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NORTH CAROLINA DIVISION OF ARCHIVES AND HISTORY O S 5 STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICE A COMPARISON OF THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES WITH LOCAL HISTORIC LANDMARK DESIGNATIONS The National Register of- Historic Places and local historic landmark and historic district designations are two very different programs that recognize and protect historic properties . Some historic properties and districts may receive both types of designation in communities where local historic preservation commissions have been established according to North Carolina enabling legislation. However, there is no direct correlation between National Register listing and local designation. THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES The National Register of Historic Places is a federal program administered by the National Park Service in partnership with state governments . The National Register was created by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 to recognize and protect properties of historic and cultural significance that warrant consideration in federal undertakings such as highway construction and urban renewal projects, and to provide incentives for local and private preservation initiatives . In each state the program is administered by a State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO), who is usually an official in a state historical or environmental agency. In North Carolina, the State Historic Preservation Officer is the Director of the Division of Archives and History. The SHPO is responsible for conducting the statewide survey of historic properties, coordinating nominations of eligible properties to the National Register, and conducting environmental review of federal and state projects that may affect properties listing or eligible for listing in the National Register. Nominations of properties to the National Register are prepared and reviewed at the local and state levels, but the final decision to list a property or district in the National Register is made by the National Park Service . rily an honor, meaning that a property has been researched and evaluated according to National Register listing is prima established procedures and determined to be worthy of preservation for its historical value. The listing of a historic or archeological property in the National Register does not obligate or restrict a private owner in any way unless the owner seeks a federal benefit such a grant or tax credit. For a private owner, the chief practical benefit of National Register listing is eligibility for a 30% state investment tax credit that can be claimed against the cost of a certified rehabilitation of a non-income-producing historic building. This would include an owner-occupied, private residence. Owners of income producing historic buildings listed on the National Register are eligible for a 20% federal investment tax credit in addition to a 20% state investment tax credit for certified rehabilitations . LOCAL HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSIONS AND LOCAL HISTORIC LANDMARKS The Preservation Commission. Local governments may establish a historic preservation commission under North Carolina General Statute 160A=400. A preservation commission may carry out a comprehensive preservation program, including recommending individual properties and areas for designation by local governing boards as landmarks and historic districts. While a preservation commission works with both districts and landmarks , there are also commissions that work solely with districts (called historic district commissions) and those that work solely with individual properties (called historic landmarks commissions or historic properties commissions) . A local government is not obligated to create a preservation commission, regardless of how many National Register properties and/or districts there might be in the community. Preservation commissions are generally established only where there is sufficient local interest in historic preservation and the local planning environment is responsive to this interest. A preservation commission is established by an ordinance passed by the local governing board . The organization, operations, and powers of the preservation commission are prescribed by the state enabling legislation. The commission makes recommendations to the local governing board that certain historic landmarks or districts be designated, and such designations are made by local ordinance . (See other side)