The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 [16 U.S.C. 470-470w-6 (1994)] directs the Federal Government, in cooperation with state and local governments, Native Americans, and the public, to take a leadership role in preservation.
The earliest Federal preservation statute was the Antiquities Act of 1906. Later came the Historic Sites Act of 1935, which made it national policy to preserve for public use historic sites, buildings, and objects of national significance. It also empowered the Secretary of the Interior to designate properties significant to the nation as a whole as National Historic Landmarks or Sites.
Historic Preservation Law: Federal and State Internet Resources
Federal Government
- National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (NHPA) (Advisory Council on Historic Preservation) (as amended through 2006)
-
Federal Historic Preservation Case Law, 1966-1996; Thirty Years of the National Historic
Preservation Act and Update, 1996-2000
- National Register of Historic Places
- Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
-- an independent Federal agency that administers the Section 106 process
under the NHPA and that provides a forum for influencing Federal activities,
programs, and policies as they affect historic resources
- U.S. General
Services Administration National Capital Region: Historic Preservation
-- includes GSA Historic Buildings Database
- U.S. National Park Service Laws, Regs and
Standards -- includes links to the full text of the laws, regulations, standards and guidelines, and executive orders
related to cultural resources
- U.S. Secretary of the Interior's
Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties with Guidelines for Preserving,
Rehabilitating, Restoring and Reconstructing Historic Buildings
- Preserve America
Preserve America "is a federal initiative that encourages and supports community efforts to preserve and enjoy our priceless cultural and natural heritage."
National & State Organizations
District of Columbia Organizations
See Historic Preservation Law in the
District of Columbia
Other Resources
Updated 12/2011 (MMS)
Page last saved on
12/05/2011