PAAC Code of Ethics

As a participant in the Program for Avocational Archaeological Certification, I agree to:

Respect the status of Prehistoric and Historic archaeological remains as non-renewable resources representing our National Heritage.

Respect and support existing laws, policies, and programs, and to encourage others to follow my example.

Support the constitution and code of ethics of the Colorado Archaeological Society (CAS).

Conduct field work for the purpose of developing significant information about Colorado's cultural history.

Engage in projects that are limited in complexity by my level of expertise and the expertise of available consultants.

Conduct field work only with the consent of the landowner and all other tenants and leases.

Refrain from any collecting or excavating that does not produce an acceptable report leading to the advancement of knowledge in a region (Colorado).

Respect the dignity and remains of the human societies that are the subject of investigation.

Deposit all cultural materials from public lands in acceptable repositories. All cultural materials found on private land are the property of the landowner. I will encourage the title to those materials to be transferred to an acceptable repository.

Develop acceptable reports on all recovered materials and projects. Reports will be produced in a timely fashion and copies will be deposited at the Office of the State Archaeologist.