California Historical Resources Information System

The California Historical Resources Information System (CHRIS) maintains a wide range of documents and materials relating to historical resources (e.g., buildings, structures, objects, historic and archaeological sites, landscapes, districts). The CHRIS operates structurally through the California Office of Historic Preservation (OHP), eight Information Centers (ICs), and the State Historical Resources Commission (SHRC). The OHP administers and coordinates the CHRIS and presents proposed CHRIS policies to the SHRC, which approves these policies in public meetings, under authorization of Public Resources Code 5020.4(a)(2) and 5020.4(a)(3). Policies are codified in the CHRIS Information Center Rules of Operation Manual. 

The ICs are located on California State University campuses or museums throughout the state (see List of ICs). The ICs maintain information on cultural resources within their respective geographic areas. Information is organized by resources and reports, in a combination of digital (GIS spatial data, database records, and pdfs) and hard-copy formats. For further information on availability of data, visit About the Inventory. The ICs provide cultural resources information, on a fee for service basis, to local governments, state and federal agencies, Native American tribes, individuals with responsibilities under the National Environmental Policy Act, the National Historic Preservation Act, and the California Environmental Quality Act, and to the general public as well. The OHP maintains data regarding the legal significance evaluation status of cultural resources, but resource records and reports are forwarded to the respective ICs.

 

Update on the Closure of the Eastern Information Center and the Availability of Cultural Resources Records for Inyo, Mono, and Riverside Counties

The Eastern Information Center (EIC) of the California Historical Resources Information System (CHRIS), located at UC Riverside, ceased operations on Friday, June 28, 2024. The EIC held and provided access to cultural resources records for Inyo, Mono, and Riverside counties.

The University of California, Riverside, and the State Office of Historic Preservation (OHP) have been working collaboratively since the closure of the EIC to ensure a smooth transfer of EIC records to other information centers in the CHRIS system. The physical transfer of the records is now scheduled for early November.

The EIC cultural resources records for Inyo, Mono, and Riverside counties will be split among the information centers whose present service areas are adjacent to the former EIC’s three-county service area, as follows: the Southern San Joaquin Valley Information Center (SSJVIC) (Bakersfield) will receive Inyo County; the Central California Information Center (CCIC) (Turlock) will receive Mono County; and the South Coastal Information Center (SCIC) (San Diego) will receive Riverside County.

The SSJVIC, CCIC, and SCIC are now receiving records search requests for the three former EIC counties. These information centers will begin responding to the records search requests on Monday, December 2, 2024, in the order in which the records search requests were received, and in consideration of any priority response requests. Please be judicious in attempts to contact these three information centers about the status of submitted requests. Each of these information centers will obviously have an initial backlog to work through in December for the subject counties. Time that information center staff spends on the phone or on emails providing status updates is time not spent on pulling together records search request responses.

Questions or concerns not addressed here should be directed to the CHRIS Coordinator.

OHP and the CHRIS acknowledge the inconvenience of the closure of the EIC to our customers and the further inconvenience of the redistribution of those records to other information centers. OHP, CHRIS, and UC Riverside staff continue to work diligently to restore public access to the records, as soon as possible. Your ongoing understanding and patience are appreciated.

 

Information Center Locations and Contacts
About the CHRIS Inventory
Accessing the CHRIS Inventory