Create a National Register Historic District

Toolkit Contents

Toolkit Overview

Projects

• Start a Business Association
• Placemaking
• Organize a District Cleanup and Graffiti Removal
• Report Code Violations
• Create a National Register District

Programs

• Right-of-Way Programs
• Parking Requirement Relief
• Historic Preservation Overlay
• Neon Sign Grant Program
• Request Mixed-Use Zoning Along BRT Route
• BRT Development Fee Reimbursement

Funding

Description

The National Park Service (NPS)’s National Register of Historic Places is an official list of historic places worthy of preservation. The national program seeks to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.

Contributing Resources in National Register Districts are eligible for Historic Preservation Tax Credits and may be eligible for other grant programs. Inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places is an honorary designation and does not provide protection as an HP Overlay

Steps 

1. Contact the Historic Preservation (HP) Planner at the Tulsa Planning Office to start the process for your property or commercial district. 
2. A survey of properties will be conducted to identify which properties meet the National Register Criteria for Evaluation, which includes evaluation of the property’s age, significance, and integrity. Usually, a property must be at least 50 years old to qualify. The evaluation/survey can be conducted for a single property or multiple properties. The survey is conducted by the owner(s) or a consultant hired by the owner(s).
3. After the survey is completed, the HP Planner will submit a draft nomination to the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) for review.
4. After revisions from SHPO review, the HP Planner will present a recomendation to the Tulsa Preservation Commission to consider. 
5. If recommended, HP Planner and Tulsa Preservation Commission will submit a nomination for the district to SHPO for review. SHPO will contact property owners and local governments for public comment. If a majority of property owners in the district object, the property cannot be listed, so it is important to coordinate with property owners before starting the process. Nominations will be reviewed quarterly by the HP Review Board of the State of Oklahoma.
6. Complete nominations and certifying recommendations are submitted by SHPO to the National Park Service for a decision.
7. Once a district (or property) has been listed on the National Register, contributing resources are eligible for federal preservation grants for planning and rehabilitation, state and federal investment tax credits, preservation easements to nonprofit organizations, and international building code fire and life safety code alternatives.
8. In order to take advantage of state and federal investment tax credits, you are required to follow the Secretary of the Interior’s standards for rehabilitation. These projects are reviewed and adminstered by SHPO, which includes a phased review process from both SHPO and NPS architects. Presently the Oklahoma Tax Commission matches the credit awarded by the Internal Revenue Service.