Archaeological Inventory Survey (AIS)
An Archaeological Inventory Survey (AIS) is the permitted field study that Hawaiʻi historic-preservation review (HRS §6E-42) can require before ground disturbance. A qualified archaeologist (HAR §13-281) identifies and documents any historic properties on a parcel and assesses their significance.
An AIS has a fixed anatomy under the HAR Chapter 13-276 fieldwork standards. It begins with archival research — SHPD site files, prior surveys, land-tenure records — and a written statement of expected findings, before any fieldwork. Fieldwork is then scaled to that expectation: pedestrian survey across the parcel, with test excavation only where a feature's age or function stays ambiguous.
Each site identified receives a significance assessment against the Hawaiʻi and National Register criteria and a treatment recommendation — no further work, preservation in place, or data recovery. Those recommendations are preliminary until SHPD concurs; the consultant recommends and the agency disposes.
An AIS is commissioned from an archaeology firm holding an SHPD permit (HAR ch. 13-282), not filed by the owner. Timelines vary with parcel size and findings, but the report, agency review, and any mitigation negotiation commonly run months, not weeks.
If a parcel is likely to need an AIS, that's schedule and budget to plan for. The survey is most valuable commissioned early, as a design input — its opening chapters are the same public-record evidence-weighing a screening read performs, and its fieldwork is the answer a screen can't substitute for.
It varies with parcel size and what's found, but the full cycle — archival research, fieldwork, report, SHPD review, and any mitigation plan — commonly runs several months to a year.
An archaeology firm holding an annual SHPD archaeological permit (HAR ch. 13-282), with a principal investigator who meets the HAR §13-281 professional qualifications — Hawaiʻi does not license archaeologists. The fieldwork must meet the HAR Chapter 13-276 standards, and the significance findings remain preliminary until SHPD concurs.
This is a plain-language reference, not legal advice. KILO is a pre-development screening tool, not a system of record — confirm any determination with the agency of jurisdiction.