The end of September marked the close of the 2025 federal fiscal year. Congrats! Your firm secured funding for a bevy of federal projects. But there are, of course, roadblocks. With the help of Chronicle Heritage, Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) doesn’t have to be one of them.
Section 106 and You
As you are probably aware, the Section 106 review process requires federal agencies to take into account the effects that federally licensed and funded undertakings may have on historic properties. Under Section 106, each federal agency must identify historic properties within the area of potential effect and engage stakeholders in order to consider public views and concerns about historic preservation issues when making final project decisions, according to the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP).
From engineers to fabricators, your team is full of technical experts—but you may lack the cultural resource management (CRM) professionals and archaeologists needed to navigate the Section 106 process efficiently. As the nation’s largest CRM-focused firm and premier federal CRM services provider, that’s where we come in.
Achieving Section 106 Approval
The Section 106 process typically occurs concurrent with or prior to NEPA review, and both must be completed before final approval of federal funds or permits.
The process has four steps:
- Initiate Section 106 Process
- Identify and Evaluate Historic Properties for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places
- Assess Adverse Effects
- Resolve Adverse Effects
As part of step 1, the ACHP recommends that applicants work with their federal agency to secure qualified consultants, as needed, to assist in the identification and evaluation of historic properties and assessment of effects.
Once you have secured a qualified consultant, such as Chronicle Heritage, that consultant can walk you through steps 2-4 of the Section 106 process.
According to the ACHP, the approval process works “most effectively and efficiently when an applicant selects qualified professional contractors and consultants that have demonstrated capability to carry out the Section 106 process.”
More information can be found in ACHP’s Section 106 Applicant Toolkit: https://www.achp.gov/digital-library-section-106-landing/section-106-applicant-toolkit.
Why You Should Choose Chronicle
When choosing a CRM firm to guide you through the Section 106 approval process, you’ll want a federally experienced firm with both regional and national experts.
We have been working with industry partners in the federal sector for over 20 years and currently have over 50 multi-year federal contracts. With hundreds of millions of dollars in contract capacity, we have the contracting vehicles to bring our cutting-edge approach to meet any federal CRM project needs.
Our client-focused approach blends state-of-the-art technology with deep agency, industry, and regional expertise, streamlining compliance and enhancing project efficiency. We collaborate seamlessly with you and your stakeholders, providing a full suite of cultural resource services from infrastructure support services and preservation planning to public interpretation, promoting a streamlined path to regulatory compliance that stays focused on community engagement.