Cultural Resource Protection: Submitting a Project for Review

The Cultural Resource Protection program within the Illinois State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) uses a digital submission and review process. We do not accept hardcopy submissions of Regulatory projects. Click here for instructions on how to check the status of our review of your projects.

For all undertakings subject to review under Section 106 (federal) or Section 707 (state), please follow these instructions. If you have questions about how to submit your undertaking, please email us at SHPO.Review@Illinois.gov

Individual undertakings must be submitted separately. Undertakings with multiple addresses but the same scope of work may be submitted together.   

If the total of your submission attachments is 30 MB or fewer, email your submission to SHPO.Review@Illinois.gov. You do not have to combine the documents into one .pdf.

If your submission is larger than 30 MB in total size:

• Place all your documents into one folder, and name it appropriately.
• Compress or "zip" the folder (information from Microsoft regarding zipping files)
• Click on this link
• Click on the blue "Select Files" button
• When prompted, navigate to the zipped folder on your computer, select it, and click "Open."
• Click "Upload." You should see a green check that indicates your files have been successfully uploaded.

Your submission must contain:

The cover letter must be on your organization's letterhead and include the following information:

1. Project's county, street address, and municipality. If no street address is available, please provide nearest street, section, township, and range. For unincorporated areas, please provide the nearest municipality and county.
2. Complete description of your project, including any proposed ground-disturbing activity
3. Names of state and/or federal agencies and entities that are providing funding, licenses, permits, or approvals for your project
4. Name, email address, phone, and mailing address of the project contact
5. Previously assigned SHPO log numbers associated with your project (if any)
6. Total acreage involved in the project
7. Year of original construction for each structure on the project site
8. Description of any prior non-agricultural ground disturbance in the project area
9. Any known historical information, architectural significance, significance to community, or association with a significant individual for any cultural resources within the project area
     

For ALL project types and regardless of the stage of project planning, submit a clearly marked, exact, maximum possible extent project area boundary (PAB) on each of the following maps and aerial photos. 

• current/most recent aerial photo,
• HARGIS map, and
• USGS quadrangle

Use only the relevant portions of the maps and aerials. DO NOT submit an entire USGS quadrangle (unless the project area takes up most of the quad). Relevant portions should include at least one road intersection with named roads. Include a North arrow. 

Use of pins, arrows, dots or general circles or other geometric shapes to mark a project area boundary is not permissible, and your submittal will not be reviewed until you provide an exact, maximum possible project area boundary. 

When drawing the maximum possible extent project area boundary, include all of the following project components:

• All ground disturbance areas, both direct and indirect. This includes permanent/temporary access roads and utility corridors (above and below ground), construction-related layouts for machinery and materials, planting/re-seeding areas, and any other possible areas where the surface or sub-surface (such as directional boring) could be disturbed before, during, or after primary construction.
• All buildings and structures to be rehabbed, repaired, or demolished.

Submission of an additional GIS file of the PAB is necessary for large (solar and wind) projects, but encouraged for all projects

Include locations of previously determined historic or cultural resources, or newly determined ones on at least one map or aerial photo.

*Additional maps, photos, and different APE requirements exist for Archaeological survey reports and Architectural survey reports. DO NOT use a survey report in lieu of these submittal rules, though one or both can be submitted IN ADDITION to these rules.

Submit high-resolution, color photos taken within the past 3 months of the primary facades and at least one side of all buildings, structures, and cultural landscapes (parks and cemeteries, for example) in and directly adjacent to the project area, without foliage or vehicles blocking the view. If clear images cannot be obtained because of right-of-way issues, submit the best photo available, and include an explanation. Images must be appropriately identified and include the address. Only submit high-resolution ".jpg" or ".pdf" files (image files with the ".heic" extension will not be accepted).

If buildings or structures have been demolished to make room for the submitted project, include properly labeled photographs of them. 

Submit high-resolution color photos showing the entire project area (unless already shown with the building/structure photos).

On an aerial photo, show the proposed APE. The distance reached for the APE can be determined below.  

Utility and Transmission Poles/Towers

Up to 200 feet = .5-mile radius

Over 200 feet = .75-mile radius

Moving an existing pole 100 ft or more away = treat as a new installation

For a proposed new transmission line longer than ¼ mile, the APE will be 0.5 miles on either side of the right-of-way (ROW). If the proposed project includes modifications within a ROW (lines already exist), the APE will be limited to properties adjacent to the ROW.

Cell Towers, Radio or Relay Towers, and Wind Turbines (to blade tip)

Up to 200 ft. = .5-mile radius

Between 200 ft. to 400 ft. = .75-mile radius

Between 400 ft. to 600 ft. = 1.5-mile radius

Over 600 ft. + = 2-mile radius

Small cell/colocations on existing buildings or structures 50 ft. = 500-foot radius

Small cell/colocations within 1-mile of each other = one undertaking (submit as one project)

If there are 4 or more wind turbines, submit as one project.

Solar/Battery Farms and Data Centers

.25-mile in all directions from the outer edge of the project boundary.

If utility poles are to be constructed as part of OR because of such a project, the APE around those is considered to be part of this project and is determined as above.

Below Ground Linear Projects (because they all have above-ground components)

Adjacent properties on either side

Photographs of Above-Ground Resources in the Visual APE.

Photographs of above-ground resources can be part of the initial project submission package. Actual photographic requirements may be different and require more or different photos than those submitted.

**For urban areas, applicants may suggest a reduced APE. Archaeological APEs are different than Visual APEs. 

If architectural or engineering plans and specifications have been prepared, please submit them. We would like to review your project as early in your planning process as we can. If you have only schematic or diagrammatic plans, please submit them.  If you don't yet have architectural or engineering plans and if we need to review them, we will request that you submit them to us when they are developed.

Any archaeological survey, testing, or mitigation reports associated with the project, along with GIS files (ESRI or Google Earth polygons) of the survey coverage, must be submitted digitally. GIS files of survey coverages only should be submitted to Miranda Yancey at DNR.Archaeology.Sitefiles@illinois.gov following submission of the report to SHPO, if they were not already submitted to obtain site numbers. Feel free to use our standard Archaeological Survey Short Report (ASSR). If you opt to not use the ASSR format, your report must be accompanied by the Archaeological Report Summary form.