National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior

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Mitigation

Under the provisions of Sections 106 and 110b of the amended National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, federal agencies must produce documentation to Heritage Documentation Programs (HDP) standards for buildings, structures, and cultural landscapes that are listed, or are eligible for listing, in the National Register of Historic Places, to mitigate the adverse effects of federal actions such as demolition or substantial alteration.

In September 2016, the National Park Service's Associate Director for Cultural Resources, Partnerships, and Science signed a memorandum about HABS/HAER/HALS mitigation documentation. This memorandum clarifies that documentation of sites at all levels of significance are welcome in the HABS/HAER/HALS collection.

  • Summary: The NPS, through the Heritage Documentation Programs (HABS/HAER/HALS), will accept all documentation of National Register and National Register-eligible properties of national, state, regional or local significance that meet the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Architectural and Engineering Documentation for inclusion in the HABS/HAER/HALS collection at the Library of Congress.
  • Full text of the 2016 mitigation memorandum (pdf)

The National Park Service's regional offices oversee this aspect of HDP documentation, which is submitted to the Washington, DC, office for final review and inclusion in the collection.

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