Shell collecting rules, state by state
What each agency has put in writing about shells, sand, stones, driftwood and fossils — with the page where you can read it yourself.
Twelve states, place by place
Each state lists the shorelines for which we found a published rule, and each rule carries one of three marks: Take it means the agency allows it without naming an amount, Take a little means allowed within a stated limit or condition, Leave it means not allowed. Rules as published by the agencies, read October 2026. Beaches can post their own restrictions — please check on site.
- California
California state parks and beaches
- Sand Leave it
- Removing earth, sand, gravel, minerals or rocks is prohibited (Cal. Code Regs. tit. 14, § 4307).
- Rocks and agates Leave it
- Rocks may not be removed, except in units where rockhounding is specifically allowed under the state’s rockhounding rules.
- Driftwood Take a little
- Only in park units where the district superintendent has authorized collecting and posted the authorization (§ 4306).
- Live shells and animals Leave it
- Animals may not be disturbed, touched or taken (§ 4305).
Source: California State Parks — General provisions
Point Reyes National Seashore
- Empty shells Leave it
- All objects in the seashore are protected and may not be collected; the park names seashells as an example.
Source: National Park Service — Point Reyes park regulations
- Florida
Florida shoreline, state rules
- Empty shells Take it
- State rules turn on whether a shell holds a living organism; empty ones are not restricted by the wildlife agency, and an empty queen conch shell may be kept. State and federal parks can set tighter limits.
- Live shells and animals Take a little
- A recreational saltwater fishing license is required to take any shell containing a living organism, even from shore. Lee County bans it outright, apart from oysters, hard clams, sunray venus clams and coquinas; Manatee County allows two live shells of any one species per day. Live queen conch and Bahama starfish may not be taken at all.
Source: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission — Recreational sea shell collecting
Gulf Islands National Seashore
- Empty shells Take it
- Unoccupied seashells may be collected; the park’s FAQ names no quantity.
- Driftwood Leave it
- The park says the only items that can be taken out are seashells.
Source: National Park Service — Gulf Islands National Seashore FAQ
- Georgia
Cumberland Island National Seashore
- Empty shells Take a little
- Two gallons of uninhabited shells per person per day, for non-commercial use.
- Fossils and shark teeth Take it
- Fossilized shark teeth may be collected along with empty shells. Bones, feathers and artifacts stay where they are.
- Live shells and animals Leave it
- A shell that still contains an animal goes back where you found it.
Source: National Park Service — Beachcombing at Cumberland Island
- Hawaii
All Hawaii beaches
- Sand Leave it
- It is illegal statewide to take sand, dead coral or coral rubble (HRS §171-58.5 and §205A-44).
- Empty shells Take it
- The state says collecting shells and beach glass is still allowed. Selling shells requires a commercial marine license.
Source: Hawaii DLNR, Division of Aquatic Resources — Sand and coral notice
- Massachusetts
Cape Cod National Seashore
- Empty shells Take a little
- One one-gallon container of unoccupied seashells per person per day.
- Driftwood Take a little
- Only as fuel for campfires, and only from beaches below the spring high tide drift line.
Source: National Park Service — Cape Cod National Seashore compendium
- Michigan
State-owned land and Great Lakes public trust shore
- Rocks and agates Take a little
- 25 pounds of rocks per person per year. On private land you need the owner’s permission, and local rules can be stricter.
- New York
Fire Island National Seashore
- Empty shells Take a little
- Up to two quarts of unoccupied seashells per day, for personal use. Check snail shells for a new occupant first.
- North Carolina
Cape Lookout National Seashore
- Empty shells Take a little
- Five gallons of uninhabited shells per person per day, for non-commercial use.
- Live shells and animals Leave it
- If a mollusk is still inside, or another animal has moved in, the shell stays on the beach.
- Oregon
Oregon ocean shore
- Empty shells Take a little
- One gallon per person per day and three gallons per year of shells, agates, stones and fossils lying loose on the ground, each person using their own container.
- Rocks and agates Take a little
- Agates and stones share the one-gallon daily limit. Cobble has its own: five gallons per day, ten per year.
- Sand Take a little
- Five gallons per person per day, up to 20 gallons per year.
- Driftwood Take a little
- One cubic yard per person per day, up to three cords per year, loaded by hand. Wood embedded in the beach or dune bank and ancient tree stumps may not be removed.
- Fossils and shark teeth Take a little
- Fossils loose on the ground count toward the one-gallon daily limit.
- Live shells and animals Leave it
- Gathering live material and disturbing tide pools are prohibited.
Source: Oregon State Parks — Ocean Shore State Recreation Area (OAR 736-021-0090)
- South Carolina
Myrtle Beach State Park
- Live shells and animals Leave it
- The park’s beachcombing guide: never take live animals, and return every live shell to the ocean.
Source: South Carolina State Parks — Myrtle Beach State Park beachcombing guide
- Texas
Texas coast, state rules
- Live shells and animals Take a little
- With a fishing license and saltwater endorsement: at most 15 live univalve snails a day, including no more than two each of lightning whelk, horse conch, Florida fighting conch, pear whelk, banded tulip and Florida rocksnail. A zone at South Padre Island is closed to taking shell-bearing mollusks, hermit crabs, starfish and sea urchins from November 1 to April 30.
Source: Texas Parks and Wildlife — Other aquatic life regulations
Padre Island National Seashore
- Empty shells Take a little
- A one-gallon container of seashells and sea beans. Commercial collecting is prohibited.
- Live shells and animals Leave it
- Wildlife, living or dead, is protected; a shell with a living animal goes back.
- Sand Leave it
- Sand, minerals and other natural products may not be removed. Metal detectors are prohibited as well.
- Fossils and shark teeth Leave it
- Fossils and cultural objects may not be collected. If something looks historic, leave it and tell a ranger.
Source: National Park Service — Beachcombing at Padre Island
- Washington
Washington state parks
- Empty shells Leave it
- State Parks asks visitors never to collect souvenirs, calling the taking of animals, shells, rocks or seaweed highly destructive.
- Rocks and agates Leave it
- Covered by the same request: leave rocks exactly as you find them, and do not turn them over.
Source: Washington State Parks — Beach exploration
Olympic National Park coast
- Empty shells Take a little
- Park regulations permit taking a handful of unoccupied seashells.
- Live shells and animals Leave it
- All living organisms on the beach and in tide pools are protected; disturbing or collecting them is not permitted.
- Driftwood Take a little
- Wood may be gathered from the beach for campfires. Building driftwood shelters or furniture is discouraged.
Reading the gaps
You will notice that some states show only one place, or only one kind of find. That is deliberate. Many coastal states have no single statewide beachcombing rule: the answer sits with whoever manages a particular stretch of sand — a state park, a town, a federal seashore or a wildlife refuge. We list what an agency has put in writing and leave the rest blank.
When you are standing on a beach that is not listed, three questions settle most cases:
- Who manages this beach? The sign at the access point usually says.
- Is anything alive in it or on it? If so, it goes back.
- Is it part of the beach itself? Sand, rock, plants and anything historic are the items most often protected.
Next: shell limits at national seashores and the rules for live shells and wildlife.