Archaeological, Cultural and Historic Resources

The new code applies to development work with the potential to impact cultural resources within areas of the City for which a planning subarea plan has been adopted, or for projects within Urban Residential (UR) zones where 20 or more units are proposed.  Tacoma’s designated subareas include:

• Downtown Subarea
• Tacoma Mall Subarea
• Tideflats Subarea

Triggers for archaeological review include proximity to known sensitive sites on or near the development site, historically designated structures on the development site, or other cultural or historical information that indicates the possibility of cultural resources on or near the development site.

Any of the above conditions may require submittal of an initial Risk Assessment completed by a qualified cultural resources professional for review by the City and Tribal authorities.  If the Risk Assessment indicates there is a potential for impacts to historic or archaeological resources, additional documentation in the form of a Cultural Resources Assessment may be required.  Applicants who expect that their project may impact cultural or historic resources may elect to initiate a full Cultural Resources Assessment without completing the preliminary step of the Risk Assessment.  Applicants are also encouraged to consult with the appropriate Tribal Historic Preservation Offices early in their development process.

All projects in which there is ground disturbance must file an Unanticipated Discovery Plan, which outlines steps to be taken if archaeological materials or human remains are discovered during the course of excavation.

A cultural resource discovery could be prehistoric or historic. Examples include:

• An accumulation of shell, burned rocks, or other food related materials.
• Bones or small pieces of bone.
• An area of charcoal or very dark stained soil with artifacts.
• Stone tools or waste flakes (i.e. an arrowhead. or stone chips).
• Clusters of tin cans or bottles, logging or agricultural equipment that appears to be older than 50 years.
• Buried railroad tracks, decking, or other industrial materials.

When in doubt, assume the material is a cultural resource.

View a sample Unanticipated Discovery Plan and examples of cultural resources

This section applies citywide to the following types of demolitions:

• Where the affected structures are 125 years of age or greater, and
• Demolition of greater than 4000 SF on a parcel, or
• Demolition within a Mixed-Use Center, or
• Where demolition is proposed for any structure on the National Register, either as part of a National Register Historic District or as an individually listed structure (demolition of properties listed on the Tacoma Register of Historic Places are reviewed under TMC 13.07).

If there is an Unanticipated Discovery Plan filed with the project permits, refer to the steps contained in that document.

• The Project Manager is responsible for taking appropriate steps to protect the discovery site.  All work will stop immediately in a surrounding area adequate to provide for the complete security of location, protection, and integrity of the resource. Vehicles, equipment, and unauthorized personnel will not be permitted to traverse the discovery site. Work in the immediate area will not resume until the discovery has been evaluated.
• The Project Manager may direct construction away from cultural resources to work in other areas prior to contacting the concerned parties.
• The project manager (or a delegated Cultural Resource professional retained by the project) will contact the involved federal agencies (if any), the City of Tacoma, and the Washington Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation (DAHP). Personnel from the City Historic Preservation Office or Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, in consultation with any cultural resource professionals retained by the project, will ensure that a qualified professional archaeologist examines the area to determine if there is an archaeological find.
• The City in coordination with DAHP will notify interested and/or affected tribes of any/all archaeological findings.

If suspected human remains are encountered during a project, the Project Manager will comply with applicable state and federal laws, and the following procedure:

• In all cases you must notify a law enforcement agency or Medical Examiner/Coroner’s Office.
• In addition to the actions described in Sections 3 and 4, the Project Manager will immediately notify the local law enforcement agency or medical examiner’s office.
• The Medical Examiner/Coroner (with assistance of law enforcement personnel) will determine if the remains are human, whether the discovery site constitutes a crime scene, and will then notify the Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation.

Contact Information

Pierce County Medical Examiner
Karen Cline-Parhamovich, Chief Medical Examiner
(253) 798-6494

Tacoma Police Department Non-Emergency
(253) 287-4455