It is illegal to remove artifacts or otherwise disturbed archaeological sites on federal lands without a permit under the Archaeological Resource Protection Act of 1979. Federal lands in Wisconsin include National Forests, National Parks, and federal trust lands such as Indian Reservations. The law applies to both archaeological sites on public lands and submerged sites such as Shipwrecks on publicly owned the bottomlands under lakes and rivers. Permits are administered by the Office of the State Archaeologist. Contact State Archaeologist Robert Birmingham .
Permits are normally only give to professional archaeologists.
Most types of archaeological sites are NOT protected from destruction by private landowner activity on privately owned lands. Exceptions are covered above. As an incentive for private landowners to protect archaeological sites on their lands, the state offers a property tax exemption if the landowner formally agrees to protect the site. See Property Tax Exemptions for Archaeological Sites . Local Preservation Efforts Significant Archaeological sites in your community may be protected by special community landmarks ordinance.