Program Updates

"How to Complete National Register Forms" (1972)

National Park Service

May 13, 2025

Every place tells a story: 100,000 places listed in the National Register!

On May 9, 2025, the National Register of Historic Places marked an exciting milestone: over 100,000 properties have been listed for their significance in American history, art, architecture, engineering, and culture! Formally established in 1966 under the National Historic Preservation Act, the National Register is the official list of historic places deemed worthy of preservation. These buildings, structures, objects, sites, and districts serve as enduring examples of the nation's heritage, reflecting the events, people, and achievements that have shaped our country. Be sure to take a look at our related posting about Preservation Month 2025.

The National Register Program coordinates State, Federal, Tribal and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America's historic, cultural, and archaeological resources. Places listed on the National Register may qualify for grants or historic tax credits, providing crucial support for revitalizing communities through their rehabilitation and reuse.

Cover of NR/NHL 2024 Year in Review

National Park Service

January 16, 2025

National Register of Historic Places and NHL Program Year in Review 2024 Released

A review of the accomplishments and continuing work of the National Register of Historic Places and the National Historic Landmarks Program is now available here. Highlights from the past year include the release of the updated TCP Bulletin and the Consolidated and Updated Photograph Policy; the evaluation of over 2,100 National Register actions; the launch of theme studies and initiatives addressing women's, Black, and Native American histories; and the designation of 19 new NHLs.

Upper Rockville Mill, Rhode Island

Photo by Kathryn J. Cavanaugh, courtesy Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission

New Best Practices Review Available

The latest issue of the “Best Practices Review” addresses community planning and development as an area of significance and may be downloaded here.

Best Practices Reviews compliment the guidance provided in National Register Bulletins by providing examples on specific topics and are issued quarterly. Please contact us with your suggestions for future topics.

Identifying, Evaluating, and Documenting Traditional Cultural Places National Register Bulletin

National Park Service, Dreamstime

December 6, 2024

Updated TCP Bulletin Released

The National Park Service is pleased to announce the release of National Register Bulletin: Identifying, Evaluating, and Documenting Traditional Cultural Places. The TCP Bulletin provides guidance for preparing a nomination of a traditional cultural place (TCP) for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. TCPs are often associated with Indigenous peoples but may be nominated for significance to any traditional cultural group. Last issued in 1998, the TCP Bulletin has been updated to respond to the many requests made over the past decades for additional guidance and examples to promote greater participation in the preservation of these places.

Identifying, Evaluating, and Documenting Traditional Cultural Places National Register Bulletin (96mb)
Low resolution version of bulletin(15mb)
Summary of Revisions
Traditional Cultural Places Sample Nominations Page

September 27, 2024

Best Practices Review

The “Best Practices Review” compliments the guidance provided in National Register Bulletins by providing examples on specific topics. New Best Practices Reviews will be issued quarterly. The ninth issue is "Assessing Integrity, Not Condition"

Hard Labor Creek State Park, Morgan and Walton, Georgia

Photograph by Jim Lockhart, courtesy of Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

September 12, 2024

CCC Properties listed in the National Register of Historic Places

At the height of the Depression, approximately 24.9% (12,830,000) of Americans were unemployed.To address this situation. One of the earliest work relief New Deal programs was the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). The main purpose of the CCC was to alleviate unemployment by providing national conservation work mainly for young unmarried men. Projects ranged from planting trees to building parks, flood barriers, and handling forest fires. At its peak, the CCC had 500,000 men employed at once and provided work for a total of more than 3 million men throughout its nine-year run (1933 – 1942). There are currently over 500 CCC related sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Read more . . .

July 9, 2024

Best Practices Review

The “Best Practices Review” compliments the guidance provided in National Register Bulletins by providing examples on specific topics. New Best Practices Reviews will be issued quarterly. The eighth issue is "Special Edition: Updating National Historic Landmarks"

March 29, 2024

Best Practices Review

The “Best Practices Review” compliments the guidance provided in National Register Bulletins by providing examples on specific topics. New Best Practices Reviews will be issued quarterly. The seventh issue is "Developing a Complete and Concise Property Description"

January 10, 2024

Best Practices Review

The “Best Practices Review” compliments the guidance provided in National Register Bulletins by providing examples on specific topics. New Best Practices Reviews will be issued quarterly. The sixth issue is "Nominating Properties for Cultural Significance under Criterion A"

NRHP and NHL Program FY23 Year in Review

October 29, 2023

Program FY23 Accomplishments

Highlights include

• the relaunch of the effort to update the TCP Bulletin
• the issuance of additional editions of the Best Practices Review
• the reissuance of the NHL Bulletin

September 28, 2023

Best Practices Review

The “Best Practices Review” compliments the guidance provided in National Register Bulletins by providing examples on specific topics. New Best Practices Reviews will be issued quarterly. The fifth issue is "Preparing a Concise Significance Statement"

The campus of Wilberforce University, c. 1850

Lithograph courtesy of the Library of Congress

September 25, 2023

HBCU Grant Recipients in the National Register of Historic Places

For nearly 190 years, historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have served as vital educational, social, and cultural spaces for Black Americans. Because of their historical significance, many of these campus buildings have been listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The properties featured below reflect the rich, varied history of these insitutions, and have each received rehabilitation grants through the National Park Service's HBCU Grants program.
Read more . . .

September 3, 2023

Historic Summer Camps in the National Register of Historic Places

For many Americans across the country, a trip to summer camp is a beloved rite of passage. While many of the activities, philosophies, and uniforms of summer camps have changed over roughly 150 years in existence, the summer camp has continually represented a reprieve, real or imagined, from the drudgery and squalor of urban life. The 10 properties presented are a selection of summer camps listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Read more . . .

July 28, 2023

Best Practices Review
The “Best Practices Review” compliments the guidance provided in National Register Bulletins by providing examples on specific topics. New Best Practices Reviews will be issued quarterly. The fourth issue is "Evaluating Common Resources"

April 21, 2023

Best Practices Review
The “Best Practices Review” compliments the guidance provided in National Register Bulletins by providing examples on specific topics. New Best Practices Reviews will be issued quarterly. The third issue is "Amending National Register Documentation"

April 13, 2023

New Theme Study

The National Historic Landmarks Program is pleased to announce the release of a new theme study, African American Outdoor Recreation, which examines how race impacted the experience of and access to outdoor recreation and leisure resources for African American people in the United States from the end of the Civil War through the early 21^st century. Led by the legacy Midwest Regional Office Historic Preservation Partnerships Program and prepared through a partnership with Organization of American Historians (OAH), the study also includes typologies of related property types such as resorts, amusement parks, campgrounds, or beaches, and registration guidelines to identify and evaluate surviving examples for further study as potential NHLs. By examining this history through the lens of race and from the perspective of Black people, African American Outdoor Recreation brings together the histories of recreation and civil rights in the United States and sheds further light on central themes in the Black experience in the United States.

National Park Service publishes two historical studies surfacing tragedy and resilience in Black recreation - Office of Communications (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)

January 6, 2023

Best Practices Review
The “Best Practices Review” compliments the guidance provided in National Register Bulletins by providing examples on specific topics. New Best Practices Reviews will be issued quarterly. The second issue is "Evaluating Garages and Outbuildings in Historic Districts"

November 18, 2022

Sample Nominations Expanded
Learning-by-example is highly effective and the National Register has shared examples of successful nomination, on a variety of topics, for many years now. This expanded offering of examples is organized by topic.
More information

October 28, 2022

TCP Bulletin Revision Draft
The National Register of Historic Places is seeking comments on its revised "National Register Bulletin 38: Guidelines for Evaluating and Documenting Traditional Cultural Properties" (TCP Bulletin). This publication provides guidance for identifying, evaluating, and documenting traditional cultural places (TCPs) that are significant in American history, architecture, engineering, archeology, and culture, at local, state, and national levels of significance.
More information

September 23, 2022

Best Practices Review
The “Best Practices Review” compliments the guidance provided in National Register Bulletins by providing examples on specific topics. New Best Practices Reviews will be issued quarterly, with the first issued September 2022. The first issue is "Evaluating Non-Historic Exteriors"

September 16, 2022

Cultural Resources Submission Portal launched

The National Register Program launched an enhanced electronic submissions system, called the Cultural Resources Submission Portal (CRSP or “crisp”). Check the National Register website at https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/crsp.htm for details.

National Register of Historic Places in the News

News items about National Register of Historic Places properties from around the National Park Service