Last checked: August 2026.
Sweden has strict rules on metal detectors — using one generally requires a permit from the Lansstyrelsen, and several counties describe themselves as highly restrictive about granting them.
The obvious question is whether a fishing magnet falls under those rules. Riksantikvarieambetet, the National Heritage Board, answers it directly: it does not.
Magnets are legally distinct from metal detectors
Riksantikvarieambetet states:
"De magneter som brukar anvandas for magnetfiske drivs inte med batterier och ar alltsa inte elektroniska, till skillnad fran metallsokare. Juridiskt sett ar det darfor helt olika fragor."
(The magnets normally used for magnet fishing are not battery-powered and are therefore not electronic, unlike metal detectors. Legally these are therefore entirely different questions.)
This follows from the statutory wording. Kulturmiljolagen 2 kap. 18 § defines a metallsokare as a device that can be used to trace metal objects "pa elektronisk vag" (by electronic means) and "under markytan" (beneath the ground surface). A magnet on a rope is neither electronic nor operating beneath the ground surface.
That is a genuinely different answer from France, where the equivalent law is drafted more broadly and does capture magnets. It is worth not assuming one country's position applies to another.
What does apply
The detector permit question being answered does not mean nothing applies. Riksantikvarieambetet's own locational test is:
"Magnetfiske far genomforas pa platser som inte ar skyddade med hanvisning till natur, kulturmiljo eller andra lokala foreskrifter. Om du ar tveksam ska du kontakta lansstyrelsen i det aktuella lanet."
(Magnet fishing may be carried out at places that are not protected with reference to nature, cultural environment or other local regulations. If in doubt, contact the Lansstyrelsen for the county concerned.)
That is a site-by-site test, not a national all-clear.
Ancient monuments — this applies regardless of tool
This is where the real constraint sits. Riksantikvarieambetet:
"Precis som pa land finns det omraden eller speciella objekt under vatten som skyddas som fornlamningar. Det ar forbjudet att rubba eller paverka dessa utan tillstand fran lansstyrelsen. Omradet narmast runt en registrerad fornlamning ar ocksa skyddat."
And specifically on magnets: magnet fishing in the vicinity of a fornlamning also requires Lansstyrelsen permission, because every registered site carries a surrounding fornlamningsomrade with the same protection. Kulturmiljolagen 2 kap. 2 § expressly extends that zone to "sjo- eller havsbotten" — lake and sea bottom.
The board also makes a point that is easy to dismiss: "Aven sadant som forefaller vara rostigt skrot kan vara av betydelse for att forsta lamningen" — even what looks like rusty scrap can matter for understanding a site.
The cutoff is 1850. Remains that arose, or wrecks that sank, in 1850 or later fall outside the protection.
Penalties for fornminnesbrott run to fines or six months' imprisonment, and up to four years in serious cases. Aggravating factors expressly include that "garningsmannen har anvant sarskild utrustning" — that the person used special equipment.
Check Fornsok before you go
Riksantikvarieambetet directs people to Fornsok (app.raa.se/open/fornsok) to see where registered fornlamningar are. This takes a minute and is the single most useful thing you can do before choosing a spot.
If you think you have found a previously unknown site: "maste magnetfisket omedelbart avbrytas och lansstyrelsen ska kontaktas" — stop immediately and contact the Lansstyrelsen.
Local rules
Municipalities can restrict the activity through local ordinances. One confirmed example: Uppsala prohibits magnet fishing from Hamnspangen and for 100 metres north of it year-round, because strong magnets interfere with the weights and chains holding a bubble barrier in place.
There is no national register of municipal rules, so absence of a known restriction is not proof there isn't one. Check with the kommun.
Protected nature areas are a separate layer again — national parks and nature reserves carry their own foreskrifter, and digging is generally prohibited in reserves.
Dangerous finds
Forsvarsmakten is unambiguous: "Den ska aldrig roras eller hanteras pa nagot satt. Mark ut stallet och ring polisen." — never touch or handle it, mark the spot, call the police.
If something comes up in a boat: cordon off as large an area as you can; if the item is still outside the gunwale and it can be done safely, return it to the water and mark the position with a buoy; contact JRCC on VHF 16 or SOS Alarm on 112.
Police add a rule worth memorising: "Transportera aldrig sjalv foremalet till polisstationen" — never transport the object to the police station yourself. Call 112 for immediate danger or 114 14 otherwise.
Scrap you bring up
Riksantikvarieambetet is direct about this: "Du ar sjalv ansvarig for att inte lamna kvar skrap och skrot som du har fiskat upp." You are responsible for not leaving behind the litter and scrap you have fished up.
One open question
Whether allemansratten — the right of public access — extends to the lakebed and to removing objects from it is not clearly answered in Naturvardsverket's published material, which addresses surface use such as swimming, paddling and mooring. We are flagging it rather than guessing. If it matters for what you are planning, ask the Lansstyrelsen.
This article is general information about published rules, not legal advice, and it is not a statement of what will or will not happen to you. County and municipal rules vary and change. Always confirm the current position with the authority responsible for the water you plan to fish, and seek qualified legal advice if anything material turns on it.
