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If you find a fossil on a Canadian shore, record its exact location, photograph it if safe and permitted, and check the rules for that shoreline before touching, moving, or collecting it. The correct reporting route depends on the province or territory and who manages the site. A fossil being visible on a beach does not mean you may remove it.
First identify the shoreline and its land manager
Canada’s official guidance does not establish one reporting route or a single set of rules for every beach. Start by identifying the province or territory and the exact site. Then check whether the shore is on private land, in a park or ecological reserve, or administered by Parks Canada or another authority. Rules for one province or site should not be assumed to apply elsewhere.
The activity matters, too: viewing a fossil, reporting it, conducting research, collecting it, and exporting it are different questions. A permit for a particular activity or place should not be treated as general permission to keep a find.
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What to do when you find a fossil
- Record the location. Note where the fossil is on a map or in a fieldbook, and take photographs if doing so is safe and permitted. Newfoundland and Labrador’s public fossil guidance recommends recording the location.
- Leave it undisturbed while you check. Do not excavate, chip, or remove it until you have checked the local rules and contacted the land manager if necessary. Restrictions may apply to the site or to significant fossils.
- Use the appropriate reporting route. Follow the current instructions from the provincial or territorial authority or the manager of the site. British Columbia identifies specific public reporting contacts; elsewhere, use the current official contact for that location.
- Be cautious about sharing a sensitive location. If the site may be protected or the fossil may be significant, follow the authority’s reporting instructions and avoid publicizing precise location details until you have guidance. The sources cited here do not establish a Canada-wide rule about public posts.
Rules established for specific jurisdictions and sites
| Jurisdiction or site | What the official guidance establishes | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| British Columbia | The public is asked to report discoveries to the BC Fossil Management Office, the Royal BC Museum, or a local museum. Limited recreational surface collection of small amounts of common fossils is allowed only in the circumstances described by the province and using hand tools. Significant fossils, including vertebrate fossils, must not be collected. Sites with vertebrate fossils or trackways, exceptional preservation or diversity, or important new sites should be reported to government. | Use one of the named reporting routes. Check the land status and applicable authorization before considering any collection. |
| Locations administered by Parks Canada | Parks Canada requires permits for archaeological, natural, and social science research and collection activities in the locations it administers, including national parks and other listed sites. Permits authorize activities that would otherwise be prohibited. | Ask Parks Canada about the specific site and activity. The permit requirement is not general visitor permission to collect. |
| Newfoundland and Labrador parks and ecological reserves | The provincial guidance says fossil collecting is illegal in national and provincial parks and ecological reserves unless specially permitted. | Do not collect unless the required special permission applies; check the rules for the exact site. |
| Mistaken Point Ecological Reserve | Public access to view fossils is by guided tour or permit only. Access to the fossil protection zone is generally restricted, and disturbing, destroying, or removing fossils in reserves is prohibited. | Use only the official access arrangements and follow site instructions. These controls are specific to the reserve. |
Reporting is different from collecting or exporting
Reporting a find does not itself grant permission to remove it. Likewise, a rule about exporting a specimen is not a collecting or ownership rule.
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For a later question about taking specimens out of Canada, the federal export-control list includes type fossils and fossil amber at any value. It also lists single vertebrate or invertebrate fossil specimens with fair market value above $500; bulk vertebrate fossil or vertebrate trace fossil specimens weighing at least 11.25 kg (25 pounds); and specified bulk plant or invertebrate fossil material weighing at least 22.5 kg (50 pounds) from a specific outcrop, quarry, or locality. These are export-control thresholds, not permission to collect or keep a specimen.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What is established—and what must be checked locally
The rules above cover British Columbia, Parks Canada-administered locations, and particular protected sites in Newfoundland and Labrador. They are not a province-by-province legal inventory, and they do not establish a reporting procedure for every Canadian shoreline. Before handling a find, consult the current provincial or territorial fossil authority and the manager of the exact site.
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The Government of British Columbia describes fossils as part of the land’s natural heritage and as irreplaceable and non-renewable. That is why preserving the specimen’s location and checking before disturbing it are important, especially where the find may be significant or the site protected.
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