At its October 20, 2009, meeting, the City Council adopted updated Archaeological Resource Preservation Program Guidelines. The revised Guidelines,  originally adopted in 1995, establish the City's policies and procedures for protecting archaeological sites and artifacts, and were developed with input from Native American tribal representatives, local cultural resource professionals, and the Cultural Heritage Committee (CHC), and are now available for use. To review the updated Archaeological Guidelines, click here.

The update closely follows the intent of the original guidelines to strengthen archaeological preservation standards and incorporates new guidelines to address changes in State law requiring Native American consultation on certain planning actions (SB 18). As with the previous guidelines, the updated guidelines clarify how archaeological resources are identified, evaluated, and preserved pursuant to State law.  They will be used by applicants, staff, and decision makers to help determine whether a project complies with City standards and with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

If you have any questions, contact Phil Dunsmore, Senior Planner, at (805) 781-7522 or pdunsmor@slocity.org, or Kim Murry, Deputy Director, at (805) 781-7274 or kmurry@slocity.org.