Consent for archaeological excavation

We have guidance to help applicants with their proposals for consent for archaeological excavation.

This guidance aims to help applicants who are considering excavation for the purpose of archaeological research, setting out what information is needed to support excavation proposals. It also explains how we apply scheduled monument consents policy when evaluating an application. 

We recommend checking the guidance and getting in touch with us early on for pre-application discussions. 

Other proposals can also involve archaeological excavation. For example, excavation may be proposed to facilitate conservation work. Again, we welcome pre-application discussions. 

Archaeological monitoring may also be needed to allow important buried remains of a monument to be identified and protected when other works are going ahead. This monitoring may be included in an application, or it may be required as a condition of consent. 

Any form of archaeological work will need to be followed by a report and by archiving of the results. 

This is essential so that the information gained during the work can be made available in a secure and publicly accessible archive.

When scheduled monument consent involves archaeological work, applicants and their archaeological contractors will need to follow our reporting and archiving requirements. 

For more information or if you have any questions, please email us at hmenquiries@hes.scot or contact us by phone on 0131 668 8716