EXEMPT FROM EVALUATION. The following properties are exempt from evaluation, based on the professional judgment of QIs qualified in the area of archaeology: • Isolated prehistoric finds consisting of fewer than three items per 100 square meters • Isolated historic finds consisting of fewer than three artifacts per 100 square meters (e.g., several fragments from a single glass bottle are one artifact) • Refuse scatters less than 50 years old (scatters containing no material that can be dated with certainty as older than 50 years old) • Features less than 50 years old (those known to be less than 50 years old through map research, inscribed dates, etc.) • Isolated refuse dumps and scatters over 50 years old that lack specific associations • Isolated mining prospect pits • Placer mining features with no associated structural remains or archeological deposits • Foundations and mapped locations of buildings or structures more than 50 years old with few or no associated artifacts or ecofacts, and with no potential for subsurface archeological deposits • Building and structural ruins and foundations less than 50 years old. QIs qualified in California archaeology shall apply professional judgment as to the level of identification effort, in consultation with consulting Native American Tribe(s) where appropriate. This exemption process does not include archeological sites, traditional cultural properties, or other cultural remains or features that may qualify as contributing elements of districts or landscapes.
EXEMPT FROM EVALUATION. Section 106 regulations require a "reasonable and good faith effort" to identify historic properties (36 CFR 800.4[b][1]). The procedures in this attachment concentrate Caltrans efforts on properties that have the potential to be historic properties. A property should be evaluated only if Caltrans PQS reasonably determine that the property has a demonstrable potential for historic significance. Evidence of such potential consists of associations with significant historic events or individuals (criteria A or B); engineering, artistic, design, or aesthetic values (Criterion C); information value (Criterion D); the presence of community concerns; or inclusion as a potential contributing element within a larger property requiring evaluation, such as a historic or cultural landscape, traditional cultural property, or historic district. This attachment defines categories of properties that do not warrant evaluation pursuant to Stipulation VIII.
