Secret Treasure Hunt Dig Request

The San Francisco Recreation and Park Department is concerned with the health and safety of our parks and our park constituents. Wildlife, natural resources, and irrigation lines can be severely damaged through unpermitted digging or disruption of park property. Pursuant to Park Code 4.06, the removal of any plant, grass, soil, or similar material without permission of the Recreation and Park Department is prohibited. Violation of this Code shall result in a mandatory fine and civil penalty.

Therefore, to support our park constituents’ interest in participating in The Secret Treasure Hunt, the Department is asking prospective treasure hunters to apply for a permit to dig under the supervision of a Park Ranger. Please complete this form. After you complete and submit the form, we will reach out to you when the application is being processed.

Secret Treasure Hunt Permit Rules:

Permit will be granted on a first come first serve basis
Activity is supervised by SF Rec & Parks Park Ranger
Specify activity location in permit application
1 hole, 1-hour time limit per permit
Probing poles are allowed up to 3.5 feet
Hand-digging only, no power tools permitted
Hole may not exceed 2 feet in diameter, 3.5 feet deep
Avoid drip-line of trees
Tools and tarps must be supplied by permittee
Hole must be refilled and all turf must be replaced exactly as found
No filming allowed

In the event of failure, permittee may apply for a separate permit for follow-up attempt provided that for all attempts after one, permittee must pay the cost of staff time ($140).

PERMIT APPLICANT

Applicant Information

First Name *

Last Name *

Street Address *

Address Line 2

City *

State *

Zip Code *

Phone Number *

Email Address *

Have you already submitted an application that has not yet been processed because of the COVID-19 shutdown? *

No

Yes, I have and my code is: Yes, I have and my code is:

Proof of Applicant Name

In order to ensure that applicants only submit one application at a time, each applicant will be required to provide a photo id at the time of the dig to identify themselves

Requested Area to Dig

Please describe where you wish to dig. Note that certain areas may be prohibited if it would damage tree roots or irrigation lines or other park property. *

Please upload a map showing the location if possible

Please note the following areas are restricted areas in which we are not able to permit probing or digging:

Golden Gate Park: Botanical Garden
Golden Gate Park: Japanese Tea Garden
Golden Gate Park: Shakespeare Garden
Huntington Park
Marini Plaza
Pioneer Park: All landscaped areas (including grass & flower beds) at Coit Tower
Portsmouth Square

Please also ensure that the area you are requesting is on our property, which is searchable here: https://sfrecpark.org/

IF YOU WANT TO SCHEDULE A TREASURE HUNT DIG, YOU MUST PARTICIPATE IN THE SPOTERY DRAFT. IF YOU FAIL TO DO SO, YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE DRAFT PROCESS AND WILL FORFEIT THE RIGHT TO A SCHEDULED DIG.

What is Spotery?: Spotery is a selection process that will allow you to pick the week of your treasure hunt dig in a live online "draft". Each permittee will be assigned a draft position number based on the order of application received and then will have a 4-hour window to make their selection. Instructions on how to use Spotery will be sent ONLY to the Authorized Drafter prior to the draft.

What is an Authorized Drafter?: The AUTHORIZED DRAFTER is the designated person to receive notifications about the draft and to receive emails authorizing them to register and create an account to pick a slot using the Spotery system. Typically you, the applicant, are the Authorized Drafter. ALL EMAILS will go to this person. Once that person is designated, they CAN NOT be changed. ONLY the Authorized Drafter will be receiving notification e-mails for draft instructions and draft time(s). Slot selection will be done via Spotery. This person should have easy access to their email and should expect to be available to participate in the draft process. Typically drafts are Monday through Friday, 9am-5pm. The Authorized Drafter will usually receive at least 3 days advance notice for the draft time.

AUTHORIZED DRAFTER

Full instructions on how to use the Spotery system will come at a later date, but the first step is for you to select an Authorized Drafter here.

I understand that ONLY the Authorized Drafter can select a slot and once I designate an Authorized Drafter I can not change it: *

Yes, I agree

Authorized Drafter Name *

Phone *

Authorized Drafter Email *

Please Confirm Email *

I understand that there is a $200 fee for slot change requests and I will carefully pick my slot in the draft AFTER reviewing my schedule. I will pay the $200 change fee if I decide to change my slot selection for whatever reason: *

Yes, I agree

I understand that my authorized drafter must participate in the Spotery draft process to obtain a slot. If they do not participate, they will forfeit the right to a slot: *

Yes, I agree

Thank you for submitting your form.

NOTE: YOU MAY NOT SUBMIT A 2ND FORM UNTIL YOU HAVE COMPLETED THE DIG FOR YOUR PRIOR FORM. MULTIPLE FORMS SUBMITTED BY THE SAME PERSON WILL NOT BE PROCESSED. AFTER ONE DIG, A STAFF REIMBURSEMENT FEE OF $140 MUST BE PAID IN ADVANCE