In Switzerland, the cantons make the detecting rules, and the four we've read so far all require a cantonal permit: St. Gallen and Vaud issue limited numbers, Aargau has a volunteer programme with a long waiting list, and Valais grants permits only for self-financed scientific research. Federal law gives ownerless antiquities of scientific value to the canton where they're found. Other cantons remain unreviewed.
Can I detect in Switzerland?
The short answer for each kind of land. Tap a card for the detail and the rule’s own words.
- Anywhere: national heritage lawVaries by siteChecked against the source Oct 8, 2026
- Lake & river shoresVaries by siteChecked against the source Oct 8, 2026
- Protected monumentsVaries by siteChecked against the source Oct 8, 2026
- National parks & nature reservesVaries by siteno park- or reserve-specific detector rule foundChecked against the source Oct 8, 2026
- State forestsVaries by siteChecked against the source Oct 8, 2026
- Private landVaries by siteChecked against the source Oct 8, 2026
Open in many areas without a permitPermit, registration, or designated beaches onlyProhibited or effectively closed
The rules, land by land
Anywhere: national heritage law
Varies by siteThe captured Swiss detector rules are cantonal. All four we read require a cantonal permit or authorization: St. Gallen and Vaud issue limited numbers (Vaud's quota is currently full), Aargau works through a volunteer programme with a waiting list of at least a year, and Valais grants permits only for self-financed scientific research. The rest are still to be checked.
- St. Gallen: searching with a metal detector or other technical device for ownerless objects that could be archaeological finds needs a permit from the Amt für Kultur, Archäologie (cantonal archaeology office); fines go up to 30,000 francs; applicants must be 18 or older, live in the canton, hold Swiss citizenship or a C permit, have a clean record, speak German at B1 level and attend an interview; there is no right to a permit, and the office limits how many it issues
- Aargau: detector walks and field walking count as archaeological investigations and need a permit from the Kantonsarchäologie under the cantonal Kulturgesetz (culture act); volunteers must live in the canton (exceptions for neighbouring towns or people working there) and be 18 or older, and the waiting list for detector volunteers is at least a year
- Valais: prospecting and metal detector use need a permit across the whole canton, private land included, and permits are granted only for self-financed scientific research projects
- Vaud: since June 2022 every detector search anywhere in the canton needs an authorization from the cantonal archaeology office, and leisure detecting and magnet fishing count as prospecting; authorizations are limited each year, and the quota is currently reached; priority goes to Vaud residents and none to people living outside Switzerland
- St. Gallen says the law makes no distinction between toy detectors and professional ones: using either always needs a permit
- in St. Gallen and Vaud, a permit doesn't replace the landowner's consent
- federal law sets the ownership rule everywhere: ownerless antiquities of scientific value belong to the canton where they are found (Zivilgesetzbuch art. 724)
- The linked captures cover these four cantons; other cantons remain unreviewed.
What the rule says
“Im Kanton St.Gallen ist die Suche mit einem Metalldetektor oder einem anderen technischen Gerät nach herrenlosen Gegenständen, die archäologische Funde sein könnten, bewilligungspflichtig.”
Keeping finds
ProhibitedSwiss federal law gives ownerless antiquities and natural objects of scientific value to the canton where they're found, and they can't be sold without the canton's approval. The finder is owed fair compensation, which should not exceed the object's value; Vaud's detector permit holders waive even that.
- ownerless natural objects or antiquities of scientific value belong to the canton in whose territory they were found (Zivilgesetzbuch art. 724(1))
- they can't be sold without the competent cantonal authority's approval, can't be acquired by prescription or in good faith, and the claim to hand them back never expires
- the landowner must allow them to be dug up, against compensation for the damage
- the finder (and, for a treasure, the landowner) is owed fair compensation, which should not exceed the object's value
- a treasure with no scientific value goes to the owner of the land or object it was found in, and the finder gets fair compensation of up to half its value (art. 723)
- For ordinary lost objects, fulfill all finder duties, including notifying the owner or the required notice/report and proper safekeeping. Ownership is acquired only if the owner cannot be identified within five years from public notice or report. Finds in an occupied home or an institution serving public use or transport must be delivered to the householder, tenant or responsible supervisor; the householder, tenant or institution is treated as the finder (arts. 720–722).
- Vaud: permit holders may keep no object of archaeological interest and waive any compensation under art. 724(3); appropriating excavation finds is a crime under the federal cultural property transfer act (art. 24(1)(b)), as the Vaud and Aargau offices point out
What the rule says
“1 Herrenlose Naturkörper oder Altertümer von wissenschaftlichem Wert sind Eigentum des Kantons, in dessen Gebiet sie gefunden worden sind.”
Reporting finds
Must be reportedFor ordinary lost objects, federal law requires notifying the owner or, if unknown, a suitable notice and inquiry or police report; police reporting is required when the value clearly exceeds 10 francs. Finds in occupied homes or public-use or transport institutions follow the delivery rule in art. 720(3). Cantonal rules govern archaeological reports; Aargau requires an immediate report to the municipality or canton.
- lost property: notify the owner; if unknown, report it to the police or make a suitable public notice and inquiry yourself; a police report is required when the item is clearly worth more than 10 francs (Zivilgesetzbuch art. 720)
- Aargau: anyone who finds archaeological remains must report them to the municipality or the competent cantonal department without delay (Kulturgesetz § 41)
- Valais: every discovery of archaeological elements, inside or outside the archaeological protection zones, must be reported to the cantonal archaeology office immediately using its online form, and discovery areas must be left unchanged and secured until the office has assessed them
- Vaud: detector permit holders must report any find of particular interest to the cantonal archaeology office immediately, and hand in all finds (except obvious post-1950 objects, though coins of every period go in) at least once a year
- The linked captures cover these four cantons; other cantons remain unreviewed.
- For ordinary lost objects, fulfill all finder duties, including notifying the owner or the required notice/report and proper safekeeping. Ownership is acquired only if the owner cannot be identified within five years from public notice or report. Finds in an occupied home or an institution serving public use or transport must be delivered to the householder, tenant or responsible supervisor; the householder, tenant or institution is treated as the finder (arts. 720–722).
What the rule says
“1 Wer archäologische Hinterlassenschaften findet, hat dies der Gemeinde oder dem zuständigen Departement unverzüglich zu melden.”
Lake & river shores
Varies by siteWe found no separate rule for lake or river shores, so the cantonal detector rules we read apply there like anywhere else. Vaud's rules reach under water too: prospecting there includes searching in the ground, on its surface or under the water.
- no separate shore rule found in the four cantons read; their cantonwide permit rules apply
- Vaud: archaeological prospecting means looking for and collecting objects of archaeological or historical interest in the ground, on its surface or under water, and it needs authorization throughout the canton
- St. Gallen: searching with a metal detector or other technical device for ownerless objects that could be archaeological finds needs a permit from the Amt für Kultur, Archäologie (cantonal archaeology office); fines go up to 30,000 francs
- Aargau: detector walks and field walking count as archaeological investigations and need a permit from the Kantonsarchäologie under the cantonal Kulturgesetz (culture act)
- Valais: prospecting and metal detector use need a permit across the whole canton, private land included, and permits are granted only for self-financed scientific research projects
- The linked captures cover these four cantons; other cantons remain unreviewed.
What the rule says
“La prospection archéologique consiste à rechercher et prélever, dans le sol, à sa surface ou sous les eaux, des objets pouvant intéresser l'archéologie et l'histoire.”
Protected monuments
Varies by siteAssume no at archaeological sites. St. Gallen bans searching on known sites listed in its cantonal and municipal plans outright, Valais allows searching only in self-financed scientific research, and Vaud's permits forbid any damage to archaeological layers and structures.
- St. Gallen: known archaeological sites shown in the cantonal structure plan are protected objects, and searching on them is strictly forbidden and prosecuted; the same goes for the municipalities' archaeological protection zones
- Valais: prospecting and metal detector use need a permit across the whole canton, private land included, and permits are granted only for self-financed scientific research projects
- Vaud: no archaeological excavation; only recovery of objects at shallow depth in humus, at most 20 cm, is admitted. Holes must be carefully refilled and archaeological layers and structures in place must not be disturbed.
- The linked captures cover these four cantons; other cantons remain unreviewed.
What the rule says
“Bekannte, im kantonalen Richtplan ausgewiesene archäologische Fundstellen sind Schutzobjekte. Eine Suche auf den gekennzeichneten Flächen ist strengstens untersagt und wird geahndet.”
National parks & nature reserves
Varies by siteWe found no federal detector rule for national parks or nature reserves; the cantonal detector rules apply there as elsewhere in the cantons we read. The parks' and reserves' own rules were not read.
- no park- or reserve-specific detector rule found
- Aargau: using technical aids to search the subsurface for archaeological objects needs a permit (Kulturgesetz § 42(2))
- St. Gallen: searching with a metal detector or other technical device for ownerless objects that could be archaeological finds needs a permit from the Amt für Kultur, Archäologie (cantonal archaeology office); fines go up to 30,000 francs
- Valais: prospecting and metal detector use need a permit across the whole canton, private land included, and permits are granted only for self-financed scientific research projects
- Vaud: since June 2022 every detector search anywhere in the canton needs an authorization from the cantonal archaeology office, and leisure detecting and magnet fishing count as prospecting; authorizations are limited each year, and the quota is currently reached
- The linked captures cover these four cantons; other cantons remain unreviewed.
What the rule says
“2 Die Verwendung technischer Hilfsmittel zum Absuchen des Untergrunds nach archäologischen Objekten ist bewilligungspflichtig.”
State forests
Varies by siteForests follow the cantonal rules. Vaud's permits cover, in principle, only regularly ploughed fields: woods and pastures need the archaeology office's specific consent.
- Vaud: an authorization in principle covers only regularly ploughed land; wooded areas and pastures may be searched only with the cantonal archaeology office's specific agreement
- St. Gallen: searching with a metal detector or other technical device for ownerless objects that could be archaeological finds needs a permit from the Amt für Kultur, Archäologie (cantonal archaeology office); fines go up to 30,000 francs
- Aargau: detector walks and field walking count as archaeological investigations and need a permit from the Kantonsarchäologie under the cantonal Kulturgesetz (culture act)
- Valais: prospecting and metal detector use need a permit across the whole canton, private land included, and permits are granted only for self-financed scientific research projects
- no forest law was read; of the four cantons, only Vaud's permit conditions treat woods separately
- The linked captures cover these four cantons; other cantons remain unreviewed.
What the rule says
“3. L’autorisation octroyée ne concerne en principe que les terrains régulièrement labourés. Les zones boisées ou les pâturages ne seront prospectés qu’avec l’accord spécifique de la Direction de l’archéologie cantonale (DAC).”
Private land
Varies by siteAll four cantons we read require their permit on private land as anywhere else, and Valais says so outright: its permit rule covers the whole canton, private land included. St. Gallen and Vaud also require the landowner's consent.
- Valais: the permit requirement applies across the whole canton, private land included, and permits go only to self-financed scientific research projects
- St. Gallen: searching on someone else's land requires the owner's consent; otherwise the owner can sue for disturbance of possession
- Vaud: permit holders must first get the permission of the landowners or farmers
- the landowner must allow archaeological finds of scientific value to be dug up, against compensation for damage (Zivilgesetzbuch art. 724(2))
- The linked captures cover these four cantons; other cantons remain unreviewed.
What the rule says
“Auf der Gesamtheit des Territoriums des Kantons Wallis – auch auf Privatboden – unterliegt die Prospektion und die Verwendung von Metalldetektoren einer Bewilligungspflicht, welche nur im Rahmen von eigenfinanzierten wissenschaftlichen Forschungsprojekten erteilt wird.”
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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Canton by canton
The captured detector rules are cantonal: federal law, the Zivilgesetzbuch (Civil Code), settles who owns what you find, while each canton's archaeology office decides who may search. We've read four cantons so far, whose archaeology offices publish their detector rules online. All four require a permit, but they hand them out very differently. Other cantons remain unreviewed; consult the responsible cantonal archaeology office before searching elsewhere.
The four cantons we've read
St. Gallen. Searching with a metal detector or other technical device for ownerless objects that could be archaeological finds needs a permit from the Amt für Kultur, Archäologie, and searching without one can cost up to 30,000 francs. Applicants must be 18 or older, live in the canton, hold Swiss citizenship or a C permit, have a clean record, speak German at B1 level and come in for an interview. Nobody has a right to a permit, the office limits how many it issues, and it doesn't care whether your detector is a toy: using one always needs a permit.
Aargau. The Kantonsarchäologie treats detector walks and field walking as archaeological investigations, which the cantonal Kulturgesetz (culture act) allows only with its permit. It works with detectorists through a volunteer programme: volunteers must live in the canton (with exceptions for neighbouring towns or people who work there) and be 18 or older, and the waiting list for detector volunteers runs at least a year.
Valais. Across the whole canton, private land included, prospecting and metal detector use need a permit, and permits are granted only for self-financed scientific research projects.
Vaud. Since June 2022, every detector search anywhere in the canton needs an authorization from the cantonal archaeology office, and leisure detecting and magnet fishing count as prospecting. Authorizations are limited each year, Vaud residents come first, people living outside Switzerland can't get one, and the quota is currently full. Under the permit conditions, a permit covers in principle only regularly ploughed fields (woods and pastures need the office's specific consent), you may recover objects only from the topsoil, 20 cm down at most, and you need the landowner's or farmer's permission first.
Sites, shores, forests and parks
St. Gallen strictly forbids searching on known archaeological sites shown in its cantonal plan, and in the municipalities' archaeological protection zones. Valais allows searching only in self-financed scientific research. Vaud forbids archaeological excavation but admits recovery of shallow objects in humus to a maximum of 20 cm, with holes refilled and no disturbance of archaeological layers or structures in place. We found no separate rule for lake and river shores, national parks or nature reserves in the four cantons, so their cantonwide permit rules apply there too. Vaud's rules even reach under water: prospecting there includes searching in the ground, on its surface or under the water.
Who owns what you find
Ownerless natural objects or antiquities of scientific value belong to the canton where they're found. They can't be sold without the canton's approval, the landowner must let them be dug up against compensation for the damage, and the finder is owed fair compensation, which should not exceed the object's value. Vaud's permit holders give up even that, and keep no object of archaeological interest. The Vaud and Aargau offices point out that appropriating excavation finds is a crime under the federal cultural property transfer act.
A treasure with no scientific value goes to the owner of the land or object it was found in, and the finder gets fair compensation of up to half its value. For ordinary lost objects, fulfill all finder duties, including notifying the owner or the required notice/report and proper safekeeping. Ownership is acquired only if the owner cannot be identified within five years from public notice or report. Finds in an occupied home or an institution serving public use or transport must be delivered to the householder, tenant or responsible supervisor; the householder, tenant or institution is treated as the finder (arts. 720–722).
Reporting finds
Aargau requires anyone who finds archaeological remains to report them to the municipality or the canton without delay. Valais wants every archaeological discovery reported to its archaeology office immediately, and the spot left unchanged until the office has looked at it. Vaud permit holders must immediately report finds of particular interest and submit finds at least annually, excluding objects obviously later than 1950; coins of every period must still be submitted. We haven't read the other cantons' reporting rules yet.
Sources
Official and statutory sources this page is based on (source check: October 8, 2026):
- Schweizerisches Zivilgesetzbuch (ZGB, Swiss Civil Code), SR 210, consolidated text in force from 2026-07-01
- Metalldetektoren
- Feldbegehung mit und ohne Metalldetektor
- Archäologische Prospektion: Die Prospektion im Wallis
- Détecteur de métaux et pêche à l'aimant: autorisations requises
- Conditions liées à l'octroi d'une autorisation de prospection
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Is metal detecting legal in Switzerland?
- It depends on the canton. The four we've read, St. Gallen, Aargau, Valais and Vaud, all require a cantonal permit: St. Gallen and Vaud issue limited numbers, Aargau has a volunteer waiting list, and Valais permits only self-financed scientific research. Other cantons remain unreviewed.
- Do I need a permit to metal detect in Vaud?
- Yes. Since June 2022 every detector search anywhere in the canton needs an authorization from the cantonal archaeology office, leisure detecting included. The yearly quota is currently full, and people living outside Switzerland can't get one.
- Can I keep what I find in Switzerland?
- Ownerless antiquities of scientific value belong to the canton where found; the finder is owed fair compensation, which should not exceed the object's value. For ordinary lost objects, fulfill all finder duties, including notifying the owner or the required notice/report and proper safekeeping. Ownership is acquired only if the owner cannot be identified within five years from public notice or report. Finds in an occupied home or an institution serving public use or transport must be delivered to the householder, tenant or responsible supervisor; the householder, tenant or institution is treated as the finder (arts. 720–722).
- Can I metal detect on private land in Switzerland?
- In the four cantons we've read, the canton's permit applies on private land too, and Valais says so outright. St. Gallen and Vaud also require the landowner's consent.
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