-
(a) Each human burial in the Territory, interred in any marked or unmarked site, is accorded the protection of law and shall receive appropriate and respectful treatment and disposition.
-
(b) Any person who discovers a human burial site shall immediately cease any activity that may disturb that site or any object or artifact associated with it, and shall immediately report the discovery to the State Historic Preservation Office. The remains, objects, or artifacts discovered shall not be disturbed further without a permit from the State Historic Preservation Officer.
-
(c) Upon notification of the discovery of a human burial site, the State Historic Preservation Officer shall notify the medical examiner responsible for the appropriate administrative jurisdiction in a timely manner.
-
(d) It shall be a violation of this subchapter for any person to knowingly, willfully, and intentionally disturb, excavate, remove or destroy any human remains buried, entombed or sepulchered in the Territory, or knowingly, willfully and intentionally procure, direct or employ any other person to disturb, excavate, remove or destroy any human remains buried, entombed or sepulchered in the Territory; except by authority of a written permit issued by the State Historic Preservation Officer.
-
(e) Within one (1) year after the effective date of this section, the State Historic Preservation Office shall adopt uniform and comprehensive rules relating to the reporting procedures, procedures to request permission to disturb human remains, and the standards to accompany the granting of permission to disturb human remains and burial sites.
-
(f) If the human remains are on private property, and
-
(1) The State Historic Preservation Office does not respond to a request for permission to disturb in a timely manner; or
-
(2) The property owner rejects the response submitted by the State Historic Preservation Office; the property owner shall, at his own expense, re-inter with appropriate dignity all human remains, objects, and artifacts associated with the site in a location not subject to further disturbance, pending the approval and verification by the State Historic Preservation Office.
-
-
(g) If the burial site is located on public land and action is necessary to protect the burial site from immediate destruction, the State Historic Preservation Officer may cause a professional archaeologist to excavate the site and remove all objects, artifacts and human remains associated with the site for subsequent re-interment, following scientific study, at the expense of the applicant.
-
(h) Re-interment shall be made within one (1) year of discovery, unless additional time is needed for scientific analysis. Approval for delay in re-interment must be granted in writing by the State Historic Preservation Officer.