SHPO Guidance Points

SHPO Guidance Point Series: The State Historic Preservation Office’s Guidance Point Series provide a means for meeting goals and objectives in the State Historic Preservation Office’s (SHPO) State Plan, which was updated in 2014.

According to three of the Plan’s goals (i.e., Goals 6, 7, & 8), SHPO should foster a constituency in Arizona that is informed and supportive of historic preservation issues. One of the goals targets the public, anther focuses on policy makers, and the third one identifies historic preservation professionals. Specific objectives in the Plan that the Series addresses include updating and broadening information available to the public, enabling citizens to make informed decisions on current historic preservation issues, and advising professionals on “best practices” for the treatment of historic properties.

SHPO Guidance Points assist agency and tribal officials, professionals, and members of the public to consult effectively, to select best practices for identifying, evaluating, and treating historic properties, and to make informed decisions about historic preservation. The Guidance Points are especially useful for consultants and applicants working at behest of state and federal agencies complying with historic preservation laws. The Series, which began in 2000, shares the SHPO staff’s research and experience on historic preservation issues in Arizona with audiences identified in the State Plan.

Topics are usually chosen for the Series that are related to recent preservation issues or project-specific solutions that the SHPO staff identifies as having broader appeal or application. At present, the series includes papers stressing the importance of Agency officials determining the eligibility of a property in terms of the State or National Registers of Historic Places’ criteria, describing different types of archaeological testing and their appropriate roles, guiding the use of mechanical boring under historic properties, evaluating the continued adequacy and accuracy of old survey data, understanding when site burial as a mitigation measure is appropriate, deciding when surface artifact collection during survey is not an adverse effect, guiding mitigation programs within linear rights-of-way, and conducting meaningful and effective tribal consultation for state and federal undertakings.

SHPO staff is always willing to entertain ideas for new topics that can be addressed in a Guidance Point. Feel free to contact SHPO staff with your ideas.

1. Use of the Term “Potentially Eligible” (317 KB PDF)
2. Roles of Archaeological Testing (332 KB PDF)  - -  FAQ Sheet  (413 KB PDF)
3. Appropriateness of Boring under Sites as an Avoidance Measure (307 KB PDF)
4. Burial-in-Place Treatment for Archaeological Sites (448 KB PDF)
5. Relying on Old Archaeological Survey Data (328 KB PDF)
6. Linear Projects (1.15 MB PDF)
7. Surface Artifact Collection During Survey/Identification Phase (119 KB PDF)
8. Tribal Consultations in National Historic Preservation Act Decision Making Processes (427 KB PDF)
9. Guidance for State Agencies Tribal Consultations and the State Historic Preservation Act (265 KB PDF)
10. Guidance for Use and Submittal of the Survey Report Summary Form (SRSF) (380 KB PDF)
11. SHPO Review of Non-mandated Compliance Consultations (393 KB PDF)
12. SHPO Guidance on Drafting Section 106 Agreement Documents for Undertakings in Arizona (602 KB PDF)

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