State Guide

Magnet Fishing in South Carolina Is Illegal: What the Law Says

South Carolina is the one state with an outright ban on magnet fishing. The Underwater Antiquities Act puts every submerged artifact under the South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology, SCIAA has ruled that magnet recovery is not eligible for its hobby license, and it enforces that. This page has no spots and no gear picks on purpose. It covers what the law says, the bill that might change it, and where to fish legally within an hour of the state line.

Not fishing South Carolina? See the best places to magnet fish in all 50 states. New to the hobby? Start with the complete guide to how to go magnet fishing.

Banned

No. South Carolina is the only US state with an explicit statewide ban on magnet fishing. SCIAA does not issue hobby licenses for it and treats magnet recovery as a potentially destructive practice under the Underwater Antiquities Act, so pulling anything from state waters can bring charges.

The Underwater Antiquities Act gives SCIAA authority over everything on the bottom of South Carolina's rivers, lakes and coastal waters. Recreational divers can get a hobby license to collect small artifacts by hand, but SCIAA has decided that license does not cover magnets, and no other permit exists. House Bill H.4398, introduced in April 2025, would add magnet recovery to the hobby license; it had not passed as of our last check in 2026. Until it does, the ban stands and it is enforced.

Statute, agency and the local gotcha for every state: South Carolina in the state-by-state magnet fishing laws guide.

Charleston Harbor

Magnet fishing in South Carolina — FAQ

Is magnet fishing legal in South Carolina?+
No. South Carolina is the only US state with an outright statewide ban on magnet fishing. The Underwater Antiquities Act gives the South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology (SCIAA) authority over everything on the bottom of state waters, and SCIAA has ruled that its hobby license does not cover magnet recovery. There is no permit you can apply for. The statute and the pending bill are in the South Carolina entry of the laws guide.
Why is magnet fishing illegal in South Carolina?+
Civil War-era artifacts. South Carolina's rivers and harbors hold an unusual concentration of them, and SCIAA classifies magnet recovery as a potentially destructive practice because a magnet pulls whatever it grabs out of its archaeological context with no record of where it came from. Divers can get a hobby license to collect small artifacts by hand; magnets are excluded from it.
Is there a bill to make magnet fishing legal in South Carolina?+
Yes. House Bill H.4398, introduced in April 2025, would amend the Underwater Antiquities Act so magnet recovery could be done under a hobby license. It was still sitting in the House Committee on Labor, Commerce and Industry the last time we checked in 2026. Until it passes and SCIAA changes its rules, the ban stands. We'll update this page when that changes.
What happens if you get caught magnet fishing in South Carolina?+
Enforcement is real and ongoing, not theoretical. Recovering material from state waters without SCIAA authorization is a violation of the Underwater Antiquities Act, and officers have stopped people on the Congaree, around Charleston and on the Santee system. Expect at minimum confiscation and a citation; anything that turns out to be an artifact makes it worse.
Can I magnet fish in Charleston Harbor?+
No. Charleston Harbor is the most archaeologically sensitive water in the state, with 300 years of port history and active SCIAA surveys, and the statewide ban applies there the same as everywhere else. Dropping a magnet off the Battery is the fastest way to meet an enforcement officer.
Do you need a license to magnet fish in South Carolina?+
There isn't one to get. SCIAA's hobby license covers hand collection by divers and specifically does not cover magnets, and no other agency issues a permit for magnet fishing. If someone sells you a 'South Carolina magnet fishing license', it isn't real.
Where can I magnet fish near South Carolina?+
Across the state line. North Carolina allows magnet fishing in public waters (artifacts from before 1790 are protected), and Georgia allows it too, with protection for pre-colonial artifacts and federal battlefield parks off-limits. Charlotte, Augusta and Savannah are all within an hour of much of South Carolina. Both state guides have spots, rules and gear picks.
I already pulled something up in South Carolina. What now?+
Don't sell it and don't post it for sale. Photograph it where it is if you still can, and contact SCIAA's Maritime Research Division. Reporting is the only thing that improves your position, and if the item has archaeological value, the context matters to them more than the object.

Magnet fishing is banned in South Carolina, but it is legal just over the line. Head to North Carolina (allowed; pre-1790 artifacts and Outer Banks wrecks protected) or Georgia (allowed; pre-colonial artifacts protected, federal battlefield parks off-limits). Both guides have spots, rules and gear.