Welcome to the Florida Fossil Permit Program

Florida is known for its abundance of easily accessible fossils which are rapidly eroded from the ground by water movement on beaches and in rivers.

hand using brush on dirt
Florida Museum photo by Kristen Grace

The goal of the program is for permitted individuals to discover vertebrate fossils on state lands and report finds to the Florida Museum of Natural History (FLMNH) Division of Vertebrate Paleontology (VP), which is the official State repository for vertebrate fossils.

Reporting finds allows us to keep track of fossils and localities as they are discovered on state lands of Florida, which continuously builds a clearer picture of the landscape and faunal assemblages from different time periods of Florida’s history.

Fossil Permit Basics

The permit program is only applicable to vertebrate fossils found on state lands in Florida, including public beaches and stretches of rivers that are not within the boundaries of managed areas (such as State parks or historic sites). Fossils found on private property belong to the property owner. Even so, please reach out to the museum if you think you’ve uncovered a significant fossil assemblage on private property in Florida, and we can help with identifications.

Shark and ray teeth, invertebrate, and plant fossils may be collected and kept by anyone with or without a permit. A permit is needed to collect all other vertebrate fossils discovered on state lands and must be reported to FLMNH VP.

Contributing to Science

Permit holders are members of a ~3,000-person team working together to uncover the fossil record of Florida!

As the state repository, FLMNH VP may request finds which are significant to science. If fossil finds are not claimed by the museum within 60 days of reporting, they become your property to do with as you wish.

Of all of the fossils reported to us, only about 1% are requested following a submission by the permit holder. Most fossils are kept by the permit holder or voluntarily donated to the museum’s collection. 

The $5 permit fee is written into a 40-year-old Florida Statute and no longer covers the program’s operational costs, so we now depend on support from our community. To remain affordable, permits will continue to cost $5 per year, but should be around $20 based on inflation. If you’re interested in and able to contribute beyond the $5 fee, we would greatly benefit from monetary donations to help with salary for the permit processor and supplies for processing and housing donated fossils.

Vertebrate Paleontology Donation

Questions about the Florida Fossil Permit Program of Vertebrate Paleontology may be directed to:

Phone: (352) 273-1821
E-mail: fossilpermits@floridamuseum.ufl.edu

Mailing Address:
Program of Vertebrate Paleontology
1659 Museum Road
Gainesville, FL 32611-7800, USA