The City of Salem has over 250 known archaeological sites within its boundaries. Archaeological resources below the surface of our buildings and urban environment is often the only source of knowledge about our city's prehistory and the largely undocumented history and lives of our historically marginalized populations, immigrants and the poor.
The purpose of the City of Salem's Archaeological compliance program is to establish processes to identify archaeological resources, assess their significance and mitigate potential damage development may do to these resources.
If your property is within the Cultural Resources Protection Zone (HCRP) and you are planning a project that will include ground disturbing activity, please contact the City Archaeologist Kimberli Fitzgerald.
Download information about the clearance review process