What Ilya said. If a mereorite lands anywhere other than private property, it's finders keepers. What you do with it after that is up to you.

One fellow I heard of, found some meteorites very soon after a wintertime fall. He popped them into plastic bags and stuck them in the freezer, and later donated them to some meteor researchers. His quick action meant that the rocks were about as pristine and uncontaminated as possible. Very valuable for examining the chemistry, etc.

Two friends of mine, who live in Chicagoland, went out hunting after the shower that happened there last year. They did not find any in the public parks, but they did spot one, a bit smaller than a golf ball, in someone's yard. They cut a deal, and now they not only own the meteorite, but the square yard of the roof where it landed, complete with the dimple and splintered wood made by the rock when it first landed.

IOW, I know people who own a portable meteor crater! Is that cool or what? 8)

Fred

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"For shame, gentlemen, pack your evidence a little better against another time."
-- John Dryden, "The Vindication of The Duke of Guise" 1684