Most new detectorists learn the Treasure Act the hard way — by finding something good and then not knowing what they're legally required to do next. The rules aren't complicated, but they are specific, and getting them wrong can mean losing a find, a friendship with a landowner, or worse.
You need the landowner's explicit permission before detecting on any land — public footpaths and open access land do not give you the right to detect. Searching without permission isn't a grey area; it can amount to trespass and, in some circumstances, theft. Reputable detectorists get permission in writing, and it's standard practice to agree in advance how any finds — and any reward — will be split with the landowner, before you dig the first hole.
Scheduled Monuments (protected archaeological sites) are a separate and stricter category — detecting on one without Scheduled Monument Consent is a criminal offence, regardless of landowner permission. Check the National Heritage List for England (or equivalent) before detecting anywhere with visible earthworks, known archaeological interest, or near a known historic site.
The Treasure Act 1996 (England, Wales and Northern Ireland; Scotland has a separate Treasure Trove system) defines treasure broadly, and it covers more than gold coins in a pot. Broadly, it includes:
Critically, you don't get to decide it isn't treasure because you think it's not valuable enough, or because you'd rather keep it. The legal test is about age and material composition, not market value.
If you find something that may be treasure, you are legally required to report it to your local coroner within 14 days of the find, or within 14 days of realising it might be treasure if that's later. In practice, this is normally done by reporting it to your local Finds Liaison Officer (FLO) through the Portable Antiquities Scheme, who will guide you through the formal coroner reporting process. Missing this window isn't a minor paperwork slip — failing to report treasure is a criminal offence.
The vast majority of finds — Roman coins that don't meet the treasure threshold, buckles, buttons, thimbles, musket balls — aren't legally treasure and belong to the finder (subject to any agreement with the landowner). But recording them voluntarily through the Portable Antiquities Scheme adds real archaeological value: it's how researchers build a picture of historical land use, trade routes and settlement patterns from finds that would otherwise never be documented. Many experienced detectorists record every significant find whether or not it's legally required.
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