Under the Historical, Prehistorical, and Archaeological Resources Act of 1973 (CRS 24-80-401 to 410), a permit is required for any archaeological or paleontological survey or excavation on Colorado state land. Permits are issued through the Office of the State Archaeologist of Colorado (OSAC). 

The permit system may apply to lands belonging to political subdivisions of the state or to private landowners, at the request of the owner, except that the excavation of any unmarked human burial older than 100 years regardless of ethnic affiliation shall require a permit if such a burial is situated within any nonfederal land of Colorado.

Permittees must obtain additional permission to enter on state lands from the state agency which administers said land. 

Application

Submit State Permit Application

Submit Amendment Request

Before submitting a permit application, please review the regulations (8 CCR 1504-7). These regulations establish the standards and requirements for archaeological and paleontological work in Colorado.

As of July 1, 2025, applicants are invoiced $100 per permit application. Failure to pay may result in the revocation of a permit or delay in future processing.

Required Documents

The following is required at the time of application:

• Current curriculum vitae (CV) for each individual listed on the permit application.
• Applicants who do not meet the minimum qualifications for Principal Investigator or Project Archaeologist may apply for a waiver. Those materials must be submitted at the time of application. Please see FAQs below for required information for waivers of qualifications. 
• Current curation agreement(s) with State-Approved Museums or Repositories. At least one curation agreement is required for all permits except Non-Collection Survey Only permits. Please visit our Curation of State Collections webpage for more information. Two curation requirements are no longer required for all statewide permits at the time of application.
• Research design for proposed excavation. A research design is only required for Excavation permits types but not Survey and Test Excavation permits.

Important Information

New permit applications must be submitted annually for multi-year projects. Any permit(s) granted to an individual in the past does not guarantee a permit will be granted to that individual in any subsequent permit applications. 

Any permit may be suspended at any time if there is evidence that the activity authorized by the permit is being unlawfully or improperly conducted, if any of the criteria for permit denial applies, or if the permit holder does not honor the conditions of the permit. For more information regarding permit denial, please see FAQs below.

Permit Types

Survey

Archaeological Survey permits authorize the search for, inventorying of and documentation of archaeological resources in the field by non-destructive means in accordance with established standards for the purpose of recording such remains on official Colorado inventory forms and of preparing reports that meet guidelines published by OSAC. No artifacts or specimens are authorized to be collected, except those exposed on the surface of the ground. Such permits may be statewide in scope. 

Paleontological Survey permits authorize the search for, inventorying of and documentation of paleontological resources in the field by non-destructive means in accordance with established standards for the purpose of recording such remains on official Colorado inventory forms and of preparing reports that meet guidelines published by OSAC. No fossils or specimens of any kind are authorized to be collected, except those exposed entirely on the surface of the ground that are able to be removed from the modern ground surface without the use of any hand tools. Such permits may be statewide in scope. 

Non-collection survey only

Archaeological Non-Collection Survey permits authorize the search for, inventorying of and documentation of archaeological resources in the field by non-destructive means in accordance with established standards for the purpose of recording such remains on official Colorado inventory forms and of preparing reports that meet guidelines published by OSAC. Absolutely no artifacts or specimens are authorized to be collected. Such permits may be statewide in scope. 

Paleontological Non-Collection Survey permits authorize the search for, inventorying of and documentation of paleontological resources in the field by non-destructive means and with no subsurface disturbance in accordance with established standards for the purpose of recording such remains on official Colorado inventory forms and of preparing reports that meet guidelines published by OSAC. Absolutely no fossils or specimens are authorized to be collected. Such permits may be statewide in scope. 

Survey and test excavation

Archaeological Survey and Test Excavation permits authorize limited excavation of noncontiguous units (totaling less than 10 square meters), gathering and removal of artifacts and/or specimens, sufficient to evaluate the cultural significance of identified archaeological properties. Such permits may be statewide in scope. 

Paleontological Survey and Test Excavation permits authorize limited subsurface excavation or excavation of exposed paleontological resources with hand tools of noncontiguous units typically no larger than 1 square meter and totaling less than 10 square meters, gathering and removal of fossils and/or specimens. Such permits may be statewide in scope. 

Excavation

Archaeological Excavation permits authorize subsurface investigations of specified historical, archaeological resource(s), or an unmarked burial, in accordance with a research design that has been approved by OSAC for the specific resources described in the application. 

Paleontological Excavation permits authorize subsurface investigations of specified paleontological resources or excavation of exposed paleontological resources of units greater than 1 square meter in accordance with a research design than has been approved for the specific resource described in the application. 

Reporting Requirements

Permittees must submit reports on activities conducted under permit in a timely manner. No permittee who has failed to submit a report will receive a new archaeological or paleontological permit until conditions of the prior permit have been met. 

Permittees must additionally confirm that the Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation (OAHP) receives copies of project reports, site forms, GIS data, and other documentation generated under permit regardless of the purpose of the project or the status of a project with a client or public agency. To securely submit state permit deliverables to OAHP, please use our online platform MoveIt, which is administered by the Governor's Office of Information Technology.

End-of-Year/Preliminary/Progress Reports

End-of-Year (EoY)/Preliminary reports are due December 31 of the year in which investigations begin. The report templates provided below may be used. 

If you prefer to generate your own EoY report, you must include your permit number and the following information:

• A bibliography of reports and/or listing of all projects conducted under the state permit. Each bibliographic entry must state the county in which field work took place. 
• A listing of all sites and isolated finds recorded.
• A catalog/simple inventory of all materials collected on state lands and the name of the repository in which the materials are curated. 
• A brief summary of work in progress under the permit including details on the nature of the investigation, important findings, and expected timeline of completion of a final report.

EoY/Progress reports are due December 31 annually for multi-year projects. These reports should provide details on the nature of the investigation, important findings, and expected timeline of completion of a final report, and other pertinent information. 

If no work was conducted under state permit, please submit a No Work Conducted End-of-Year Report. 

Final Reports

A final report must be submitted within three years after the conclusion of field work. Final reports should meet the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and Guidelines for Archaeology and Historic Preservation reporting. You may also find the Colorado Cultural Resource Survey Manual useful as a report guide.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What are the official Colorado inventory forms?

Cultural resources forms are available and may be downloaded online. Prehistoric archaeological sites should be recorded using a Management Data Form and Prehistoric Archaeological Component Form. Paleontological sites should be recorded using a Management Data Form and Paleontological Component Form. Isolated finds should be recorded using an Isolated Find Record. 

What are the minimum qualification for different permittee roles?

For archaeological permits:

1. Principal investigator:
   • Graduate degree in anthropology or archaeology or history with demonstrated experience in Colorado prehistoric or historic archaeology, or in a related topical, geographic or cultural areas; and
   • At least one year of full-time professional experience or equivalent specialized training in archaeological research, administration or management; and
   • At least four months of supervised field and analytic experience in general North American archaeology; and
   • Demonstrated ability to carry research to completion.
2. Project archaeologist:
   • Bachelor's degree in anthropology or archaeology; and
   • At least six months of full-time professional experience or equivalent specialized training in archaeological research, administration or management; and
   • At least four months of supervised field and analytic experience in general North American archaeology; and
   • Demonstrated experience in Colorado prehistoric or historic archaeology, or in related topical, geographic or cultural areas.

For paleontological permits:

1. Principal investigator:
   • Graduate degree in geology, zoology, paleobotany, botany, or related fields, with demonstrated experience in the vertebrate or invertebrate paleontology of Colorado or related topical or geographical areas; or
   • At least one year of full-time professional experience or equivalent specialized training in paleontological research, administration, or management; and
   • At least four months of supervised field and analytic experience in general North American paleontology; and
   • Demonstrated ability to carry research to completion.
2. Project paleontologist:
   • Bachelor's degree in geology, zoology, paleobotany, botany, or related fields; and
   • At least six months of full-time professional experience or equivalent specialized training in paleontological research, administration, or management; and
   • At least four months of supervised paleontological field experience in North America; and
   • Demonstrated experience in Colorado paleontology or related areas.

What are the waiver requirements if an applicant doesn't meet the minimum required qualifications?

Applicants who do not meet the minimum qualifications may apply for a waiver. Written applications for waiver must include the following:

1. Current (less than three years old) curriculum vitae of individual applying for waiver;
2. A statement of the reasons why the applicant believes he/she is qualified to undertake the proposed work;
3. Written examples of similar or related work.

Please include all waiver materials among the permit application materials submitted at time of application.

What are the criteria for permit denial?

OSAC may deny a permit to an applicant:

• If he/she does not meet the minimum required qualifications;
• If he/she gives false information on the application;
• If he/she fails to adhere to any of the terms and conditions or prior permits;
• If he/she has previously been denied a federal permit for work on the same project;
• If he/she has been convicted of a violation of the Historical, Prehistoric, and Archaeological Resources Act of 1973;
• If he/she has a record of violating any law applicable to archaeological or paleontological resources protection. Violation of said law shall include civil sanctions as well as criminal conviction (which shall include a plea of nolo contendere or acceptance of a deferred sentence);
• If he/she has a record of unacceptable reports;
• If he/she submits a research design or documentation plan that does not meet the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and Guidelines for Archaeological and Historic Preservation; 
• If he/she has not arranged for funding sufficient to complete the proposed work;
• If the landowner or land manager objects; or
• For other just cause. 

Under the Historical, Prehistorical, and Archaeological Resources Code of Colorado Regulations, all issued permits will become part of the public record.

For information requests related to state permits, please reach out to the Office of the State Archaeological permit program at hc_archpermit@state.co.us.

Below is an updated list of active permits. This list is updated bi-annually in June and in December. 

Contact 

State Permit Program | Office of the State Archaeologist 
hc_archpermit@state.co.us

Sarah A. Allaun
Assistant State Archaeologist | Office of the State Archaeologist 
303-866-5746 | sarah.allaun@state.co.us