There are specific requirements that must be met before owners of archaeological sites can receive a property tax exemption. First, the site must be listed in the State Register of Historic Places or the National Register of Historic Places. Second, the landowner must enter into a permanent covenant with the Society.

The Wisconsin Historical Society has no funds to evaluate sites not currently listed in the state or national registers. Evaluation will often necessitate small scale test excavation and mapping. Society staff will then determine if the site is potentially eligible for listing. If considered eligible, the site must then be formally nominated to the state or national registers. This process can take up to one year to complete. Qualified archaeological consultants can also be contracted to perform site evaluation and nomination. A list of consultants is available from the State Archaeologist.

Contact Office of the State Archaeologist at the Wisconsin Historical Society. If the site is already listed in the state or national registers and retains its archaeological integrity, the owner and the Society may negotiate a protective covenant for the site. Once the covenant is signed by both the owner and the Director of the Wisconsin Historical Society, the Society will file the covenant with the County Register of Deeds with the owner paying the $30.00 filing fee. The owner is responsible for completing a Wisconsin Property Tax Exemption Request (PR-230 Form) that they must send to the local tax assessor. If the archaeological site is not in the state or national registers, the owner can schedule an investigation by contracting with an archaeological consultant qualified to conduct an investigation of the site and nominate it for inclusion on the State and/or National Register. Not all archaeological sites qualify for listing on the registers, so not all sites are eligible for inclusion in the covenant program.

Under state law (Wis. Stats. 70.10), properties are assessed based on their status as of the close of January 1 of each year. A covenant signed between January 2 and December 31 of 2021, will not apply to the 2021 taxes but rather will begin in 2022.

Possibly. If the site is not already listed and the owner wishes to have the site evaluated for listing on the National and State Register of Historic Places, the owner will have to hire a private consultant. If the site only covers a portion of a lot, a survey, performed by a registered land surveyor, may also be needed to define the site area before a covenant can be signed. If so, the landowner will have to hire a land surveyor to perform the task. The landowner will have to pay the filing fee for the Register of Deeds Office. Currently the fee is $30.00.

The actual amount depends on a number of factors, including the amount of land listed in the State Register of Historic Places or the National Register of Historic Places and, most importantly, the value of the land and the local tax rate. In some instances, the property tax exemption can lead to a substantial savings. Only the land is tax exempt. Any improvements to the land—for example, a house—are still taxable.

All activities that involve substantial ground disturbance are restricted because they will affect the integrity and eligibility of the site. If an owner wants to engage in activities that affect the integrity of the archaeological site, the owner must notify the Wisconsin Historical Society in writing of the proposed activities. The Society will then respond to this request within 30 days, either approving or refusing to allow the activities. In the event of a refusal, the Society will state the reasons for the refusal. You may request a sample covenant which lists restrictions that would be placed on the land.

Normal maintenance of the property and recreational activities are allowed such as maintaining existing garden and flower beds. Other activities may be allowed on a case by case basis, upon written request by the owner. These can include activities involving minor ground disturbance, such as planting trees, digging a new well, or putting up a fence, if Wisconsin Historical Society staff are allowed to monitor the work or conduct limited test excavations in the area to be disturbed. Society staff will also work with an owner in planning the location of a proposed development in order to minimize the disturbance to the archaeological site.

Yes. The covenant is attached to the deed, and it transfers with the deed. The new owners are then bound by the terms of the existing covenant.

Changes to the covenant must be made by mutual consent of the owner and the Director of the Wisconsin Historical Society. To do this, the owner must inform the Director in writing of the proposed changes. If the Director of the Society agrees to the changes, a new covenant would be filed with the County Register of Deeds.

It is the Society's intention only to end covenants under extraordinary circumstances, such as when there is no archaeological site left to protect.

It depends on the intended use of the land in question. To answer this question, owners are encouraged to have the covenant reviewed by a lawyer or a real estate assessor before signing the document.

The purpose of the program is to preserve archaeological sites for future generations. After the covenant is in place, the Wisconsin Historical Society cannot excavate at the site without permission of the landowner. If other archaeologists want to excavate at the site, approval from both the landowner and the Society is needed.