Request for Information on Previously Recorded Archaeological Sites and Survey Areas
There are two types of requests for information on previously recorded archaeological sites and projects, a Preliminary Records Review and a Project Registration and Request for Archaeological Site and Survey Area Information. Please see the descriptions below and choose the appropriate request. If you have any questions or are unsure about which type of request you need, please call (859)257-1944 or e-mail ky-osa@uky.edu.
This preliminary records review is intended for those who do not need archaeological site location data but do need to know whether there are previously recorded archaeological sites within their project area and the immediate vicinity, and whether the project area has been previously surveyed for archaeological sites. This request is primarily intended for those who need information to submit to the Site Protection Program at the Kentucky Heritage Council/State Historic Preservation Office as part of the Section 106 Coversheet.
To request a preliminary records review, you must submit the following:
- Completed Request Form
- Project location information (for example, Latitude and Longitude of the project center point)
- Map or shapefile depicting the project area
Cost for processing this request is $40 per project location review. Payment is required at the time of request submission. You may submit your request online by following the link below, filling out the form, uploading your map, and paying with a credit card via our secure online payment system. You may also download the request form and either e-mail it to ky-osa@uky.edu or print and mail the form to:
University of Kentucky
Kentucky Office of State Archaeology
Archaeology Research Building
1020A Export Street
Lexington, KY 40506-0013
If you choose to e-mail the form, you will need to call our office at (859)257-1944 to pay by credit card over the phone. If you choose to mail your form, you will need to include a check with your request payable to the University of Kentucky or pay by credit card over the phone. Do not e-mail credit card information with the form. Preliminary records reviews will only be processed once payment has been received.
Upon submission of the required information and payment your request will be processed in the order received. The preliminary records review will include a unique registration number, a list of known archaeological sites, if present, the current National Register status of these sites, and information on any previous archaeological projects within your project area and a 30 m buffer. Please note that you will NOT receive any information on the location of archaeological sites within your project area.
If you have any questions on the request process, payments, or the results of your preliminary records review, please call our office at (859)257-1944 or e-mail ky-osa@uky.edu.
Finding Your Project's Coordinates as a PDF document
Request Form Download as a MS Word document
Online submission and credit card payment (we accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover cards)
Project Registration and Request for Archaeological Site and Project Area Information
This request is primarily intended to meet the Kentucky State Historic Preservation Office’s specifications to check for known sites in a project area and provide appropriate information that is critical to the review of projects that are subject to compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. This request provides detailed information on previously recorded archaeological sites and survey areas and may only be submitted by professional archaeologists who meet the Kentucky Heritage Council’s qualifications for a Principal Investigator. If you are unsure about your qualifications to conduct archaeological resource assessments within Kentucky, contact the Archaeology Review Coordinator at the Kentucky Heritage Council/State Historic Preservation Office at (502)564-7005.
Prior to initiating fieldwork, you must register your project with OSA and request information on previously identified sites and surveys conducted in your project area. The standard cost for processing the registration and resulting report is $140. Complicated requests may be charged a rate of $40/hr for additional processing time. The resulting report from OSA will provide information within your project area and a 2 km buffer, including site location, site type, current National Register status, and boundaries and citations to all known survey areas intersecting your project area.
Preliminary requests may also be submitted for information relating to previously recorded archaeological sites and projects within a project area and 30 m buffer. You will not receive a project registration number and will only be charged for processing the request (at $40 per hour). Information pertaining to archaeological site type, site number, current National Register status, and report citation information will be included with the request results. Please check the appropriate box on the request form if you only need preliminary data.
To register your project and receive information on previously recorded archaeological sites and survey areas, submit the following:
- A completed Project Registration and Request for Archaeological Site and Survey Information form
- Either a GIS shapefile of your project area projected in NAD83 Stateplane Kentucky 1600 FIPS (US Feet) OR a color USGS topographic map section depicting your project area at a zoom of 1:24,000
You may submit your request online via the link below (preferred method), via e-mail to ky-osa@uky.edu, or print and mail your request form and map to:
Department of Anthropology
Kentucky Office of State Archaeology
University of Kentucky
211 Laffery Hall
Lexington, KY 40506-0024
Upon submission of the required information and payment your request will be processed in the order received. If you submit your project area location information as a GIS shapefile, you will receive shapefiles of the previously recorded archaeological sites and survey areas within your project area. The attribute tables of these shapefiles will provide information on archaeological site number, site type, current National Register status, and report citation information. If you submit a topographic map, you will receive a color topographic map depicting previously recorded archaeological sites and survey areas within your project area, and a report that provides the associated archaeological site and survey information.
Payment is due when your request is submitted. You may pay via credit card online when you submit your form or by telephone, or you may mail a check (payable to the University of Kentucky) with your completed request form. Failure to remit payment will result in requests for project registration and background information to be delayed until payment has been received.
If you would like to schedule a time to view the associated archaeological site forms and reports from your request, please call (859)257-1944 or email ky-osa@uky.edu. Please note that you will need to have received the results of your request prior to scheduling an appointment.
Project Registration form as MS Word form
Online Project Registration and credit card payment (we accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover cards)