Review & Compliance/Section 106
Although the legal power to protect historic buildings, structures, sites, objects, and districts rests primarily with local governments, federal and state laws provide some protection for historic properties affected by projects that involve federal or certain state funds, permits, or licenses. Under these federal and state laws, the South Carolina State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) helps federal and state agencies and applicants identify historic properties listed in or eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places, evaluate the impacts of proposed projects on them, and avoid or minimize negative impacts.
Note: We are now providing comments letters for all our review and compliance programs as PDFs sent via email. Hard copies will only be provided upon request. To facilitate delivery please provide an email address for the intended recipient(s) for all project review submittals.
At this time the SC SHPO still requires project review submittals in hard copy form.
** While the SHPO continues to temporarily accept email submissions for projects in the Review and Compliance program due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, staff are now working in the office and we encourage and welcome hard copy submittals to facilitate reviews. **
Please list in your email what files/review information is attached. Note: Our email server does not always deliver attachments. Please limit attachments to 25 MB. For larger files you will need to use an FTP site.
Project Review Processes:
- Section 106 Review
- NEPA Review
- Guidance for Reviews of Anticipatory and Due Diligence Projects (PDF) **Temporarily Paused Starting November 1, 2020
- DHEC-OCRM Review
- DHEC-Mining Permits Review
- SC Dept. of Commerce Site Certification Program MOU (PDF)
- State Owned or Leased National Register Properties Review
See also:
Project Review Forms (PDFs)
- Section 106 Project Review Form
- DHEC-OCRM Project Review Form Instructions
- Historic Building Supplement Instructions
Contact Us
Project Review Guidance:
Historic Property Identification and Survey Guidance--
- SC ArchSite (GIS)
- SC Standards & Guidelines for Archaeological Investigations (PDF)
- Statewide Survey of Historic Properties Guidance (Survey Manual, Form, Database, Reporting and GIS Submission Requirements)
- Electronic Submission Requirements for Planning Surveys and Review & Compliance Surveys (PDF)
- Consultant's Guide to Survey and National Register Files (PDF)
- Selecting a Consultant - Lists of Preservation Professionals
- Statement on the Use of the Term Potentially Eligible (PDF)
Consulting Parties Guidance--
- Directory of South Carolina's Local History, Historic Preservation, and Cultural Organizations (PDF)
- Guidance for Citizens: Protecting Historic Properties with Section 106
- Section 106 Applicant Toolkit
- Tribal Consultation
- Tribal Consultation in the Section 106 Review Process: The Handbook (PDF)
- Traditional Knowledge and the Section 106 Process: Information for Federal Agencies and Other Participants
- Guide to Working with Non-Federally Recognized Tribes in the Section 106 Process (PDF)
Agreement and Covenant Guidance--
- Agreement Documents Guidance
- Sample ACHP & SHPO Memorandum of Agreement (PDF)
- Mitigation Examples
- Complying with Architectural Covenants (PDF)
Resource Types Guidance--
- Guidance for Archaeological Site Monitoring (PDF)
- Guidance for Assessing Visual and Indirect Effects to Historic Landscapes (PDF)
- Policy on Review of Proposed Replacement Windows (PDF)
- Preservation Hotline #3: Is there a highway project in your future? (PDF)
- Preservation Hotline #12: Complying with State and Federal Regulations: Archaeological Site Identification, Evaluation, Mitigation (PDF)
- Rice Fields and Section 106: SHPO Guidance for Federal Agencies and Applicants (PDF)
- Textile Mill Development Rehab Tips (PDF)
- Traditional Cultural Properties and Section 106 (PDF)
General Guidance--