Section 60. Issuance or denial of permit

A. Upon completion of the public comment period, the director shall decide whether to issue the permit within a 30-day review period. In the event the director received no adverse public comment, no further action is required prior to decision.

B. The director shall consider any comment received and evaluate it in the light of the benefits of the proposed investigation, the severity of any emergency, or the amount of scientific information which may be lost in the event no permit is issued. The director may also take such comments into account in establishing any conditions of the permit. In considering such comment, the director shall give priority to comments and recommendations made by individuals and parties most closely connected with the human burials subject to the application.

C. In making a decision on the permit application, the director shall consider the following:

1. The level of threat facing the human skeletal remains and associated cultural resources.

2. The appropriateness of the goals, objectives, research, design, and qualifications of the applicants to complete the proposed research in a scientific fashion. The director shall consider the U.S. Secretary of the Interior's Standards and Guidelines for Archaeology and Historic Preservation, set out at 48 FR 44716 (September 29, 1983), in determining the appropriateness of the proposed research and in evaluating the qualifications of the applicants.

3. Comments received from the public.

4. The appropriateness of the proposed disposition of remains upon completion of the research. The director may specify a required disposition as a condition of granting the permit.

5. The performance of the applicant on any prior permitted investigation.

6. The applicability of other federal, state and local laws and regulations.

D. Failure to adequately meet all conditions in a previous permit shall be grounds for denial of any subsequent permit applications.

E. In the event the director proposes to deny a permit application, the director shall conduct an informal conference in accordance with § 2.2-4019 of the Administrative Process Act.

F. The permit shall contain such conditions which, in the judgment of the director, will protect the excavated human remains or associated artifacts.

G. A permit shall be valid for a period of time to be determined by the director as appropriate under the circumstances.

H. The director may extend or change the period or conditions of the permit or the period of analysis as noted in subdivision 12 of 17VAC5-20-30. In order to obtain such an extension or change the applicant must submit a written request demonstrating good cause. "Good cause" may include but not be limited to situations in which many more burials were encountered than were expected in the original permit application or where a new analytical technique or question will be applied within an expanded term of the permit. In making any decision to extend a permit, the director will consult with appropriate interested parties as identified in the initial public review.

I. The director may revoke any permit issued under this chapter for good cause shown. Such revocation shall be in accordance with the provisions of the Administrative Process Act.

Historical Notes

Derived from VR390-01-02 § 6, eff. August 14, 1991; amended, Volume 32, Issue 25, eff. September 8, 2016; Errata, 33:2 VA.R. 298 September 19, 2016.

Statutory Authority

§§ 10.1-2205 and 10.1-2305 of the Code of Virginia.