Grant County, WA Historic Preservation: Historic-Cultural Monuments (2026)
Key Facts
- Trigger radius
- 300 ft from known site triggers archaeologist review
- Permit hold
- County holds permit until written evaluation provided
- Discovery duty
- Human remains or artifacts found: halt work immediately
- Tribal consultation
- Yakama, Colville, Wanapum Band consulted on finds
- Fine
- $500 per occurrence under GCC § 1.32.140
Summary
Grant County treats lands, sites and structures with historical or archaeological significance as protected cultural resources under the Unified Development Code. A permit within 300 feet of a known site triggers professional evaluation before work begins, and any human remains or artifacts found during construction stop work immediately.
(a)Cultural resources are those areas that have been identified as having lands, sites, and structures that have historical or archaeological significance. ... (a)When an application for a permit is received within three hundred (300) feet of a site known to contain historic, cultural, or archaeological artifacts and data, the County shall not take action on the application and shall inform the applicant thereof, and the applicant shall not initiate any excavation or development activity until the site has been inspected and a written evaluation is provided by a Qualified Archaeologist. Significant archaeological data or artifacts must be recovered before work begins or resumes on a project. ... (b)During any construction authorized under the development approval, should human remains, cultural or archaeological resources be encountered, all construction activities shall immediately halt. The project proponent, or his contractor or agent shall immediately contact OAHP, the Administrative Official, and the appropriate Native American tribal organization(s) or other appropriate group or agency.
Full Breakdown
Grant County Unified Development Code § 24.08.700(a) defines cultural resources as "those areas that have been identified as having lands, sites, and structures that have historical or archaeological significance," and § 24.08.710 ties designation to the state's Office of Archaeology and Historical Preservation records, the National and State Registers of Historic Places, and state law: archaeological sites are separately subject to RCW 27.44 (Indian Graves and Records) and RCW 27.53 (Archaeological Sites and Records), and excavation requires a WAC 25-48 permit. Once a development application comes in within 300 feet of a known historic, cultural, or archaeological site, § 24.08.720(a) requires the county to hold the application: the department "shall not take action on the application" until the site is inspected and a Qualified Archaeologist provides a written evaluation, and any significant data or artifacts found must be recovered before work begins or resumes.
Every permit issued near such a site carries a special condition under § 24.08.720(b): if excavation uncovers potential archaeological significance, all work in the immediate area must stop immediately and the Administrative Official must be notified at once, with the applicant required to contact the relevant tribal organization to start a consultation process, naming the Yakama, Colville, and Wanapum Band as the local tribes to consult. That same halt-and-notify duty carries through construction under § 24.08.730(b): if human remains or cultural or archaeological resources turn up during authorized construction, all activity must halt immediately while OAHP, the Administrative Official, and the appropriate tribal organization are contacted.
Where the site assessment finds significant resources, § 24.08.720(e)(6) requires a Cultural Resource Management Plan prepared by a professional archaeologist or historic preservation professional, paid for by the landowner, before development proceeds under § 24.08.730(a).
Violations & Fines
Excavating or building near a known cultural or archaeological site without the required inspection and evaluation is a code violation enforceable under GCC § 1.32, carrying a $500 fine per occurrence under § 1.32.140. Failing to halt work and notify OAHP and the tribal organization when remains or artifacts are uncovered exposes the responsible party to a stop work order and a separate citation for each day work continues.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if I want to build near a known archaeological site in unincorporated Grant County?
What if construction uncovers human remains or artifacts?
Which tribes does Grant County consult on cultural resource finds?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Grant County
Compare Grant County to another location·View the Washington historic preservation overview
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