Federal Preservation Laws

You will find information here about federal Laws & Regulations and the Secretary of the Interior's Standards & Guidelines for historic preservation. Continue reading this page to learn about the United States Code's Title 54, the new location for many National Park Service-related laws.

• Title 54 outline, with links to the text of each section. To view the full text of Title 54, click [View] to the right of "Title 54–National Park Service and Related Programs."
• Look up a specific section via the United States Code website (e.g., Title 54, Section 300101).

• National Park Service Office of Legislative and Congressional Affairs presentation, "Title 54 of the U.S. Code: Background and Guidance" (January 2015) (pdf). This presentation provides the basics and background for those who have little experience with statutory law and the United States Code.
• "Notes on Title 54 of the United States Code" (March 2016) (pdf). This document reflects how the National Park Service's Cultural Resources, Partnerships, and Science directorate currently intends to address/interpret the issues presented by the creation of Title 54 of the United States Code.
• Public Law 113-287 (signed December 19, 2014). The law contains the text of Title 54. To access a pdf of the law, click choose "PDF" (to the right of "Bill text available as").
• House Report 113-44: "To Enact Title 54, United States Code, 'National Park Service and Related Programs,' as a Positive Law Title" (pdf). This is the Committee Report for P.L. 113-287. Among other things, this report includes a "Disposition Table" (i.e., a crosswalk) for each of the provisions that P.L. 113-287 affects. Use this table to determine if your statutory provision has changed.
• U.S. House of Representatives, Office of the Law Revision Counsel, Explanatory Statement for H.R. 1068. This office was responsible for drafting H.R. 1068, which became P.L. 113-287. The explanatory statement provides background information about the drafting process.
• List of the statutes on this website that have been moved to Title 54 (pdf).