We welcome your interest in nominating a property to the National Register of Historic Places. The information below will provide all the guidance you need to get the process started. The required forms may be obtained through links in this document, or you may request an eligibility questionnaire be sent to you in the mail. If you are uncertain if your property is already listed in the National Register, please see our database or interactive map. Both the database and map are searchable by address and historic name.
We look forward to working with you.
The National Register Nomination Process in Louisiana
For a flowchart illustrating the process, see here. See the below outline for detailed information about all steps of the National Register of Historic Places nomination process.
I. Determination of Eligibility -- How to find out if your resource is eligible ↓ See more.
- First, please review the National Register Eligibility Guidelines.
- The next step for Louisiana properties is completion of an Eligibility Questionnaire. This is a preliminary eligibility evaluation, not the National Register nomination itself. This form outlines the information required by DHP staff to evaluate possible eligibility. A thorough and accurate response to these questions is required for completion of the preliminary evaluation process. The questionnaire may be submitted to DHP at any time. Once the review is completed, you will be notified of the staff's findings. Review typically takes around 30 days, not including additional information requested.
| Eligibility Questionnaires | ||
| Individual Resource Eligibility Questionnaire |
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| Historic District Eligibility Questionnaire | |
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| Cemetery Eligibility Questionnaire | |
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- If your property is determined potentially eligible, DHP staff members will contact you to arrange a site visit to the property. It is important to note that DHP staff is not committed to taking the property's nomination before the National Register Review Committee until this visit has been completed and a separate, completed nomination packet has been received and reviewed by DHP.
II. Preparing a Nomination -- Step-by-step explanation ↓ See more.
- PLEASE NOTE: Actual nominations should not be submitted until review of the Eligibility Questionnaire has been completed and you have received a letter notifying you that DHP believes the resource to be eligible.
- After the site visit has been completed and potential eligibility confirmed, you will be responsible for completing the National Register nomination form. Although DHP will provide a packet of information to help you with preparing the nomination, you have the option of working with a professional preservation consultant in completing the nomination form.
- For a list of all required materials, forms, and guidance for completing a National Register nomination, see National Register Nomination Packet.
- Individual resources in district nominations must be surveyed using Louisiana Historic Resource Inventory guidelines and forms.
- An application undergoes a series of technical and substantive reviews to assure that it meets National Register criteria. When the form is completed and corrected to DHP's satisfaction, we will schedule the property for consideration at the next available meeting of the Louisiana National Register Review Committee.
- Please understand that we can make no promises concerning the outcome of the nomination process. It is important to note that not every historic site or old building or neighborhood is eligible for the National Register. In order to qualify, properties must meet the federal National Register criteria for significance either on the national, state, or local level as well as integrity. The staff's role is to recommend whether a property should be presented to the State Review Committee. The final decision lies with this committee and, ultimately, with the National Park Service (NPS) in Washington, D.C.
Timetable and Deadlines
- Louisiana's National Register Review Committee considers nominations three times a year - in the Spring (April or May), late summer (July or August), and Fall/Winter (November/December). The Louisiana Division of Historic Preservation will place a nomination on a Review Committee's meeting agenda only after the document has been completed to the staff's satisfaction and all support materials have been received. Experience has shown that it usually takes multiple drafts before a nomination is technically correct and ready to go on an agenda.
- Deadlines for completing final draft nominations for specific Review Committee Meeting agendas vary according to the location of the property:
- Certified Local Government (CLG) Communities: The Certified Local Government (CLG) program is a partnership between local citizens, the State Historic Preservation Office, and the National Park Service. CLGs have an established local historic district, ordinance, and historic district commission. The 1980 amendments to the National Historic Preservation Act allow CLG communities to review and comment on each property or district proposed for the National Register within their jurisdiction. The comment period is 60 days. To allow the Division to facilitate the CLG's right to review and comment, a nomination in a CLG must be completed a minimum of 75 days before the meeting at which the nomination is to be considered. Click here to find out if your community participates in the CLG program.
- All Other Communities: The Division of Historic Preservation is required to legally notify owners of nominated properties that their properties are being nominated to the National Register a minimum of 30 days before a Review Committee meeting. Additionally, time is needed to prepare official notification letters or public notices for publication in local newspapers. Thus, nominations must be complete a minimum of 45 days before the Review Committee meeting at which the nomination is to be considered.
- Unfortunately, nominations cannot be scheduled for a particular agenda after the deadlines below have passed.
2024 National Register Nomination Deadlines:
| Meeting Date | First Draft Deadline for CLG Communities | First Draft Deadline for All Other Cities | Final Draft Deadline for CLG Communities | Final Draft Deadline for All Other Cities |
April 3, 2025 |
November 1, 2024 |
December 6, 2024 |
January 3, 2025 |
February 7, 2025 |
July 31, 2025 |
March 17, 2025 |
April 11, 2025 |
May 16, 2025 |
June 13, 2025 |
December 4, 2025 |
July 18, 2025 |
August 18, 2025 |
September 19, 2025 |
October 17, 2025 |
IMPORTANT NOTE: First drafts should be submitted well in advance of the above final draft deadlines to allow for revisions and requests for additional information if needed. Please allow up to 45-60 days for DHP’s review of a first draft. The number of drafts needed will vary by project.
Nominations will be scheduled for National Register Committee Meetings only after each draft is fully reviewed and determined ready for an agenda (per schedules) by the NR Coordinator. Submissions cannot be fully reviewed until all photographs, photo keys, maps as well as a well-developed argument for Criterion, Areas of Significance, Setting subsection, Integrity subsection, and supporting bibliography are in hand. Incomplete drafts will not be placed on an agenda.
III. Presentation to the Louisiana National Register Review Committee -- What to expect at the Review Committee Meeting ↓ See more.
- On acceptance of a completed nomination by the specified deadline, the staff will schedule the nomination for presentation to the State Review Committee. The nomination preparer (owner, applicant, or consultant) will be asked to present a short PowerPoint presentation (5-10 minutes in length) at the scheduled Review Committee meeting. (See the Guidelines for PowerPoint Presentations and PowerPoint Template). All interested parties are welcome to attend the National Register Review Committee meeting. After each presentation, the Committee will discuss and vote on whether to recommend the nomination to the State Historic Preservation Officer.
IV. Preparation of Final Nomination Form and Listing -- What happens after the National Register Review Committee meeting ↓ See more.
- After approval by the Louisiana National Register Review Committee, the final nomination must be completed. The applicant will be responsible for making any needed corrections to the final form. The National Register staff will thoroughly explain any changes required and will assist where needed.
- The nomination is then forwarded to the National Register office of the National Park Service in Washington, D.C. Their staff will make a determination within 45 days from the date the application is logged into their system. Once official notification of listing is received, DHP will notify the applicant of the decision by letter. DHP will provide owners of listed properties with a National Register certificate. DHP does not provide plaques; however, information on ordering a plaque can be found here under "Plaque Information."
