---
kind: "section"
citation: "43 C.F.R. § 49.810"
title: "43"
number: "49.810"
heading: "What is casual collecting?"
url: "https://uscodex.org/cfr/43/49.810"
---

# §49.810. What is casual collecting?

- (a) Casual collecting means the collecting without a permit of a reasonable amount of common invertebrate or plant paleontological resources for non-commercial personal use, either by surface collection or the use of non-powered hand tools, resulting in only negligible disturbance to the Earth's surface or paleontological or other resources.
  - (1) Common non-vertebrate paleontological resources means common invertebrate or plant paleontological resources.
  - (2) Reasonable amount means a maximum of 25 pounds of common non-vertebrate paleontological resources per day per person. Where the common non-vertebrate paleontological resources are embedded in rock, the collector, using non-motorized hand tools, may remove a slab or cobble of rock that exceeds 25 pounds in order to preserve the integrity of the embedded specimen.
  - (3) Negligible disturbance means little or no change to the surface of the land and minimal or no effect to natural and other resources.
  - (4) Non-commercial personal use means a use other than for purchase, sale, financial gain, or research.
  - (5) Non-powered hand tools means tools that do not use or are not operated by a motor, engine, or other mechanized power source, and that can be hand-carried by one person.
- (b) In order to preserve paleontological or other resources, or for other management reasons, the Federal land manager may establish area-specific limits on casual collecting, including, but not limited to, restricting the weight of common non-vertebrate paleontological resources; limiting the depth of disturbance; establishing dates or locations for collecting; or establishing what paleontological resources in a specific area are not common.
- (c) In consultation with knowledgeable paleontologists, the Federal land manager will determine which non-vertebrate paleontological resources are scientifically rare or unique and are therefore not common.
- (d) Collecting common non-vertebrate paleontological resources inconsistent with this subpart is a prohibited act and may result in civil or criminal penalties.

## Notes

### Authority

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 470aaa-aaa-11.

### Source

Source: 87 FR 47319, Aug. 2, 2022, unless otherwise noted.