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In the United States, land ownership determines fossil ownership. Federal land, state land, tribal land, and private ranch land each have different rules. These guides cover the states that produce most commercial dinosaur material.
Montana is the epicenter of the US commercial dinosaur trade — Hell Creek and Two Medicine material from private ranch land is legal to sell with landowner permission.
Formations: Hell Creek Formation · Two Medicine Formation · Morrison Formation
Wyoming produces Morrison and Hell Creek fossils from private ranch land. Como Bluff and the Green River Formation (fish) are historically significant.
Formations: Morrison Formation · Hell Creek Formation · Green River Formation
Utah has world-famous display sites (Dinosaur NM, Cleveland-Lloyd) where collecting is banned, plus Morrison and Cedar Mountain material from private land.
Formations: Morrison Formation · Cedar Mountain Formation · Dinosaur Park Formation (near border)
Colorado's Morrison Formation at Dinosaur Ridge and Garden Park is historically central to American paleontology. Commercial market is smaller than Montana but active on private land.
Formations: Morrison Formation · Denver Formation
South Dakota Hell Creek material includes some of the most famous T. rex specimens (Sue, Stan). Private land sourcing is critical.
Formations: Hell Creek Formation · Pierre Shale
Texas is known for Cretaceous track sites (Dinosaur Valley SP) and Pleistocene mammal material. Dinosaur body fossils are less common commercially than teeth from other states.
Formations: Glen Rose Formation · Woodbine Formation