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National Register of Historic Places Program: About Us

The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation's historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America's historic and archeological resources.

 

What We Do

• Review nominations submitted by states, tribes, and other federal agencies and list eligible properties in the National Register
• Offer guidance on evaluating, documenting, and listing different types of historic places through the National Register Bulletin series and other publications
• Help qualified historic properties receive preservation benefits and incentives

• Manage the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Program that transfers historic federal light stations to new owners

• Sponsor the Cultural Resources Diversity Program to diversify historic preservation and cultural resource management

Quicklinks

• National Register Fundamentals - covers everything from how to determine if your property is eligible, to how to contact your State Historic Preservation Officer to start a nomination, to the listing process, to the effects of listing
• Nomination Forms
• Publications- National Register Bulletins and other guidance on all aspects of the nomination process
• Federal Preservation Laws and Regulations(36CFR60 - specifically for the National Register of Historic Places)

Search the National Register!

The National Register of Historic Places is a treasure trove for professional historians, scholars, and anyone curious about American history. You can explore its riches three ways:

• Visit the National Register archives in Washington , DC
• Search a list of properties
• Read an ever-growing inventory of full nomination forms online - we are currently digitizing our files and adding them to our online database

Fast Facts

• The more than 80,000 properties listed in the National Register represent 1.4 million individual resources - buildings, sites, districts, structures, and objects
• Almost every county in the United States has at least one place listed in the National Register
• Listing in the National Register is the first step towards eligibility for National Park Service-administered federal preservation tax credits that have leveraged more than $45 billion in private investment and National Park Service grant programs like Save America's Treasures and Preserve America.
• 30 historic lighthouses have been transferred to new owners for preservation and public use
• 144 students have taken part in the Cultural Resources Diversity Internship Program

 

Contact Us

Program Manager: Paul Loether

National Register Archive: Open Monday-Friday 9:00am to noon. For security reasons, an appointment is necessary for access to the archives. To conduct research in our archives, please contact Jeff Joeckel: 202-354-2225 or e-mail

Staff Contacts

Email:

Reference Questions about the National Register, about using the National Register collection, and for requesting copies of nominations and publications. (If requesting information, please include your mailing address, and for nominations, please include the property name, county, and state.)
NRIS Database questions about how to use the system

Phone: (202) 354-2211
Fax: (202) 371-6447

Mailing Address:
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
1849 C Street, NW (2280)
Washington , DC 20240

Because USPS mail in Washington, DC, is irradiated, we recommend sending official correspondence to us by direct or overnight mail at the following address:

Location/Express Mail Address:
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
1201 Eye Street, NW (2280)
Washington , DC 20005