4 Basic Steps to Nominate Your Property

Discover the steps to preserving your property's heritage by following these guidelines to successfully nominate it to the National Register of Historic Places.

Nominate Your Property

Be aware of the requirements. Anyone can nominate a property, but the legal owner must agree. While listing is primarily an honorific designation there are benefits.

View the benefits of properties listed with the National Register (PDF).

To be eligible for the National Register, a building must:

Be at least 50 years old.
Retain its architectural integrity.
Be "significant". This can be national, state-wide or even local, but must fall within at least one of the following categories:
- association with important events,
- association with significant persons,
- architectural significance, or
- archaeological significance

Stone house covered in dried brown vines, with barred windows and two chimneys visible.

Research Your Building

There are many reasons people may want to research a building. We can provide guidance on how to research and document your history properly.

Check out our Historic Utah Buildings (HUB) data viewer or Utah Historic Buildings Records to see if there is already a file for your property.
Find out information on historic Architects and Builders in Utah.
Research Title Abstracts at your County Recorder's Office to determine historic owners.
Tax Files at your County Assessor's Office can provide construction dates and other information.
Sanborn Maps can provide useful construction dates from the late 1880s to as late as 1969.
Building Permit Registers can be researched through the Utah Historical Society Research Center.
Digitized Newspapers are a great source of historical information.
Historic Contexts (Google Drive) are available for a several historic and prehistoric themes in Utah.

Our How To Research Guide steps your through this process and provides resources and tips

Single-story stone building with arched doorways and wooden roof beams, set in a dry landscape.

Prepare Your Nomination

Nominating a property to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is an involved process that can take several months and we highly recommend hiring a preservation research consultant to help you. However, if you are a good researcher and writer and know basic architecture terminology, you can use the following information to guide you in preparing a nomination form.

Guide to Preparing National Register Nominations (PDF)
NRHP Bulletin 16A (PDF)
NRHP Nomination Form (PDF)
NRHP Procedures Checklist (PDF)
Work closely with our NRHP staff to review your progress.
Coordinate with local your historic preservation commission if there is one in your area.

Nominations are submitted to our office and then are reviewed by the State NRHP Review Committee. If approved by the Committee, nominations are then forwarded to Keeper of the National Register at the National Park Service for the final and deciding review. This review takes approximately 45 days.

Old red brick house with boarded windows, damaged roof, and overgrown grass in front.

Document Your Building

Take your research to the next level and complete a site form for your historic property.

Historic site forms (PDF) are prepared for individual properties and provide a history and description
Intensive Level Survey Guidelines (PDF) explain how to research and document the property and how to complete the form
Please use the RLS Historic Sites Database Codes (PDF) when preparing forms for historic properties
Our Real Estate Terms Glossary (PDF) can help when doing the title search for your property
Please contact Cory Jensen, [email protected], with with any questions.