PALEONTOLOGICAL collecting, transport of fossil materials, and the ownership of paleontology collections are governed and affected by a wide range of laws and regulations, from land law to bequests. Compliance with all applicable laws can be confusing, especially when a collector has to negotiate Federal, state, local, tribal and international requirements.

Unlike archaeology, paleontology does not have a body of laws specific to fossil protection. Most legal problems in paleontology arise from land access and permission to collect on public lands, theft and trespass concerns, public trust violations, land title and rights, and related issues. In the United States, there are no definitive overarching statutes governing fossil resources per se as separate from other land resources.