Preserving Michigan's Built Heritage for Future Generations

Environmental review activities of the SHPO provide limited protection for National Register listed or eligible properties through Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended, and through agreements with various state agencies. Section 106 requires that the SHPO review all federal actions for their effect on cultural resources. The disposal of surplus state property and the issuance of certain state permits require SHPO review. Over 3,000 federally assisted projects and 1,500 state actions are reviewed annually by the SHPO.

Historic preservation tax incentives promote the preservation and rehabilitation of historic properties.  The SHPO administers two types: state tax credits and federal income tax credits.

State tax credits are available to home owners, commercial property owners and businesses who rehabilitate certain historic resources in conformance with the U. S. Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation. The resource and the rehabilitation must be certified by the SHPO.

 

Federal income tax credits are available for owners of National Register listed income-producing properties who rehabilitate their properties according to the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation. Federal tax credit projects must be certified by the National Park Service, in consultation with the SHPO. To date over five hundred Michigan projects have been assisted with federal tax credits resulting in over a half-billion dollars in private investment in historic structures. Projects range from the rehabilitation of the former Parke-Davis Pharmaceutical Company Complex on the Detroit River to the restoration of the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Meyer May House in Grand Rapids.

The SHPO provides technical assistance to property owners rehabilitating historic buildings and assists local governments establishing historic district commissions and protective ordinances for historic buildings in their communities in accordance with Public Act 169 of 1970, as amended. The strongest form of protection for historic resources comes from local historic preservation ordinances. Sixteen of Michigan's 58 historic district commissions have been approved by the National Park Service as Certified Local Governments (CLGs) and now work in a three-way partnership with the park service and the SHPO. The CLGs are eligible for limited National Historic Preservation Fund matching grants-in-aid.

For information about any of the programs described on this site, write the Michigan State Historic Preservation Office, Michigan Historical Center, P.O. Box 30740, 702 W. Kalamazoo St., Lansing, MI 48909-8240, or call us at (517) 373-1630.

Michigan Historical Center, Department of History, Arts and Libraries
Use and Reproduction Information [PDF]
Send comments about this page to preservation@michigan.gov.