Each person is required to have a permit, even children. Gold is very fine and black sand are a minimum. You actually have a greenish colored sand which is somewhat heavier than most black sands. Recovering this gold is very difficult. I have also found gold at my home in Wilson County which is in Middle Tennessee.
Gold is fine to pepper grain with some wire gold.
I am currently prospecting some leads in Jackson Co. near Gainesboro, TN and will send a follow up report later. I've also had reports of a commercial gold mine that operated near Jamestown, TN for a 45 year period around the turn of the century. I personally believe there are good gold deposits in a number of locations throughout the state that have just not been prospected yet.