Le Parisien: Ban on a "treasure hunt" in Loiret to protect archaeological heritage upheld by the courts

In the Loiret region of France, a ban on the organization of a weekend commercial metal detecting rally to protect the region's archaeological heritage has been upheld by the courts ( G.F., 'L’interdiction d’une « chasse aux trésors » dans le Loiret pour protéger le patrimoine archéologique confirmée par la justice'le parisien 14 novembre 2025).

The company La Boutique du Fouilleur and the metal detecting professionals' union Détexpert had wished to organize an event during which, on land potentially located in the Loiret department and two neighboring departments, the precise location of which would only be revealed at the last minute. In fact, “the sole purpose of the Détectland metal detecting rally was to find metal objects deliberately scattered by the organizers across 120 hectares of private farmland”, metal objects would be buried to be “found and unearthed by non-professional participants equipped with metal detectors”.

The Orléans Administrative Court and then the Versailles Administrative Court of Appeal refused to overturn the prefect's decision, in October 2021 and November 2023 respectively.

The Versailles Administrative Court of Appeal said: “The use of metal detectors in a particularly sensitive archaeological environment (…) entails a significant risk of archaeological discoveries likely to harm the preservation of archaeological heritage and lead to an irreversible loss of scientific information”. According to the judges, “given the presence of numerous archaeological sites in the Loiret department, the prefect could, without issuing a general and absolute ban, extend the prohibition to the entire department, limiting it to the context of the Détectland rally and the days of September 21 and 22, 2019.” This ban was therefore ultimately “proportionate to the objective pursued,” an objective that could not have been achieved “by a less restrictive measure,” they concluded.

The shopkeeper and the trade association of "metal detecting professionals" continued their legal proceedings. Now the Council of State has rejected their appeal in a ruling dated September 30, 2025. France's highest administrative court ruled that the ban on the Détectland rally decreed by the prefect “was not disproportionate” given “the presence in the (…) Loiret of numerous archaeological sites of heritage value” and that the fact that he “remained unaware of the location of the sites chosen by the organizers” did not alter its assessment.