Governor's Public Lands Policy Coordination Office

Archaeological Permitting

By law, impacts to historic, prehistoric, and archaeological resources must be taken into account prior to expending state funds or approving any undertaking on state lands. This evaluation often requires completion of archaeological surveys. Archaeological surveys and excavations on state lands must be completed under the supervision of a principal investigator permitted by PLPCO.

Permitted Investigators

View a listing of permitted principal investigators.

Archaeological Survey and Excavation Permit forms are available in PDF, WordPerfect and MS Word format:

Utah Data Recovery Permit -
PDF - Word
Utah Principal Investigator Permit -
PDF - Word
Principal Investigator Permit Evaluation Form
PDF - Word

Please return the completed PDF, WordPerfect or Word form and supporting documentation to David Yoder at davidyoder@utah.gov or 5110 State Office Building , P.O. Box 141107 , Salt Lake City, UT 84114-1107. Applications will be reviewed over a 30-day period.

Archaeology Projects

Each year multiple projects are conducted throughout the state, and usually involve either survey or excavation. During survey, crews of archaeologists methodically walk through an area looking for and recording sites and artifacts. During excavation, sites are systematically dug, mapped, and artifacts are collected. Most of these projects are in advance of private or public construction, or for federal or state agencies as part of their land management practices. As the permitting agency for archaeological work on state lands, PLPCO’s permitting process helps to assure a high level of expertise and scientific rigor in all of these investigations. The information gained through work on public lands helps us to better understand the prehistoric and historic populations in the region, and gives us a greater appreciation for our archaeological heritage.

The Ruby Pipeline, is an example of a recent project by a PLPCO permitted archaeologist.

See descriptions of other recent projects here.


			Contact Us: Kathleen Clarke Director 801-537-9803 Sindy Smith Acting RDCC Coordinator 801-537-9193 John Hurst Senior Policy Analyst 801-537-9295 Mitch Maio Policy Analyst 801-537-9046 Tiffany Pezzulo Policy Analyst 801-537-9823 Sean Tippetts Research Consultant 801-537-9053 Ginger Utley Policy Analyst 801-538-9527 David Yoder Archaeologist 801-537-9014
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	Archaeological Permitting By law, impacts to historic, prehistoric, and archaeological resources must be taken into account prior to expending state funds or approving any undertaking on state lands. This evaluation often requires completion of archaeological surveys. Archaeological surveys and excavations on state lands must be completed under the supervision of a principal investigator permitted by PLPCO. Permitted Investigators View a listing of permitted principal investigators. Archaeological Survey and Excavation Permit forms are available in PDF, WordPerfect and MS Word format: Utah Data Recovery Permit - PDF - Word Utah Principal Investigator Permit - PDF - Word Principal Investigator Permit Evaluation Form PDF - Word Please return the completed PDF, WordPerfect or Word form and supporting documentation to David Yoder at davidyoder@utah.gov or 5110 State Office Building , P.O. Box 141107 , Salt Lake City, UT 84114-1107. Applications will be reviewed over a 30-day period. Archaeology Projects Each year multiple projects are conducted throughout the state, and usually involve either survey or excavation. During survey, crews of archaeologists methodically walk through an area looking for and recording sites and artifacts. During excavation, sites are systematically dug, mapped, and artifacts are collected. Most of these projects are in advance of private or public construction, or for federal or state agencies as part of their land management practices. As the permitting agency for archaeological work on state lands, PLPCO’s permitting process helps to assure a high level of expertise and scientific rigor in all of these investigations. The information gained through work on public lands helps us to better understand the prehistoric and historic populations in the region, and gives us a greater appreciation for our archaeological heritage. The Ruby Pipeline, is an example of a recent project by a PLPCO permitted archaeologist. See descriptions of other recent projects here.