Statewide Historic Preservation Plan

Historic Preservation Fund Grants Manual
Chapter 6 Grant Assisted Program Activities

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2. Requirements. In addition to the General Requirements for Grant-Assisted Activity discussed in
Section C, above, the following requirements apply to the Historic Preservation Planning Program
Area:
a. Each SHPO shall develop a Comprehensive Statewide Historic Preservation Planning Process
that: (1) meets the circumstances of each State; (2) achieves broad-based public and professional
involvement throughout the State; (3) takes into consideration issues affecting the broad spectrum
of historic and cultural resources within the State; (4) is based on the analyses of resource data
and user needs; (5) encourages the consideration of historic preservation concerns within broader
planning environments at the Federal, State, and local levels; and (6) is implemented by SHPO
operations.
b. Each SHPO shall develop and update (as necessary) a written Comprehensive Statewide Historic
Preservation Plan (hereafter State Plan) which describes a vision for historic preservation in the
State as a whole and outlines future direction for the State Historic Preservation Office.
The State Plan is used by the State Historic Preservation Office and others throughout the State
for guiding effective decision-making on a general level, for coordinating Statewide preservation
activities, and for communicating Statewide preservation policy, goals, and values to the
preservation constituency, decision-makers, and interested and affected parties across the State.
As such, the State Plan is not an office management plan for the SHPO office. The State Plan
provides direction and guidance for general-level decision-making, rather than serving as a
detailed blueprint for making place-specific or resource-specific decisions. This level of detail is
typically found in other documents, such as historic context documents, research designs, survey
reports, etc.
1) The State Plan shall be a single, concise, printed document. The State Plan may be a
component of a larger plan. The length or format of the State Plan is not prescribed. (Note:
A "concise" State Plan contains the appropriate level of detail to communicate the major
findings and conclusions, but not the raw data or technical analyses that led to those
conclusions.) If the State is experiencing financial limitations such that hard copy printing is
not feasible, “printing” the State Plan only on the SHPO’s web site is acceptible provided that
the following conditions are also met:
a) The Plan’s availability on the web must be announced and/or advertised widely and
provisions made for those without web access to request and receive hard copies of the
Plan. This announcement or advertisement should include the web URL for the Plan and
contact information for requesting a hard copy. Examples of an announcement might
include an advertising card, conspicuous notice in the SHPO’s newsletter, brochure with
Plan highlights, or poster with Plan highlights.
b) It must be easy for the web visitor to find the Plan on the web site, to navigate through it
(e.g., no large image files), and to download and print it.
c) It must be easy for those without web access (as well as the web visitor) to request and
receive a hard copy of the State Plan.

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2) The State Plan shall be developed in such a way as to encourage Statewide public and
professional involvement, and be distributed to a wide range of public, private, and
professional organizations and groups throughout the State, as well as to other potential users.
To be effective and achievable, the State Plan must be developed, implemented, and revised
with the active involvement of a wide range of public, private, and professional
organizations. It is not sufficient to consult only with preservation professionals and
Statewide or local preservation organizations. The State must consult as widely and broadly
as necessary to meet this requirement and to encourage broad-based acceptance or familiarity
of the State Plan throughout the State, particularly by those groups, constituents, and
organizations that have the greatest potential to affect historic and cultural resources.
A specific list of public and professional groups or organizations is not prescribed; whatever
meets this standard and the circumstances of each State's planning environment, as
determined by the State, meets the requirements. However, not requiring the involvement of
specific public groups does not relieve the SHPO from complying with other Federal and
State regulations or requirements for public participation.
States are encouraged to consider the following groups, but this is not a requirement:
preservation professionals and others who have interest or expertise in historic preservation;
Federal, State, and local government planners who may be the primary users of the State
Plan; elected officials and others whose decisions affect or have the potential to affect historic
resources; individuals and groups who may be affected by the planning process and Plan;
American Indians, Alaska Natives, and/or Native Hawaiians; Certified Local Governments;
minority groups and the disabled; and, others, such as those who play key roles in shaping
public opinion.
3) The State Plan shall address, at a general level, the full range of historic resources within the
State, including buildings, structures, objects, districts, and sites, including prehistoric
archeology and historical archeology.
Data on historic resources that are used to develop and revise the State Plan are derived from
a variety of sources. Specific data sources are not prescribed. At a minimum, however, the
SHPO must use historic resource data and information that have been identified and assessed
in accordance with the Secretary of the Interior's "Standards for Preservation Planning" in
developing and revising the State Plan. The SHPO will determine the balance between
different data sources most useful to the unique planning environment in which it must
operate.
The SHPO must continue developing and/or updating historic resource data and information
to provide up-to-date information for use during plan development, implementation, and
revision.
A State may have any number of supporting resource-specific plans, such as separate plans
for archeology, for historic buildings, for anthropology and ethnographic resources, and for
maritime resources. Nonetheless, the State Plan must be a single document that addresses all
historic resources in the State. It is not required, however, that the State Plan address every
individual historic property type within the State. SHPOs have the discretion to determine

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Chapter 6 Grant Assisted Program Activities

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what specific property types (if any, and whether that level of detail is desired) will be
addressed in the State Plan based on the needs and circumstances in each State.
4) The State Plan shall contain, at a minimum, the following elements or sections:
a) a summary of how the State Plan was developed, including a brief description of how the
public participated;
b) a summary assessment of the full range of historic and cultural resources throughout the
State; including current important issues facing historic preservation, threats and
opportunities, and the current state of knowledge about historic and cultural resources or
classes of historic resources throughout the State;
c) guidance for the management of historic and cultural resources throughout the State, such
as is typically expressed in policies, strategies, goals, and objectives, that provide a vision
for the State as a whole, and a direction for the SHPO office;
d) the time frame of the State Plan (or "planning cycle"), including when the State Plan is
next scheduled for revision or review; and,
e) a bibliography of special studies and other support documents used in preparing the State
Plan.
5) A SHPO that is required by State law or gubernatorial directive to produce a statewide
historic preservation plan covering the responsibilities of the office will not be required to
produce another, separate plan specifically for NPS approval, provided that the minimum
requirements for this program area are met. The SHPO is encouraged to incorporate, to the
extent possible, the minimum requirements for this program area into the plan prepared under
State requirements. The SHPO must submit this State-required plan for approval in
accordance with Section G.2.c., below. If State planning requirements omit one or more
requirements of this section, the SHPO is still expected to meet the minimum requirements of
this section. In this case, the SHPO must contact NPS to discuss alternative approaches for
ensuring these requirements are met.
c. NPS Approval of the State Plan.
1) A completed final draft State Plan must be submitted to NPS for approval.
2) The SHPO will mail the final draft State Plan, to NPS, accompanied by a transmittal letter
signed by the State Historic Preservation Officer, or his/her written designee, requesting
approval in conformance with the requirements of this section.
3) The final draft State Plan will be reviewed for conformance with this section, with the Act,
and with the Secretary of the Interior's "Standards for Archeology and Historic Preservation."
4) No later than 45 calendar days after the receipt of the final draft State Plan, NPS must provide
a written response to the SHPO. The response may be an approval, an identification of the
requirement(s) not met, or a denial of approval. A denial of approval may only be issued

June 2007 Release