Pennsylvania SHPO Debuts New PA-SHARE Program

The Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) is transferring to an all-digital platform, which will centralize reporting, consultation, and agency response into one digital location starting in December. Beginning in 2018, the Pennsylvania SHPO started to digitize paper copies and increasingly required consultants to provide digital copies of reports, correspondence, and spatial data. This move from paper to digital was done to support the implementation of the PA-SHARE (Pennsylvania State Historic and Archaeological Resource Exchange) program.

What is the PA-SHARE Program?

• All project correspondence, deliverables, and SHPO reviews will be submitted and communicated on a digital platform. The SHPO will no longer accept hard copy submissions.
• You (or your consultant) will be able to check on the status of reviews digitally, so you won’t have to wait for agency staff to get back to you.
• Archaeological Sites and Historic Architectural Resources can be recorded through a digital app for phones and tablets.
• All desktop screening will be conducted through the PA-SHARE platform, as the SHPO’s Cultural Resource Geographic Information System (CRGIS) will no longer be available.

Important Dates

• December 7, 2020 – the SHPO’s CRGIS will become read-only, and no longer be updated.
• December 2020 through January 2021 – The SHPO will be transferring to the PA-SHARE platform and establishing agency, consultant, and project sponsor accounts for access to PA-SHARE.
• End of January 2021 – Submissions, correspondence, and reviews will be provided solely on the PA-SHARE platform.

What Does This Mean for You?

The PA-SHARE program will fundamentally change the way the SHPO accepts and reviews projects. To avoid delays in project schedules, understanding how the program works and the different roles is important. While not anticipated, the roll out of the program may cause delays in project review

SWCA Can Help

At SWCA, our staff of archaeologists, architectural historians, and cultural resource professionals are tracking the development of the PA-SHARE program, and working with the Pennsylvania SHPO staff to ensure that the implementation of the digital platform doesn’t affect project schedules.

If you have any questions about the shift to PA-SHARE or if you need cultural resource assistance, our experienced staff would be more than happy to work with you and your team.