First day searching Normandie

[lebus12]

Permissions
To explore, detect, or search in a given field, you need two licenses: the written permission of the landowner and the prefectural authorization provided by the SRA. To obtain official authorization, must necessarily have been previously written permission from the landowner. If the diggers, prospectors or détectoristes working on a terrain with the only permission from the landowner, the landowner is then complicit in looting and destruction of heritage. To avoid this, the owner must include in its written that it is valid only together with the written permission of the SRA and that authorization concerns only what is authorized by the official authorization.

[jimpy]

Why oh why cant it be as, (generally!), easy as in the UK? Get the landowners permission to search, either visual walk over or with a detector and away you go! Simplified, I know, but that is basically it!

Regards etc
Ian D

AKA: Jimpy

[flak 18]

I know what you mean, but it really is not that simple here in Normandy. The demineurs...bomb disposal guys are constantly being called out to deal with unexploded munitions that are accidentally unearthed by farmers and others engaged in their normal daily work. So the French govt has decided that they don't want a lot of detectorists digging up the countryside and uncovering nasty items that require the EOD guys to risk their lives unnecessarily. They have a big enough job to do as it is. You should see some of the stuff they have to deal with. I was talking to one of them a couple of weeks ago and he estimated that there is about 40 years worth of work for them still to do. So, they don't want to receive a phone call from someone who has found a possible live item that will take up their valuable time and may even result in their death. To counter this the Govt has declared that ALL items found on the battlefields are the property of the Govt, hoping to discourage a lot of detectorists. But they have gone too far. As I said earlier, a fired, empty cartridge case is technically against the law now and to me that is totally unfair. Fair enough, if you have live ammo or ordnance you deserve all you get. It's stupid and totally irresponsible to have such items....and there are a lot of people who do, but if you only have totally inert or fired empty rounds you should be exempt from such ill thought out laws. Quite right what Lebus 12 says about the SRA, but you try getting such approval...impossible !! C'est la vie

[Paul D]

Clealy as far as the OP is concerned it is time to desist with any metal detecting etc or risk a close encounter with the Gendarmes !!