Requires federal agencies to consider the effects on historic properties of projects they carry out, assist, fund, permit, license, or approve throughout the country. If a federal or federally-assisted project has the potential to affect historic properties, a Section 106 review will take place. It gives the interested parties and the public the chance to weigh in on these matters before a final decision is made. This process is an important tool for citizens to lend their voice in protecting and maintaining historic properties in their communities.

Is an agency within the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) that supports State and local governments in the design, construction, and maintenance of the Nation’s highway system (Federal Aid Highway Program) and various federally and tribal owned lands (Federal Lands Highway Program).

Is an independent agency that regulates the interstate transmission of natural gas, oil, and electricity. FERC also regulates natural gas and hydropower projects, but does not own, finance, construct or operate any energy facilities.

Establishes procedures for the inadvertent discovery or planned excavation of Native American cultural items on federal or tribal lands. While these provisions do not apply to discoveries or excavations on private or state lands, the collection provisions of the Act may apply to Native American cultural items if they come under the control of an institution that receives federal funding. NAGPRA makes it a criminal offense to traffic in Native American human remains without right of possession or in Native American cultural items obtained in violation of the Act.

Requires federal agencies to assess the environmental effects of their proposed actions prior to making decisions. The range of actions covered by NEPA is broad and includes: making decisions on permit applications, adopting federal land management actions, and constructing highways and other publicly-owned facilities.

Each state has their own SHPO and they aid communities to identify, evaluate, preserve, and revitalize their historic, archaeological, and cultural resources.

Each federally recognized tribe has their own THPO and they aid communities to identify, evaluate, preserve, and revitalize their historic, archaeological, and cultural resources. If the project occurs on tribal lands, one consults with the THPO in lieu of the SHPO if they have assumed the role of the SHPO on tribal lands. Otherwise, and on non-tribal lands, one consults with the THPO in addition to the SHPO.

Identifying, documenting, and interpreting all types of above-ground historical resources, to assess their significance, and to develop and implement impact mitigation strategies. This includes, but is not limited to, buildings, bridges, dams, railroad components, maritime structures, cultural landscapes, and cemeteries.

Geographic area within which an undertaking may directly or indirectly cause changes in the character or use of historic properties, if such properties exist. The architectural history APE will likely be larger than the archaeological APE. The archaeological APE is normally the actual footprint of the project or it can be an agency jurisdictional area. The USACE APE is 30 m (100 ft) with in a stream or wetland crossing.

The NRHP is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s NRHP is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archaeological resources. Under Federal Law, the listing of a property in the NRHP places no restrictions on what a non-federal owner may do with their property up to and including destruction, unless the property is involved in a project that receives Federal assistance, usually funding or licensing/permitting.

Determines if historic properties may be adversely affected and how they might be affected. Only properties that are listed on or eligible for the National Register of Historic Places receive further consideration under Section 106.

Identify and invite appropriate parties when dealing with Section 106. This included, but is not limited to SHPO, THPO, FHWA, FERC, Historical Societies, NRHP, Tribal officers, other federal agencies, or other related organizations.

Are used by agencies, municipal governments, and private companies responsible for the management of historic properties to integrate historic preservation planning into their operational and management planning framework.

Proposed nominations are reviewed by your state’s historic preservation office and the state’s National Register Review Board. Complete nominations, with certifying recommendations, are submitted by the state to the National Park Service in Washington, D.C. for final review and listing by the Keeper of the NRHP.

An adjusted gross income tax credit is available for the rehabilitation of historic residential property. The qualified expenditures for preservation or rehabilitation of the historic property must exceed $10,000. The tax credit is equal to 20 percent of the qualified expenditures that the taxpayer makes for the preservation or rehabilitation of the historic property.

Is a computational algorithm that delineates a viewshed, the area that is visible (on the base terrain surface) from a given location and how the project may affect the surrounding cultural resources.

Includes a broad range of activities applied to the investigation of documents and textual materials previously produced on cultural resources.

Is documentation that combines drawings, history, and photography to produce a comprehensive, interdisciplinary record. The documentation ranges in scope depending largely upon the level of significance and complexity.

Documentation of historic sites and structures related to engineering and industry.

Are investigations appropriate for the proposed project to meet Section 106 or individual state or tribal laws. These investigations are designed to determine if the proposed project will impact cultural resources and whether those cultural resources are significant. The process is usually broken into Phase I, Phase II, and Phase III investigations.

Used to determine the presence or absence of archaeological resources within a project area.

Additional investigations on an archaeological site in order to determine if the site is eligible for the NRHP.

Large-scale excavations designed to recover the data a site contains before a project proceeds and the site is lost.

When visibility of the project area is greater than a specified percentage (varies by state requirements) the survey will visually inspect the surface for the presence of cultural materials.

When visibility of the project area is less than a specified percentage (varies by state requirements) the survey will use STPs at state-required measurements at specific required intervals to determine the presence of cultural materials.

Used in floodplains of rivers to search for buried cultural resources and generally involves the excavation of backhoe trenches to search for cultural materials buried by hundreds to thousands of years of flooding along the river.