Series: Secretary of the Interior's Standards and Guidelines for Archeology and Historic Preservation

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 provide technical advice about archeological and historic preservation activities and methods.

• Article 1: Introduction.

  This section introduces the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and Guidelines for Archeology and Historic Preservation. The 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. They were published in 1983 (48 FR 44716). Read more

• Article 2: Preservation Planning Standards

  Preservation planning is a process that organizes preservation activities (identification, evaluation, registration and treatment of historic properties) in a logical sequence. The Standards for Planning discuss the relationship among these activities while the remaining activity standards consider how each activity should be carried out. Read more

• Article 3: Preservation Planning Guidelines

  These Guidelines link the Standards for Preservation Planning with more specific guidance and technical information. They describe one approach to meeting the Standards for Preservation Planning. Agencies, organizations or individuals proposing to approach planning differently may wish to review their approaches with the National Park Service. Read more

• Article 4: Identification Standards

  Identification activities are undertaken to gather information about historic properties in an area. The scope of these activities will depend on: existing knowledge about properties; goals for survey activities developed in the planning process; and current management needs.  Read more

• Article 5: Identification Guidelines

  These Guidelines link the Standards for Identification with more specific guidance and technical information. The Guidelines outline one approach to meet the Standards for Identification. Agencies, organizations and individuals proposing to approach identification differently may wish to review their approaches with the National Park Service. Read more

• Article 6: Evaluation Standards

  Evaluation is the process of determining whether identified properties meet defined criteria of significance and therefore should be included in an inventory of historic properties determined to meet the criteria. The criteria employed vary depending on the inventory's use in resource management.  Read more

• Article 7: Evaluation Guidelines

  These Guidelines link the Standards for Evaluation with more specific guidance and technical information. These Guidelines describe one approach to meeting the Standards for Evaluation. Agencies, organizations, or individuals proposing to approach evaluation differently may wish to review their approach with the National Park Service.  Read more

• Article 8: Registration Standards

  Registration is the formal recognition of properties evaluated as significant. Preservation benefits provided by various registration programs range from honorific recognition to prohibition of demolition or alteration of included properties. Some registration programs provide recognition and other broad benefits while other programs authorize more specific forms of protection.  Read more

• Article 9: Registration Guidelines

  These Guidelines link the Standards for Registration with more specific guidance and technical information. They describe one approach to meeting the Standards for Registration. Agencies, organizations, or individuals proposing to approach registration differently may wish to review their approach with the National Park Service. Read more

• Article 10: Note on Documentation and Treatment of Historic Properties

  Documentation and treatment of historic properties includes a variety of techniques to preserve or protect properties, or to document their historic values and information. While documentation activities may be applied to any potentially historic property, generally only those properties that first have been evaluated as significant against specified criteria (such as those of the National Register) are treated. Read more

• Article 11: Historical Documentation Standards

  Historic documentation provides important information related to the significance of a property. Research is used early in planning to gather information needed to identify and evaluate properties. Historical documentation is also a treatment that can be applied in several ways to properties previously evaluated as significant. The Standards concern the use of research and documentation. Read more

• Article 12: Historical Documentation Guidelines

  These Guidelines link the Standards for Historical Documentation with more specific guidance and technical information. They describe one approach to meeting the Standards for Historical Documentation. Agencies, organizations or individuals proposing to approach historical documentation differently may wish to review their approaches with the National Park Service.  Read more

• Article 13: Standards for Architectural and Engineering Documentation

  A detailed and illustrated version of the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Architectural and Engineering Documentation may be found at https://www.nps.gov/hdp/standards/standards.htm Read more

• Article 14: Guidelines for Architectural and Engineering Documentation

  A detailed and illustrated version of the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and Guidelines for Architectural and Engineering Documentation may be found here: https://www.nps.gov/hdp/standards/standards.htm Read more

• Article 15: Archeological Documentation Standards

  Archeological documentation gathers information on individual historic properties or groups of properties. It is guided by a framework of objectives and methods derived from the planning process, and makes use of previous planning decisions. Archeological documentation may be undertaken as an aid to various treatment activities, including research, interpretation, reconstruction, stabilization and data recovery when mitigating archeological losses resulting from construction. Read more

• Article 16: Archeological Documentation Guidelines

  These Guidelines link the Standards for Archeological Documentation with more specific guidance and technical information. They describe one approach to meeting the Standards for Documentation. Agencies, organizations or individuals proposing to approach archeological documentation differently may wish to review their approach with the National Park Service. Read more

• Article 17: Historic Preservation Projects

  This document has been replaced by the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties (1995) at  https://www.nps.gov/tps/standards.htm Read more

• Article 18: Historic Preservation Projects Guidelines

  This document has been replaced by the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties (1995) at  https://www.nps.gov/tps/standards.htm Read more

• Article 19: Professional Qualifications Standards

  The Professional Qualification Standards are used by the National Park Service, and have been previously published in the Code of Federal Regulations, 36 CFR Part 61. The qualifications define minimum education and experience required to perform identification, evaluation, registration, and treatment activities. In some cases, additional areas or levels of expertise may be needed, depending on the complexity of the task and the nature of the historic properties involved. Read more

• Article 20: Preservation Terminology

  Definitions commonly used in historic preservation. Read more