The National Register of Historic Places is the nation's official list of properties that are deemed historically significant on a local, state, or national level. The National Register is administered by the National Park Service and the Keeper of the Register, who makes the final decision about whether a property should be listed. The State of Wisconsin also maintains a State Register of properties that have been determined to be significant to Wisconsin's heritage.

Criteria for Eligibility

A property is eligible for listing on the National Register if it meets one or more of the following criteria:

• Criterion A: Property is associated with historic events or activities
• Criterion B: Property is associated with important persons
• Criterion C: Property has a distinctive design or physical characteristics
• Criterion D: Property has yielded, or may be likely to yield, information about prehistory or history

In addition to meeting one of the above criteria for historic significance, the property must retain integrity, or a sense of time and place. Integrity is determined based on seven qualities: location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association.

Purpose of Listing a Property

The National Register primarily serves as a means of honoring and recognizing important historic and cultural properties. National Register status does not place restrictions on private property owners. It does, however, provide a degree of protection from federally funded or licensed activities, which must take into consideration their impact on historic resources. Income-producing properties listed on the National Register may also take advantage of federal rehabilitation tax credits. In Wisconsin, residential and income producing properties listed in the National Register may qualify for state rehabilitation tax credits.

Nominations

Properties are typically nominated to the National Register by property owners, preservation advocates, or consultants. Nominations must meet the criteria set forth in National Register Bulletin 16: How to Complete the National Register Registration Form. Nominations are then reviewed by the staff of the Wisconsin Historical Society and presented to the Wisconsin State Review Board for consideration. Once approved at the state level, the nomination is sent to Washington D.C., where it is reviewed once more at the federal level. If the nomination is approved at the federal level, the property is officially listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Both the State Register and the National Register are administered by the State Historic Preservation Office at the Wisconsin Historical Society. Current property listings of both registers are available on our website.

Read more on our website About the State Register and National Register of Historic Places.

• Certified Local Government (CLG) Program
• Historic Preservation Tax Incentives