Getting Permission to place a geocache

[+The Perkins Family]

I have placed a few geocaches recently and am in the process of getting permission for some caches. I just realised that i only have to give the contact information of the land owners to show the local reviewer. Does the local reviewer contact the landowners, and if so how long does that take.

 

Also completely unrelated, why do i have to get permission to place an earthcache where i don't need permission to place a normal geocache.

 

Thanks so much Olly

[+TeamRabbitRun]

Wow, you have some misconceptions. Please read the Guidelines regarding placing caches.

 

To be brief, you absolutely DO need permission for a 'normal' cache. Every....single....one.

 

The reviewer doesn't contact the landowner; that's your job. Can you imagine the workload on these volunteers, the territory for some of which covers thousands of square miles? When you register the cache, you indicate that you have obtained permission. If you haven't obtained permission and say you have, then you have told a mistruth.

 

The wording of your first sentence implies that you don't have permission for the few that you've already placed, and are seeking permission for MORE. If this is true, you should have gotten permission for the first ones. Not doing this can harm the hobby. I'm sure others will chime in and explain why.

 

As for Earthcaches, it's not ONLY a permission thing in the same sense as with what you call a 'normal' cache; it's more of an approval process because of the enhanced purpose of the hide. Again, read the guidelines. Maybe speak with some EC CO's.

 

Welcome to the hobby and thanks for asking this question!

 

...Bill

[+The Perkins Family]

There has already been an agreement written up in the my area so that traditional caches can be placed in certain areas, however earthcaches were not mentioned in the agreement. I have previously been placing caches in the areas with the agreement in place but i have just tried to place one in an SSSI. I have contacted them to get permission and i just re-read the reviewers note about getting permission, and it didn't actually talk about getting permission although it was implied.

[+palmetto]

As a reviewer, the only time I've followed up on permission has been on caches in U. S. National Wildlife Refuges and National Parks (permission for these areas is rare).

 

RE Earthcaches, I don't review them. Your local reviewer typically has familiarity with local land manager policy. The GeoAware accounts cover huge chunks of the world, they need for you to explain local policy, or preferably, state explicitly that permission exists. If you can show a particular land manager has a published "place caches freely" policy, that might be sufficient.

Edited February 10, 2016 by palmetto

[+hzoi]

Explicit permission is not always needed for an earthcache. It depends on the area. Most of mine are in parks, and for those I've gotten explicit permission from the appropriate town, state park agency, or federal agency that oversees the park. But a couple of mine can be viewed from areas that are open access to the public -- some can be answered from the highway right of way, and one is in the middle of a Norwegian fjord -- and those didn't require landowner permission.

 

Contact your local geoaware reviewer(s) -- you can figure out which one(s) by scrolling to the bottom log and seeing who has published earthcaches in your area -- and ask them. They will be in the best position to tell you whether or not you need landowner permission, and if you've never developed an earthcache before, they can vet your ideas and help you design a successful earthcache.

[+psychpineapple]

I have a cache near me that is pretty cool and I want to go and find. The problem is, it is in a front yard in some trees. On the cache page it says that they had permission from that owner to place the cache on their property, but the last cacher that found it said that there was a sold sign on that yard. That post was from the middle of March. I was around there today and there was no sign but I was concerned about if the owners had moved. The CO has not been active, according to their stats page, in several years. It says that they were on the website a year ago but haven't found a cache since 2017. I am not sure if I should do something. I was debating about logging a note or a nm and suggesting that the CO look into if the original owner of the house was still there, or do nothing since there was no sign when I was by there today. I assume that if I log a nm, it will not ever get fixed because the CO hasn't been active in several years. What do you guys think I should do? The cache is still alive and well (I was unable to do it because I didn't have a tool).

[+terratin]

With regards to EarthCaches: Imagine you place an EarthCache in an area that requires permission. Or an area that is usually not allowed for caches. Then the landmanager looks at the map and sees cache icons there they didn't know about. What do you think will they do? Decide that it's only an EarthCache and thus it's fine? They likely don't know about different cache types and might ban all caches in the area as a result.

[+Bear and Ragged]

On 2/10/2016 at 6:15 PM, The Perkins Family said:

Also completely unrelated, why do i have to get permission to place an earthcache where i don't need permission to place a normal geocache.

 

Some areas may not want any 'extra' footfall in the area you have for the Earthcache.

If the authorities are aware that extra footfall could cause damage they could ask you to move things, or ask different questions.

(Also, they may be able to give you information to help you with your Earthcache!)

[+TeamRabbitRun]

6 hours ago, psychpineapple said:

I have a cache near me that is pretty cool and I want to go and find. The problem is, it is in a front yard in some trees. On the cache page it says that they had permission from that owner to place the cache on their property, but the last cacher that found it said that there was a sold sign on that yard. That post was from the middle of March. I was around there today and there was no sign but I was concerned about if the owners had moved. The CO has not been active, according to their stats page, in several years. It says that they were on the website a year ago but haven't found a cache since 2017. I am not sure if I should do something. I was debating about logging a note or a nm and suggesting that the CO look into if the original owner of the house was still there, or do nothing since there was no sign when I was by there today. I assume that if I log a nm, it will not ever get fixed because the CO hasn't been active in several years. What do you guys think I should do? The cache is still alive and well (I was unable to do it because I didn't have a tool).

 

 

psychpineapple - Great question - Thanks for noticing and asking about it.

 

First of all, let me wag my finger at you. It's bad etiquette to add another topic into someone else's forum thread. It's called 'highjacking'. At the very least, it means that your question probably won't get seen, buried under someone else's title. If you want to start your own thread, I'll re-post my response there.

 

Also, note that this is a four year old thread that you jumped on.

 

You CAN start a new thread with a new question, they're cheap. If you want to start your own, I'll re-post my response there.

 

--------------------------------------------------------

 

As for your question, yes, you could be right and the house could be owned by someone else now. 

 

Here's what I'd do. Try to contact the CO. Just because the website says they haven't been on in a while means nothing. Many people play ONLY on an app these days and that doesn't show on the website. A better way to judge is to look at the geocache and TB history tabs on their profile.

 

Send them email or a note through the Message Center, or both.  If you don't hear back, you COULD file a NM.

 

If they're active, then at that point it's essentially their business, and any further action you take COULD be seen as excessive (others will chime in here.) That could include things like contacting your local reviewer for advice or heck, even walking up and ringing the front door! Explain the game, explain that the previous homeowner agreed to the cache's placement, what nice, respectful people we are and can you please go look in their trees?

 

Do you run the risk of ruining it all? Sure, but if you're right and the new owners don't know about it, then we no longer have permission for it to be there. You're our ambassador, do us proud!

 

But, let me reiterate, if the cache owner IS in the game, it's his or her business. Go out of your way to alert them, FIRST!

Edited April 27, 2020 by TeamRabbitRun

[Keystone]

I'm closing this bumped thread in favor of the new separate thread opened on the subject of the bump post.