Arizona · petrified wood
Petrified Forest and petrified wood: what’s legal
Arizona's most famous rock is in a national park, where none of it leaves. The wood in the gift shops is legal because it came from somewhere else.
Inside the park: no, and it's expensive
Petrified Forest National Park's Laws & Policies page: “Do not remove any natural or cultural object from the park, including fossils, rocks, animals, plants, and artifacts… It is a minimum fine of $325 for removal or damage to petrified wood or other natural or cultural artifacts and features.” 36 CFR 2.1 applies in every national park unit, and casual fossil collecting isn't allowed on NPS land at all (43 CFR 49.800).
The park's FAQ explains why: with more than a half-million visitors a year, the park “could be picked clean within a few years if collecting were allowed.” The park became a national monument in 1906 and a national park in 1962, and it covers more than 200,000 acres.
Where gift-shop wood comes from
From the park's FAQ: “Every piece of petrified wood, rock, and other natural objects found in gift shops come from outside the park boundaries from private lands. The owners of these lands have the right to collect, mine, and sell their wood. The park only protects just over 20% of the original deposit.” The park adds: “Also check with the Bureau of Land Management.”
Land outside the boundary isn't automatically open. Private land needs the owner's permission, and State Trust Land is closed to collecting. Check the parcel.
Where you can legally collect petrified wood in Arizona
| Land | Verdict | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary BLM land | Yes, limited | 25 lb plus one piece a day, 250 lb a calendar year, no pooling, no power equipment, no sale (43 CFR 3622.4; BLM Arizona's 1998 rule says the same). BLM Arizona names the Hassayampa, Safford, Yuma and Arizona Strip field offices. |
| National forest | Permit | Free-use permit for limited personal amounts (Prescott NF; 36 CFR 228.62). Ask the district. |
| Private land | Owner's permission | Including commercial fee sites. |
| State Trust Land | No | A.R.S. 37-501. Why |
| National parks, NPS and BLM monuments, state parks | No | 36 CFR 2.1; BLM Arizona brochure; A.A.C. R12-8-103. |
Pieces over 250 lb on BLM need a free-use permit and must go to public display (43 CFR 3622.2). You can't sell or barter what you collect to dealers.
What petrified wood is
The NPS describes Arizona's petrified wood as “almost solid quartz.” Over 200 million years ago, logs were buried by river sediment, and minerals, including silica dissolved from volcanic ash, crystallized in the wood as it broke down. Iron, carbon and manganese give it color.
Petrified Forest National Park: 928-524-6822 (nps.gov/pefo). Related: Arizona BLM rules · parks and monuments · how heavy is 25 pounds?
Sources: PEFO Laws & Policies; PEFO FAQs; PEFO, Petrified Wood; 36 CFR 2.1; 43 CFR 3622; 63 FR 108; BLM Arizona rockhounding brochure.
Informational only — not legal advice. Rules, boundaries and seasons change. Confirm with the managing agency for the exact parcel before you collect. Last verified October 19, 2026.