Montana Archaeology

Click here if unmarked human remains/bones are located.
Click here if you have questions on buried/marked remains (PDF) or cemeteries.

In Montana, artifacts belong to the landowner; therefore private land means private owner and public land means public agency owner. If you find an artifact on land you do not own you should always contact the land owner before doing anything else. There is one important legal exception to this basic ownership rule. If artifacts were left with a human burial they are not owned by the land owner. Neither the human remains or any artifact found with them can be owned - they are not property abandoned. If you think you have found something like that you are required by law to contact the local coroner and/or the State Archaeologist after securing the site as best you can.

The Montana State Antiquities Act applies to projects on state lands only. The Act provides, in part, for the review of agency proposed projects and mitigation plans by the SHPO and the issuance of Antiquities Permits (required only for the excavation, removal, or restoration of any Heritage Property on state lands). If you are working on state lands e.g. Fish, Wildlife and Parks, the Universities or the Dept. of Natural Resources and Conservation, etc., you must consult directly with that agency. If a need for an Antiquities Permit develops, the agency will consult directly with the State Archaeologist. Inventory and testing work generally does not require a state Permit. If you work on federal lands you will likely need an ARPA permit from the land managing agency but no Montana state permit is necessary.