Fossick MapDo you need a permit?
Yes. Since the Mineral Titles Legislation Amendment Act 2026, you need a fossicking permit to fossick in the Northern Territory. Fossicking without a permit or a mineral title is an offence.
| Cost | Free |
| How long | Up to 5 years |
| Types | Personal, club and commercial (for fossicking tour businesses) |
| Personal permit | For anyone 18 or over. It can cover your spouse and your children under 18 |
| To apply | Bring a driver’s licence or other government photo ID. Check fossicking.nt.gov.au for how to apply |
Some older NT pages and the fossicking brochure still say no permit is needed. They’re out of date.
What you can use
A pick, hammer, shovel, sieve, pan, shaker, basin and metal detector. Dry blowers and sluices can be used for screening or separating, but nothing power-operated or engine-driven, and no explosives. Dig no deeper than 1 m below the natural surface, and fill in your holes. Our panning guide follows the NT Government’s own panning steps.
How much you can take
| Material | Limit |
|---|---|
| Gold, nuggets included | 100 g |
| Gemstones | 1 kg |
| Other minerals | 20 kg |
| Mineral-bearing material | 100 kg |
| Ornamental stones | 100 kg |
If you find a nugget over 100 g, you can keep it once you’ve met every reporting, notice and consent requirement.
You can’t take fossils, meteorite fragments, diamonds, Aboriginal artefacts or heritage objects. Fossicking is a non-commercial hobby, but you can sell the occasional lucky find, or sell or swap with another hobbyist at an exhibition.
Where you can fossick
| Land | What you need |
|---|---|
| Vacant Crown land | Nothing more |
| Declared fossicking areas | Nothing more |
| Pastoral leases | 7 days’ notice to the landowner or occupier. Within 2 km of a homestead, 1 km of a stockyard, or where the land is in pastoral use, 14 days’ notice and written consent |
| Freehold land, Aboriginal land, parks and reserves | 14 days’ notice to get written consent |
| Exploration licences | 7 days’ notice to the holder. For gold where work is under way, 14 days’ notice and written consent |
| Mineral leases and extractive permits and leases | 14 days’ notice and written consent |
| Reserved land outside a declared area | 14 days’ notice to the Department of Mining and Energy for written consent |
The land access bulletin has the details. If a landowner doesn’t reply within 2 months, consent is deemed.
On Aboriginal land you also need a permit from the land council. You can’t fossick on any Commonwealth land, which includes defence land and national parks such as Uluru and Kakadu, or on Aboriginal sacred sites.
Rules on the ground
- Carry photo ID and any written consent, and show them to the landowner, an authorised officer or police if asked.
- Call in at the homestead when you arrive on a pastoral lease. The NT Government encourages it.
- Tell the police or someone reliable your plans if you’re heading off the beaten track.
- Don’t camp within 1 km of stock waters.