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
     

1. Include data from the HARGIS map, local historical maps, plat maps, previously determined historical or cultural resources, or newly determined historic or cultural resources
2. For rehabilitation projects in urban areas, supply a county-level topographic quadrangle map showing your project's location (we suggest using the USGS map)
3. For projects in rural areas, supply 1) a topographic quadrangle map showing your project's location (we suggest using the USGS map) OR 2) supply longitude & latitude and any other identifying information OR 3) supply project address
4. For projects that propose ground disturbance, provide both a USGS 7.5-minute topographic map and recent aerial imagery with the project limits clearly indicated
5. Color photos taken within the past 6-to-9 months of all structures in the project area or Area of Potential Effect, from multiple vantage points, preferably without foliage blocking the view. Photos should show the buildings' exterior and front elevations. 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 named, high-resolution ".jpg" or ".pdf" files (image files with the ".heic" extension will not be accepted)
6. High-resolution digital scans of relevant historic photographs and previous architectural plans (if applicable/available)
7. Additional/interior photos may be requested at a later date
8. Map delineating a proposed Area of Potential Effects (APE) considering the extent of the effects the project will have on above-ground resources (these may vary, depending on topographical conditions):
   • Cell tower height 200 ft. = 0.5-mile radius
   • Cell tower height 200 ft. to 400 ft. = 0.75-mile radius
   • Cell tower height 400 ft. to 600 ft. = 1.5-mile radius
   • Cell tower height 600 ft. + = 2-mile radius
   • Small cell/colocations on existing buildings or structures 50 ft. = 500-foot radius
   • Moving an existing pole 100 ft./30 meters = treat as a new installation
   • Small cell/colocations within one-mile radius of each other = one undertaking (submit together)
   • Wind turbine tower = 2-mile radius (submit 4 or more wind turbines as one “wind farm” project)
   • Solar farm array = 0.25 mile in all directions from the outer edge of the array.
   • Transmission line = 0.5 miles on either side
   • For a proposed new transmission line, the APE will consist of all resources within 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 should be limited to the existing ROW.

*For dense urban areas, applicants may suggest a visual APE related to viewsheds (tower visibility may not meet the standard APE for less densely built areas).

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.