III. PROCEDURES FOR REVIEWING NATIONAL REGISTER NOMINATIONS

Once completed nominations are received by the National Park Service, they are entered into the NRIS database. To allow for public notification and comment, the list of pending properties is published weekly in the Federal Register. Nominations are then reviewed to determine if they meet the documentation requirements and the National Register Criteria for Evaluation, and follow the procedures set forth in 36 CFR 60. The National Register staff conducts two levels of review, which are outlined below.

Technical Review of Nominations

All nominations receive a technical review to ensure that essential administrative and technical information has been provided and to enter data from the registration form into the NRIS. Technical review focuses on the completeness of the nomination and its supporting documentation, and on its internal consistency. For example, did the appropriate certifying official sign the nomination? Are adequate maps and photographs provided? Does the narrative description match the information provided on the cover form? Are the National Register Criteria justified in the text?

Following the technical review, the nomination may be:

. Listed in the National Register;
. Forwarded to a National Register staff member for substantive review; or
. Returned to the nominator.

While every nomination receives a technical review, a substantive evaluation of nomination documentation is conducted only in certain circumstances. The reasons for forwarding a nomination for substantive review are outlined below.

Substantive Review of Nominations

Nominations selected for substantive review are forwarded to the National Register staff member assigned to work with the State in which the property is located. The staff includes professional historians, architectural historians, and archeologists. Substantive review monitors the application of the criteria for evaluating resources and the documentation standards to ensure the integrity of the National Register. Nominations that will generally receive a detailed evaluation include the following:

. Nominations representing a programmatic issue currently under study by the National Register;
. A sample of nominations chosen for monitoring State or Federal programs;
. Nominations for properties that have achieved significance within the past fifty years;
. Nominations for which the nominating authority has requested substantive review;
. All appeals filed under 36 CFR Part 60.12;
. All determinations of eligibility due to owner objection to listing under 36 CFR Part-60.6(s);
. Nominations submitted by individuals or Certified Local Governments in States without approved preservation programs;
. Resubmitted nominations originally returned for failure to meet documentation standards or problems in applying the criteria for evaluation; or
. Nominations for which technical review identifies issues requiring further professional review.

Technical review may conclude with a recommendation for substantive review when the documentation is not sufficient to evaluate the eligibility of the resource, or when properties do not appear to meet the National Register criteria. Substantive review may also be recommended when the documentation is sufficient to evaluate the eligibility of the resource, but does not conform to the technical guidelines provided in the National Register bulletin: How to Complete the National Register Registration Form.