossils); OSLI, Frequently Asked Questions; OSLI, Restrictions; OSLI, Land and Lease Map Viewer; OSLI, Fossil permits; Wyoming LSO, recreation rules memo (2026); Wyoming DEQ, Land Quality Division; Wyoming State Parks, Rules and Regulations; WGFD Chapter 23; WGFD, collecting on Hunter Management Areas; W.S. Title 36 (36-1-114 to 116).
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.