Forms

DHR’s Cemetery Preservation program provides information and resources to help preserve and protect the state’s historic cemeteries and burial grounds. We also provide technical assistance with issues involving human skeletal remains, including issuing legal permits for the archaeological recovery of buried remains.

PLEASE BE AWARE: Due to a recent amendment to and reenactment of Code of Virginia §10.1-2305, effective July 1, 2024, DHR is obligated to engage with all federally recognized Virginia Tribes when considering applications for burial permits associated with archaeological activities that may result in the disturbance of a burial site or buried ancestral remains affiliated with such Tribe(s). Both precautionary (anticipatory) and recovery permit applications are subject to this requirement. Please note that respectful engagement and meaningful consultation with our tribal communities may require more than the standard 30 days. If your project will affect sites known to contain Indigenous burials or that may reasonably be assumed to contain Indigenous burials, or if your project is located within an area of interest to one or more Tribes, we recommend that you plan accordingly and incorporate the additional time necessary to complete this process.

The full revised text of §10.1-2305 may be found here.