Overview

Laws and regulations at both the federal and state level identify and protect significant archaeological resources. A "significant site" is defined under these laws as one that is either listed or eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), which is a collection of local, state, and nationally important historic and archaeological sites. Under the federal and state laws related to cultural resources, one of the most important tasks of the State Historic Preservation Officer (the SHPO), and therefore the Office of State Archaeology (OSA), is the review of projects funded, licensed, or permitted by the federal or state governments. Generally referred to as the Environmental Review Process, it is the means by which archaeological and historic sites are considered in the planning stages of at least some of the many thousands of projects undertaken each year in North Carolina.

When a proposed project falls into one of the categories covered by the laws, the SHPO is given the opportunity to review and comment on its potential for affecting significant sites. If an area is determined to have the potential for significant sites, the OSA may recommend that archaeological investigations be conducted on the property prior to ground-disturbing activities. If a project is considered likely to damage an important site, some form of impact mitigation may be undertaken, either through project avoidance and site preservation or, if necessary, total or partial data recovery ("salvage" excavation).

The review process, as it pertains to archaeology, involves an evaluation of (1) the type and location of the project proposed (good maps are essential), (2) the presence or absence of known sites in the project area, and (3) the potential for significant sites in the area.

How to Submit a Project Environmental Review

If you are submitting a project subject to applicable federal and/or state cultural resources protection laws for compliance review for the first time, please visit the HPO's Project Review Checklist.

If you need to submit archaeological documents, jump to How to Submit Archaeological Documents for Environmental Review.

Archaeological Consultants

Principal investigators of archaeological compliance investigations must meet the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualification Standards for archaeology. OSA maintains a list of firms and individuals who have previously conducted archaeological work or expressed an interest to do work in North Carolina.

Archaeology Consultant List

Project Background Research

Prior to the initiation of fieldwork, a records search should be conducted at the OSA as required in our Archaeological Investigation Standards and Guidelines.

As archaeological site information is protected by both state and federal law, site information at the NC OSA is currently available for Secretary of the Interior-qualified archaeological consultants by appointment at our Raleigh and Asheville offices. At this time, we do not have our site information online.

Schedule a background research appointment

How to Submit Archaeological Documents for Environmental Review

OSA uses Citrix ShareFile for archaeological consultants and government agencies submitting digital archaeological report and site files for Environmental Review. Citrix ShareFile is a secure online file sharing and transfer service that will take the place of CDs and USBs. All digital ER archaeological survey files (i.e., reports, site forms, GIS data, etc.) must be submitted by archaeological consultants through ShareFile. We will no longer accept CDs or USBs. 

Review ShareFile User Guidelines and Access Request

The OSA Environmental Review report and site form submission requirements are as follows:

One (1) digital copy of the archaeological survey report, to be sent through ShareFile.
One (1) digital copy of each NC Site Form(s) with site map(s) for each site that was recorded as part of the archaeological investigation, to be sent through ShareFile. Please submit each site form as separate documents.

Hard copies of reports will be requested by the OSA once we determine that no further changes to the report are needed. Concurrence letters will not be sent until after we receive the hard copy of the final archaeological survey report.

We request that you do not:

Submit hard copies of site forms.
Attach site forms to reports.
Submit hard copies of reports until prompted to do so by OSA staff. 
Combine historic structures survey reports (HSSRs) with archaeological survey reports. These are two separate reports and review processes.

Submitting digital reports and site forms

Submit reports and site forms through ShareFile.

Submitting hard copy reports

Once requested by the OSA, hard copies of the final archaeological survey report should be submitted to the Environmental Review Branch using the following addresses:

Curating Archaeological Collections

All materials – including artifacts, floral and faunal remains, and sediment samples, along with related documentation such as original field notes, maps, photographs, artifact inventory lists, and analysis forms – recovered and created for purposes of compliance with state and federal regulations shall be permanently curated in an approved archaeological repository, preferably in the state of North Carolina.

Staff and space limitations of the OSARC require that materials submitted for curation meet certain general conditions before acceptance. Our Curation Guidelines can be found in our Archaeological Investigation Standards and Guidelines, Part 4: Curation. For additional information and to submit a collection to our curation facility, please visit our Curation page. 

Additional Resources

• 2017 Consultant Workshop Slides
• Requesting Site Numbers and Accession Numbers