Is it illegal to take sea glass from Glass Beach?

Glass Beach is a beach adjacent to MacKerricher State Park near Fort Bragg, California, named from a time when it was abundant with sea glass created from years of dumping garbage into an area of coastline near the northern part of the town. It is illegal to collect glass at this state park.



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Access the digital replica of USA TODAY and more than 200 local newspapers with your subscription. On all beaches located within U.S. state parks, it is illegal to collect sea glass. If caught, one might be fined upwards of $500. On other beaches, it is legal unless indicated otherwise.

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Search for sea glass on either of these and you will find upwards of 10,000 listings offering sea glass for sale. Make no mistake, sea glass is a commodity. It has real value, with some individual pieces selling for up to $1,000 and more. Many factors must be present to sell sea glass for top dollar.

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Fort Bragg, California Glass Beach is adjacent to MacKerricher State Park and is one of three beaches in Fort Bragg that were official dumpsites in the 1940s. As a result, this is the sea glass beach, probably the best and most unique in the world. Basically, the entire beach is made up of sea glass instead of sand.

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The most valuable sea glass colors are light blue and turquoise, both of which usually come from vintage mason jars and medicine bottles. Since that glass is rarely used today, these colors are tougher to find.

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You are allowed to bring a quart-sized bag of liquids, aerosols, gels, creams and pastes through the checkpoint. These are limited to 3.4 ounces (100 milliliters) or less per item. This is also known as the 3-1-1 liquids rule.

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