A molecular fingerprinting assay was developed to assess the diversity of copA genes, one of the genetic determinants involved in bacterial resistance to copper. Consensus primers of the copA genes were deduced from an alignment of sequences from proteobacterial strains. A PCR detection procedure was optimized for bacterial strains and allowed the description of a novel copA genetic determinant in Pseudomonas fluorescens. The copA DNA fingerprinting procedure was optimized for DNA directly extracted from soils differing in their physico-chemical characteristics and in their organic status (SOS). Particular copA genetic structures were obtained for each studied soil and a coinertia analysis with soil physico-chemical characteristics revealed the strong influence of pH, soil texture and the quality of soil organic matter. The molecular phylogeny of copA gene confirmed that specific copA genes clusters are specific for each SOS. Furthermore, this study demonstrates that this approach was sensitive to short-term responses of copA gene diversity to copper additions to soil samples, suggesting that community adaptation is preferentially controlled by the diversity of the innate copA genes rather than by the bioavailability of the metal.