There are two things you should do:

First, read the brief on-line information explaining the National Register program; what the criteria are that will qualify a property; the nomination process; and what listing in the Register will do and not do for your property.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The National Register of Historic Places is an official listing of historically significant sites and properties throughout the country. It is maintained by the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. It includes districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects that have been identified and documented as being significant in American history, architecture, archaeology, engineering or culture. These sites and properties reflect the prehistoric occupation and historical development of our nation, state, and local communities.

Listing in the National Register does not, in itself, impose any obligation on the property owner, or restrict the owner. s basic right to use and dispose of the property as he or she sees fit. It does, however, encourage the preservation of significant historic resources in three ways.:

1. by providing official recognition of the historic significance of the property and encouraging consideration of its historic value in future development planning,
2. by imposing limited protection from activities involving funding, licensing, or assistance by Federal agencies that could result in damage or loss of its historic values, and
3. by making the property eligible for Federal financial incentives for historic preservation

Redevelopment of a listed property which involves Federal funding, licensing, or assistance will be subject to review by the State Historic Preservation officer and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation to assure that adequate and appropriate consideration is given to the preservation of the historic qualities for which it was originally listed. This review requirement will also apply to any Federally funded, licensed, or assisted activities undertaken by others that could have an adverse effect on the property.

Federal financial incentives for historic preservation include eligibility for direct matching grants and investment tax credits for the rehabilitation of income producing properties.

For further information on the National Register program, please contact us at the address or phone number below:

CRITERIA FOR LISTING

The National Register of Historic Places is an official listing of sites and properties throughout the United States that reflect the prehistoric occupation and historical development of our nation, states, and local communities. It is maintained by the Keeper of the National Register, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

The following criteria are used by the State Historic Preservation Officer and the Keeper of the National Register in evaluating properties for eligibility for listing in theNational Register.

Criteria for Evaluation:

1) Districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects may be considered to have significance in American history, architecture, archaeology, engineering, and/or culture if they possess integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association, and:

a) are associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history; and/or

b) are associated with the lives of persons significant in our past; and/or

c) embody the distinctive characteristics of type, period, or method of construction, or that represent the work of a master, or that possess high artistic values, or that represent a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction; and/or

d) have yielded, or may be likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history.

Criteria Consideration:

2) Ordinarily cemeteries, birthplaces, or graves of historical figures; properties owned by religious institutions or used for religious purposes; structures that have been moved from their original locations; reconstructed historic buildings; properties primarily commemorative in nature; and properties that have achieved significance within the past 50 years shall not be considered eligible for the National Register. However, such properties will qualify if they are integral parts of districts that do meet the criteria or if they fall within the following categories:

a) a religious property deriving its primary significance from architectural or artistic distinction or historical importance; or

b) a building or structure removed from its original location but which is significant primarily for architectural value, or which is the surviving structure most importantly associated with a historic person or event; or

c) a birthplace or grave of an historical figure of outstanding importance if there is no appropriate site or building directly associated with his productive life; or

d) a cemetery which derives its primary significance from graves of persons of transcendent importance, from age, distinctive design features, or association with historic events; or

e) a reconstructed building, when it is accurately executed in a suitable environment and presented in a dignified manner as part of a restoration master plan, and no other building or structure with the same association has survived; or a property primarily commemorative in intent, if design, age, tradition, or symbolic value has invested it with its own exceptional significance; or

g) a property achieving significance within the past 50 years, if it is of exceptional importance.

NOMINATION PROCEDURE

The National Register of Historic Places is an official listing of sites and properties throughout the country that reflect the prehistoric occupation and historical development of our nation, states, and local communities. It is maintained by the Keeper of the National Register, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

The nomination of historic resources in Florida for listing in the National Register is a function of the State Historic Preservation Officer, Florida Division of Historical Resources. Anyone interested in having a particular property listed may submit a nomination proposal to the State Historic Preservation Office. The nomination proposal must meet National Register standards. It is the responsibility of the person submitting the proposal to provide the necessary information and materials. The staff of the Division is available for consultation on preparation of proposals.

Upon receipt of a nomination proposal, the following procedures will be carried out.

1. The nomination proposal and all accompanying documentation will be evaluated by the professional staff of the Historic Preservation. If possible, a staff member will visit the site as a part of the evaluation process.
2. The owner(s) of the property and the chief local elected officials will be notified in writing that the property is being proposed for nomination and given the opportunity to comment on the property.
3. The proposal will be submitted for consideration and recommendation by the Florida National Register Review Board which is charged with reviewing all nomination proposals to the National Register of Historic Places from the State of Florida.
4. Upon the favorable recommendation of the Review Board, a formal nomination will be prepared for the submission by the State Historic Preservation Officer to the Keeper of the National Register in Washington, D.C. Special procedures also exist for processing proposals when the Board and the State Historic Preservation Officer do not agree on the eligibility of the property for listing.
5. The Keeper of the National Register and his staff undertake the final review and make the final decision whether or not to list the property. If the owner of a private property objects to the nomination, the property will not be listed, but the site may be submitted to the Keeper of the National Register for a formal determination of eligibility for listing.
6. The owner is then notified in writing as to the final decision.

RESULTS OF LISTING IN FLORIDA

The National Register of Historic Places is an official listing of properties throughout the country that reflect the prehistoric occupation and historic development of our nation, states, and local communities. The Register is maintained by the National Park Service under the Secretary of the Interior. It is used primarily as a planning tool in making decisions concerning the development of our communities to ensure, as much as possible, the preservation of buildings, sites, structures, and objects that are significant aspects of our cultural and historic heritage. Sometimes there are misunderstandings as to what listing in the National Register will mean for a property owner. The following is an outline of what it will do and what it will not do.

WILL DO

• The National Register provides recognition that the property is deemed by the federal and state governments to be significant in our history at the national, state, and/or local levels. Most properties are significant because of their local significance.

• The National Register identifies the properties that local, state, and federal planners should carefully consider when developing projects. Projects involving federal funding, permitting, licensing, or assistance and that may result in damage or loss of the historic values of a property that is listed in the National Register or is eligible for listing are reviewed by the State Historic Preservation Office and the federal Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. A similar review takes place under state law for state or state-assisted undertakings. A typical example of projects that are given such review is road construction or improvement. For more information, call the Compliance Review Section of the Florida Bureau of Historic Preservation at (850) 245-6333.

• Listing may make a property eligible for a Federal Income Tax Credit. If a registered property that is income producing undergoes a substantial rehabilitation carried out according to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation, the owner may apply for a 20% income tax credit. The credit amounts to 20% of the cost of the rehabilitation. For more information, contact the Architectural Preservation Services Section of the Florida Historic Preservation at (850) 245-6333.

• In 1992, the Florida Legislature passed legislation that allows counties or cities to grant ad valorem tax relief for owners of properties that are listed or eligible for listing in the National Register or in a local district. When a property is improved its value is increased and the assessment is raised accordingly. The ad valorem tax legislation provides that the increase in assessed value of the improved property will be exempted for up to 10 years from taxation for those portions of the tax bill affected by local option county or municipal exemption ordinances. This provision is available for both income and non-income producing properties. Contact your local property appraiser to see if this provision is available.

• Listing may make a property exempt from certain Federal Emergency Management Act (FEMA) requirements and eligible for some American Disabilities Act (ADA) and building safety code adjustments. For more information, call the Architectural Preservation Services Section of the Bureau of Historic Preservation at (850) 245-6333.

• Listing or being determined eligible for listing is not required for receiving state preservation grants. The competition for the grants is intense, however, and this official recognition adds weight to the argument that a property is significant and should be awarded a grant. For more information, call the Grants and Education Section of the Bureau of Historic Preservation at (850) 245-6333.

WILL NOT DO

• Listing in the National Register or being determined eligible for listing does not automatically preserve a building, and does not keep a property from being modified or even destroyed.

• Unless an undertaking is state or federally funded, or regulated by local ordinance, private property owners may deal with their property in any way they see fit. Architects in the Historic Preservation are available to provide advice concerning the best ways to approach rehabilitation needs while maintaining the historic character of a property. For more information, call the Architectural Preservation Services Section at (850) 245-6333.

• Private owners are not required to open their listed property to the public for visitation.

• The federal and state governments will not attach restrictive covenants to a property or seek to acquire it because of its listing in the National Register.

Second, complete the short preliminary form:

Download Preliminary Site Information Questionnaire: Word Document / Acrobat PDF

and mail it to us:

• Survey and Registration
  Bureau of Historic Preservation
  500 S. Bronough Street
  Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0250

Note that the PSIQ requires the original signature of the owner or the owner's official designee.

The information on the preliminary form gives staff a chance to raise possible questions about the property's eligibility, or to point out why the property does not appear to be eligible. In most cases staff responds with the full nomination proposal form (Florida Nomination Proposal - FNP) that requires significantly more effort on the nominator's part. The FNP is not available on line, but only through contact with the bureau staff. Staff does not want the public unnecessarily making the effort to complete the proposal form if the property will not qualify. Sometimes a property is already listed and the owner needs to take no further action.

National Register Certificates and Plaques

The Florida State Historic Preservation Office provides National Register certificates to owners of individually listed properties and to the chief local official for districts. To inquire about replacement certificates, the Bureau of Historic Preservation at 800-847-7278.

Owners of properties listed in the National Register either individually or as part of a district can purchase small historic plaques to attach to their buildings. These are available through private vendors and are not provided by the state. Vendors can be found on the internet by searching for "National Register plaques." The plaques usually contain the historic name of the property; the date of its construction or listing; and the name "National Register of Historic Places."

The Florida Historical Marker Program is another way to recognize significant properties that are at least 30 years old and may or may not be eligible for listing in the National Register. To learn more about the Marker Program connect to http://www.flheritage.com/services/sites/markers/ or phone 850-245-6333.