Introduction.

Agency: National Park Service, Department of the Interior. Action: Notice.

Summary: This notice sets forth the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and Guidelines for Archeology and Historic Preservation. These standards and guidelines are not regulatory and do not set or interpret agency policy. They are intended to provide technical advice about archeological and historic preservation activities and methods.

Dates: These Standards and Guidelines are effective on September 29, 1983. [Note: The National Park Service has not republished "The Secretary of the Interior's Standards and Guidelines for Archeology and Historic Preservation" since 1983 (48 FR 44716). NPS has updated portions of the Standards and Guidelines. Where NPS has officially revised portions and published the revisions in the Federal Register, such as the Historic Preservation Project standards and the treatment definitions, we strike through the 1983 language and provide a link to the new material. Where the 1983 language is not current but NPS has not officially replaced it, such as the technical information, we strike through the out-of-date materials. We then provide current technical information and links to NPS and partner websites where this information is available. Language within brackets has not been published for effect in the Federal Register as a part of the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and Guidelines for Archeology and Historic Preservation.]

For Further Information Contact:

Supplementary Information: The Standards and Guidelines are prepared under the authority of sections 101(f) (g), and (h), and section 110 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended. State Historic Preservation Officers: Federal Preservation Officers including those of the Department of Agriculture, Department of Defense, Smithsonian Institution and General Services Administration; the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation; the National Trust for Historic Preservation; and other interested parties were consulted during the development of the Standards and Guidelines; additional consultation with these agencies will occur as the Standards and Guidelines are tested during their first year of use.

Purpose
The proposed Standards and the philosophy on which they are based result from nearly twenty years of intensive preservation activities at the Federal, State, and local levels.

The purposes of the Standards are:

• To organize the information gathered about preservation activities.

• To describe results to be achieved by Federal agencies, States, and others when planning for the identification, evaluation, registration and treatment of historic properties.

• To integrate the diverse efforts of many entities performing historic preservation into a systematic effort to preserve our nation's cultural heritage.

Uses of the Standards

The following groups or individuals are encouraged to use these Standards:

• Federal agency personnel responsible for cultural resource management pursuant to section 110 of the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended, in areas under Federal jurisdiction. A separate series of guidelines advising Federal agencies on their specific historic preservation activities under section 110 is in preparation. [ Note: the guidelines mentioned here have been finalized and are available at https://www.nps.gov/fpi/Section110.html]

• State Historic Preservation Offices responsible under the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended, by making decisions about the preservation of historic properties in their States in accordance with appropriate regulations and the Historic Preservation Fund Grants Management Manual. The State Historic Preservation Offices serve as the focal point for preservation planning and act as a central state-wide repository of collected information.

• Local governments wishing to establish a comprehensive approach to the identification, evaluation, registration and treatment of historic properties within their jurisdictions.

• Other individuals and organizations needing basic technical standards and guidelines for historic preservation activities.

Organization

This material is organized in three sections: Standards; Guidelines; and recommended technical sources, cited at the end of each set of guidelines. Users of this document are expected to consult the recommended technical sources to obtain guidance in specific cases.

Review of the Standards and Guidelines
The Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation have recently undergone extensive review and their guidelines made current after 5 years of field use. Users and other interested parties are encouraged to submit written comments on the utility of these Standards and Guidelines except for the Rehabilitation Standards mentioned above. This edition will be thoroughly reviewed by the National Park Service (including consultation with Federal and State agencies), after the end of its first full year of use and any necessary modifications will be made. Subsequent reviews are anticipated as needed.