Metal Detecting Laws in Bangladesh

A general hobby metal-detecting rule for Bangladesh could not be confirmed. The same uncertainty remains for beaches, private land, protected antiquities, state forests, national parks and sanctuaries. Treat those gaps as unresolved questions, not permission to start searching. The confirmed rules below cover archaeological excavation and the reporting and disposal of treasure.

The rules, land by land

Even where detecting is allowed, archaeological and historic sites are protected, and you must fill every hole and follow posted rules. Always confirm the current rule with the land manager.

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Archaeological excavation

Under section 25 of the Antiquities Act, 1968, excavation for archaeological purposes on any land requires a license from the Director of Archaeology. A license for someone other than the landowner requires an agreement with the owner. An owner must not be refused a license if the owner undertakes to excavate without losing archaeological or historical material that should be preserved in the national interest. This archaeological-excavation requirement does not settle ordinary hobby detector use.

Beaches and private land

Hobby-detecting rules for beaches, foreshore and private land could not be confirmed. The Antiquities Act’s section 25 applies to archaeological excavation on these lands, but it does not establish permission to search for modern lost items. A landowner’s agreement under that section is part of the archaeological licensing process; it does not by itself answer the hobby-detecting question.

Protected antiquities

A detector rule covering all protected antiquities could not be confirmed. Section 18 of the Antiquities Act limits the use of protected immovable antiquities under the Director’s guardianship or in which the Government has acquired rights to purposes directly related to administration or preservation, except as the Act or agreement otherwise provides. Section 19 prohibits damage and alteration to antiquities under that guardianship or government-rights framework, subject to the Act or agreement and its exception for carrying out the Act’s purposes. Section 24 also allows excavation restrictions in areas specified by Gazette notification.

The ministry-linked Antiquities Preservation Rules, 1986 scan is labeled a draft. It does not establish an adopted detector or digging rule.

State forests

A hobby-detecting rule covering all state forests could not be confirmed. In reserved forests, section 26(1A)(e) of the Forest Act, 1927 penalizes clearing or breaking up land for cultivation or any other purpose. Section 26(2) excepts acts authorized in writing by a Forest-officer, acts under government rules, and specified rights continued under section 15 or created by a government grant or written contract under section 23.

For protected forests, Forest Act sections 30 and 32 allow restrictions and rules on clearing and breaking up land. Section 34 excepts written Forest-officer permission and acts under section 32 rules; it also preserves recorded section 29 rights except in closed portions or where those rights have been suspended. Section 7 of the supplementary বন ও বৃক্ষ সংরক্ষণ আইন, ২০২৬ (Forest and Tree Conservation Act, 2026) separately addresses non-forest use. Its application to ordinary detector target recovery has not been confirmed, so the older Act’s exceptions should not be read as unrestricted detecting permission.

National parks and sanctuaries

A general hobby-detecting rule for national parks and sanctuaries could not be confirmed. Section 20 of বন্যপ্রাণী (সংরক্ষণ ও নিরাপত্তা) আইন, ২০২৬ (Wildlife Conservation and Security Act, 2026) regulates entry into these areas; entry permission does not establish permission to detect or dig. Section 19(1)(ট) prohibits searching or digging for mineral extraction there. Whether that provision covers recovery of ordinary manufactured lost items remains unresolved.

Treasure: report first, await the statutory process

The Treasure-Trove Act, 1878 defines treasure as anything of value hidden in soil or in something affixed to it. Under section 4, a finder of treasure worth more than ten taka must notify the Collector in writing as soon as practicable, stating its nature and amount or approximate value, the place and the date of finding. The finder must either deposit it in the nearest Government treasury or give security acceptable to the Collector to produce it when and where required. This is a treasure-specific duty, not a reporting deadline for every lost item or antiquity.

Under the Collector’s statutory process in sections 9–16, treasure declared ownerless is delivered to the finder or divided under the applicable procedures, subject to Government acquisition. Before delivery or division, the Collector may acquire it for the Government by paying its material value plus one-fifth. The Act’s possible allocation to a finder is not permission to keep a fresh find immediately, and it is not a search permit.

Ordinary lost goods and antiquities

A blanket right to keep ordinary lost goods or newly found antiquities could not be confirmed. Under Contract Act, 1872, section 71, a finder who takes another person’s goods into custody has a bailee’s responsibilities. Antiquities Act sections 5 and 14 give the Director custody and preservation powers for ownerless antiquities or those whose owners cannot be traced. These provisions do not establish a blanket finder-ownership rule.

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