Archaeological activities upon public lands — Entry — Agreement — Approval of activities — Information regarding results of studies and activities.
RCW 27.53.080
in effect(1) *Qualified or professional archaeologists, in performance of their duties, may enter upon public lands of the state of Washington and its political subdivisions after first notifying the entity responsible for managing those public lands, at such times and in such manner as not to interfere with the normal management thereof, for the purposes of doing archaeological resource location and evaluation studies, including site sampling activities. The results of such studies shall be provided to the state agency or political subdivision responsible for such lands and the department and are confidential unless the director, in writing, declares otherwise. Scientific excavations are to be carried out only after appropriate agreement has been made between a professional archaeologist or an institution of higher education and the agency or political subdivision responsible for such lands. A copy of such agreement shall be filed with the department. (2) Amateur societies may engage in such activities by submitting and having approved by the responsible agency or political subdivision a written proposal detailing the scope and duration of the activity. Before approval, a proposal from an amateur society shall be submitted to the department for review and recommendation. The approving agency or political subdivision shall impose conditions on the scope and duration of the proposed activity necessary to protect the archaeological resources and ensure compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws. The findings and results of activities authorized under this section shall be made known to the approving agency or political subdivision approving the activities and to the department.
(1) *Qualified or professional archaeologists, in performance of their duties, may enter upon public lands of the state of Washington and its political subdivisions after first notifying the entity responsible for managing those public lands, at such times and in such manner as not to interfere with the normal management thereof, for the purposes of doing archaeological resource location and evaluation studies, including site sampling activities. The results of such studies shall be provided to the state agency or political subdivision responsible for such lands and the department and are confidential unless the director, in writing, declares otherwise. Scientific excavations are to be carried out only after appropriate agreement has been made between a professional archaeologist or an institution of higher education and the agency or political subdivision responsible for such lands. A copy of such agreement shall be filed with the department.
(2) Amateur societies may engage in such activities by submitting and having approved by the responsible agency or political subdivision a written proposal detailing the scope and duration of the activity. Before approval, a proposal from an amateur society shall be submitted to the department for review and recommendation. The approving agency or political subdivision shall impose conditions on the scope and duration of the proposed activity necessary to protect the archaeological resources and ensure compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws. The findings and results of activities authorized under this section shall be made known to the approving agency or political subdivision approving the activities and to the department.
Source: WA Statutes (Official Site)URL: https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=27.53&full=trueFetched: 6/29/2026