State Historic Preservation Office

The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) was created in 1966 under Section 101 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). The purposes of SHPO include surveying and recognizing historic properties, reviewing nominations for properties to be included in the National Register of Historic Places, reviewing undertakings for the impact on the properties as well as supporting federal organizations, state and local governments, and private sector. States are responsible for setting up their own SHPO; therefore, each SHPO varies slightly on rules and regulations. To link these differences with the SHPOs, the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers (NCSHPO) was created as a “point of contact” according to the National Historic Preservation Act.

History
In 1966, the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) was put into effect. As part of the Congressional Act, Section 101 implemented the designation of the State Historic Preservation Program. State Liaison Officers, which later became known as State Historic Preservation Officers, were established to manage historic preservation grants for the National Park Service (NPS). In the 1970s, these SHPOs experienced a growth in power as they became more organized, efficient and professional, and clarified their relationships with NPS. They also formed a National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers to represent them on a National level, particularly in Washington. The SHPO continued to gain an increasingly specific role, taking on the position of the advising consultant for the Section 106 review process. In 1980 with the amendment to the NHPA, the SHPO’s exact duties were finally identified, defining its role, which remains today.

Purposes
The responsibilities of the State Historic Preservation Office, according to the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended, include running the State Historic Preservation Program and, as stated in the Act:

(A)	In cooperation with Federal and State agencies, local governments, and private organizations and individuals, direct and conduct a comprehensive statewide survey of historic properties and maintain inventories of such properties;

(B)	Identify and nominate eligible properties to the National Register and otherwise administer applications for listing historic properties on the National register;

(C)	Prepare and implement a comprehensive statewide historic preservation plan;

(D)	Administer the State program of Federal assistance for historic preservation within the State;

(E)	Advise and assist, as appropriate, Federal and State agencies and local governments in carrying out their historic preservation responsibilities;

(F)	Cooperate with the Secretary of Interior, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, and other Federal and State agencies, local governments, and organizations and individuals to ensure historic properties are taken into consideration at all levels of planning and development;

(G)	Provide public information, education and training, and technical assistance relating to the Federal and State Historic Preservation Programs; and

(H)	Cooperate with local governments in the development of the local historic preservation programs and assist local governments in becoming certified pursuant to subsection (C).

SHPO among States
SHPOs not only exist in 50 states, but in the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the Virgin Islands, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Island, the Republic of Palau, the Republic of Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia; making 59 SHPOs total. Each State Historic Preservation Office is responsible for effective planning to address preservation matters. For example, agricultural structures such as barns are significant to New Hampshire’s “values of heritage, hard work, productivity and stewardship” and the state has devoted special programs to help preserve these values. However, barns are not significant in Florida; instead, Art Deco buildings in South Beach are significant to the state. As a result of these differences, states have expanded and/or specialized their SHPO purposes and created private organizations. The Alaska Coastal Management Program is a private organization, created by the state to regulate agencies to acknowledge environmental and cultural resources within the Alaskan Coast and protect them. Therefore, it is important to not only contact your SHPO but also find out about other organizations that contribute to preservation in your state.

In addition to overseeing work conducted for the Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentives Program, some SHPOs also administer statewide grants and other funding mechanisms to encourage preservation of historic properties. Many of these, such as the Michigan Lighthouse Assistance Grant Program and Texas County Courthouses Preservation Program, are intended for the preservation of particular building typologies or resources. Most SHPOs are also charged with administering state income tax rehabilitation tax credits.

Conclusion
The purpose of the SHPO, with the cooperation of the local governments within their state, is to ultimately support the Federal Historic Preservation Program. It accomplishes this through its various responsibilities and purposes. With the many cultural differences between states, the SHPO has evolved to each state allowing the creation of specialized programs and the refining of the Federal Historic Preservation Program to conform within each state. The SHPO, therefore, plays an integral role in implementing the Federal Historic Preservation Program at the state level. SHPO is not only important at a state level, it is important at the National level as well. It is a collaboration of preservation ideas that lead to recognizing and protecting the United States, and their territories’, historic treasures.