Introduction

There are several Federal and State laws that deal with archeological resources on Federal and Native American lands.

The following acts have been passed and are enforced to protect our national heritage devastation from serious looters as well as from the casual visitors who slip pot shards into their pockets to take home for the coffee table display.

Please become familiar with these acts as you travel in the area, respect them, and report any and all signs of violation, such as vandalism, to appropriate authorities.

Antiquities Act, 1906

• 1906, Antiquities Act: It protects all historic and prehistoric sites on Federal lands and prohibits excavation or destruction of such antiquities unless a permit (Antiquities Permit) is obtained from the Secretary of the department which has the jurisdiction over those lands. It also authorizes the President to declare areas of public lands as National Monuments and to reserve or accept private lands for that purpose.
  

National Historic Preservation Act of 1966

• 1966, National Historic Preservation Act: This act supplements the provisions of the Antiquities Act of 1906. The law makes it illegal to destroy, excavate or remove information from Federal or Indian lands any archeological resources without a permit from the land manager. Permits may be issued only to educational or scientific institutions and only if the resulting activities will increase knowledge about archeological resources. Regulations for the ultimate disposition of materials recovered as a result of permitted activities state that archeological resources excavated on public lands remain the property of the United States. Archeological resources excavated from Indian lands remain the property of the Indian or Indian tribe having rights of ownership over such resources.

Utah State Antiquities Act