Using the NRIS

Searching the National Register Database

Welcome to the National Register Information System (NRIS), a database that contains information on places listed in or determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. The NRIS is a computerized index that contains information on each of the historic properties listed in or determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. Currently, five searchable categories are available--name, location, agency, subject and documentation (including multiple covers)--and more will be added in time. The name, location and agency categories each include several ways of defining your search. Once the database matches your search query, it will provide you with the name of the properties, their addresses, and links to pertinent Web sites that may provide further information. While full text versions of individual National Register nominations are not currently available, we encourage you to visit the links to pertinent Web sites, when provided, to get more complete information. Each searchable category page has numerous selections to aid in defining your search and a Help section with links to general information you should know about how to use the NRIS system including screen navigation and running reports, exporting and downloading, and trouble shooting tips .

• For more information on using the National Register collection, please visit our Research page.
• If you are familiar with the NRIS, you may proceed directly to the database .
• Several State Historic Preservation Offices also offer more information on-line about National Register listed properties in their state. The depth of information available varies from state to state, but ranges from basic locational information to searchable databases with downloadable narrative descriptions and photos. Go to our list of SHPO Inventories for referrals.
• The National Register of Historic Places is pleased that the General Services Administration's Center for Historic Buildings, Office of the Chief Architect partnered with the National Park Service to digitize records of listed GSA properties to make them accessible online through the National Register Information System database. This was the first inter-agency partnership on this project to digitize the documentation on more than 80,000 nominations. You may search Multiple Property Submission (MPS) contexts. These context statements organize National Register documentation by historical themes, property types, or geographic areas and often represent seminal research in the field of cultural resource management. Digitization of the National Park Service's own listed properties and properties in Kentucky is currently underway. To find out more about the scanning project and partnership opportunities, click here .

Searchable Categories

• The NAME search allows you to look for properties by resource name, architect/engineer, significant person, or multiple property submission name.
• Searching by LOCATION lets you find properties in your state, city, or county.
• AGENCY allows you to look up Federal properties by the agency that nominated the property, as well as properties that were formally determined eligible for listing by the Keeper of the National Register.
• The SUBJECT search unites those National Register properties that are highlighted in various National Register Web travel itineraries, Teaching with Historic Places on-line lesson plans, other National Park Service Web features, and the Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record (HABS/HAER) collection at the Library of Congress with links to applicable Web sites provided.
• The DOCUMENTATION search includes GSA PROPERTIES and MULTIPLE COVERS contains valuable information on groups of properties around the country. This search feature allows you access over 1,400 multiple property nomination contexts that have been digitized and are available as pdfs.

A small percentage of users may want to manipulate database information in their local computer environment. For this purpose, visit the download center . If you have further questions about how to use this system, please send us an e-mail .

NEW! For a sample of future technologies you may visit our beta site. Currently it only contains selected National Historic Landmarks and National Park Service owned properties but stay tuned: http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov