A general rule allowing hobby metal detecting in Mauritania could not be confirmed. The same uncertainty applies to beaches, private land, state forests, national parks, nature reserves, and protected monuments and archaeological sites. Unknown means the rule remains unresolved; it is not permission to search.
Can I detect in Mauritania?
The short answer for each kind of land. Tap a card for the detail and the rule’s own words.
- Anywhere: national heritage lawNo verdict yetSource check pending
- Beaches & foreshoreNo verdict yetSource check pending
- Protected monumentsNo verdict yetSource check pending
- National parks & nature reservesNo verdict yetSource check pending
- State forestsNo verdict yetSource check pending
- Private landNo verdict yetSource check pending
Open in many areas without a permitPermit, registration, or designated beaches onlyProhibited or effectively closed
The rules, land by land
Anywhere: national heritage law
No verdict yetA general national rule for hobby metal detecting could not be confirmed.
Keeping finds
No verdict yetA complete rule for keeping finds, including archaeological objects, could not be confirmed.
- The Property Rights Code addresses chance-found treasure separately.
- Article 25 lets the owner reclaim lost or stolen movable property; against a good-faith possessor, the action expires three years after the loss or theft, and a good-faith buyer at a public auction or from a dealer in similar items may require reimbursement of the purchase price.
Keeping finds
AllowedSubject to special legal provisions, chance-found treasure belongs to the owner of the property where it was found; on ownerless land the finder receives four-fifths.
- Treasure here means a movable object hidden or buried, discovered by chance, whose ownership nobody can establish.
- The state receives the remaining one-fifth when the treasure is found on ownerless land.
- This ownership provision does not authorize searching or digging and does not settle the separate heritage-law rules.
What the rule says
“Sauf disposition particulière, le trésor appartient au propriétaire du bien dans lequel il a été trouvé. S’il a été découvert sur une terre sans propriétaire, l’inventeur aura les quatre cinquième et l’État le un cinquième.”
Reporting finds
No verdict yetThe applicable heritage-find and ordinary lost-property reporting duties could not be confirmed.
Beaches & foreshore
No verdict yetA hobby-detecting rule for beaches and foreshore could not be confirmed.
Protected monuments
No verdict yetA detector-use rule for protected monuments and archaeological sites could not be confirmed.
National parks & nature reserves
No verdict yetA detector-use rule covering national parks and nature reserves could not be confirmed.
- The 2023 wildlife decree prohibits acts liable to harm or degrade vegetation in parks, subject to special named authorization for scientific purposes or human or animal disease prevention.
- Article 40 makes reserve-management conditions part of each reserve’s creation and classification decree.
State forests
No verdict yetA general hobby-detecting rule for state forests could not be confirmed.
- The Forest Code separately restricts unauthorized extraction or removal of earth and other listed materials from classified forests, subject to usage rights.
Digging
Permit requiredExtracting or removing earth, sand or other listed materials from classified forests requires authorization, subject to usage rights.
- This rule concerns classified forests, not every state forest.
- The quoted provision also covers stones, peat, turf, leaves and forest products other than those listed in Article 46.
- The rule does not establish a general permission to sweep a detector.
What the rule says
“Sous réserve des droits d’usage, toute extraction ou enlèvement non autorisé de pierres, sable, tourbe, terre, gazon, feuilles et en général de tout produit des forêts classées autres que ceux énumérés à l’article 46 de la présente loi, donnera lieu à une amende de 10 000 à 50 000 UM.”
Private land
No verdict yetA hobby-detecting rule for private land could not be confirmed.
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.
Detecting beyond Mauritania? We cover 207 more countries rule by rule too. See the world map →
Open data: every rule in our Mauritania guide, with its quote, source and check date, free to reuse (CC BY-SA 4.0). Download the data →
Heritage law: a key gap
An official heritage-law report identifies Law 2019-024 of May 14, 2019 as replacing the 2005 heritage law. The operative 2019 text was unavailable for this guide, so the report cannot settle detector use, archaeological finds, or reporting duties. The available sources do not establish a complete, current heritage-law framework.
A private landowner’s agreement cannot be treated as confirmation that detecting is lawful. The private-land detecting rule remains unconfirmed, as does the rule for protected monuments and archaeological sites.
Treasure and lost property
Article 52 of the Code des droits réels (Property Rights Code), Law 2017-014 defines treasure as a hidden or buried movable object discovered by chance whose ownership nobody can establish. Subject to special legal provisions, it belongs to the owner of the property where it was found. On ownerless land, the finder receives four-fifths and the state receives one-fifth.
That is a limited ownership rule, not authorization to search or dig. It does not resolve the separate heritage rules or establish that a detector find qualifies as chance-found treasure. A complete rule for keeping finds, including archaeological objects, could not be confirmed.
Article 25 separately lets an owner reclaim lost or stolen movable property. Against a possessor who was in good faith when taking possession, the recovery action expires three years after the loss or theft. A good-faith buyer at a public auction or from a dealer in similar items may require reimbursement of the purchase price. These provisions do not settle the reporting duties for lost property or heritage finds.
Classified forests: removing material
Article 80 of the Code Forestier (Forest Code), Law 2007-055 restricts unauthorized extraction or removal of earth, sand, stones, peat, turf, leaves, and other covered forest products from classified forests, subject to usage rights. The provision excludes products listed in Article 46.
This is a rule for classified forests, not every state forest. It does not establish a general permission to sweep a detector, and the state-forest detecting rule remains unconfirmed.
National parks and nature reserves
The Loi n°2018-041 relative à la chasse et à la gestion de la faune (Hunting and Wildlife Management Law) repeals contrary earlier provisions, including Law 97-006. Its 2023 implementing decree, Decree 2023-066 contains separate park and reserve provisions.
Article 38 prohibits acts liable to harm or degrade vegetation in parks, with an exception for special authorization issued to a named person for scientific purposes or prevention of human or animal disease. This vegetation rule does not by itself establish a general detector ban. Under Article 40, each wildlife nature reserve’s management conditions form part of its creation and classification decree. A detector-use rule covering national parks and nature reserves could not be confirmed.
Beaches and foreshore
An official report dated July 3, 2026 describes the National Assembly’s adoption of a coastal bill. A promulgated replacement text was unavailable for this guide; the report does not establish the final law or subsequent amendments. The 2007 coastal ordinance cannot be assumed to settle the current position. A hobby-detecting rule for beaches and foreshore remains unconfirmed.
Sources
Official and statutory sources this page is based on (source check: October 9, 2026):
- Loi n°2017-014 portant code des droits réels (Property Rights Code)
- Loi n°2007-055 portant Code Forestier (Forest Code)
- Loi n°2018-041 relative à la chasse et à la gestion de la faune (Hunting and Wildlife Management Law)
- Décret n°2023-066 du 28 mars 2023 portant application de la loi relative à la chasse et à la gestion de la faune
- Loi n°2000-024 relative au Parc National du Banc d’Arguin
- L’Assemblée nationale adopte trois projets de loi relatifs à la protection du patrimoine culturel
- L’Assemblée nationale adopte le projet de loi sur le littoral
- Réglementation du Parc National du Banc d’Arguin
- Loi n°2019-024 du 14 mai 2019 — operative text unavailable (the agency site blocks automated checks; read it directly)
- Ministère de la Culture — register lead (the agency site blocks automated checks; read it directly)
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Is metal detecting legal in Mauritania?
- A general national hobby-detecting rule could not be confirmed. The official heritage-law report identifies a replacement law from 2019, but its operative text was unavailable for this guide. The gap does not establish permission.
- Can I keep treasure I find?
- The Property Rights Code, Article 52 assigns chance-found treasure to the owner of the property where it was found, subject to special legal provisions. On ownerless land, the finder receives four-fifths and the state one-fifth. The object must be hidden or buried, discovered by chance, and have no provable owner. This does not authorize searching or resolve archaeological-find rules.
- Do I have to report a find?
- The applicable duties for heritage finds and ordinary lost property could not be confirmed. The Property Rights Code’s ownership and recovery provisions do not settle that question. An unknown reporting rule is not confirmation that no duty exists.
- Can I detect on a beach or in a forest?
- Neither land type has a confirmed hobby-detecting rule in this guide. The coastal bill report does not settle beach detecting. The Forest Code, Article 80 restricts extraction or removal of covered materials in classified forests, subject to usage rights; it does not establish general detector permission.
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