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National Register of Historic Places

Nomination and Submittal Requirements as of June 1, 2021

For questions about the nomination or submission process, contact Michael Mayes at 405-522-4479 or email michael.mayes@history.ok.gov.

The following are the minimum requirements for National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) nominations and submittals to the Oklahoma State Historic Preservation Office (OK/SHPO). All nomination packages submitted to the OK/SHPO must include the items listed below and be submitted in the specified format. The National Park Service (NPS) is implementing new policies for nomination submission to take advantage of current technology; however, National Register Bulletin #16 has not been updated. Therefore, the OK/SHPO provides the following guidance for submission.

Before submitting a nomination, ask yourself, "Has the property/district being nominated been reviewed by OK/SHPO staff for a preliminary determination of NRHP eligibility, evaluated during a survey project, or been the subject of a federal Tax Credit - Part 1 application?" If not, please consult the OK/SHPO staff for guidance about how to proceed. This can save you time and expense in the long run.

There are three essential parts to a nomination submittal—form, photographs, and maps—all of which must now be submitted to the OKSHPO electronically via CD. When submitting a nomination, please provide a cover letter noting on behalf of whom the nomination is being submitted and copy the nomination sponsor and property owner(s).

Before submitting a nomination to the OK/SHPO office, you must be familiar with the following documents:

Part 1: Nomination Form

  1. NPS revised its National Register form in 2012 and is still in use as of 2024. The form is available at http://www.okhistory.org/shpo/forms
  2. Submit nomination on National Register of Historic Places form saved in MS Word format on a CD. The OK/SHPO will convert the Word version to PDF for formal submission to NPS when all steps in the nomination process have been completed and any necessary revisions made.
  3. Although NPS now allows digital images to be embedded within the text of a nomination, the OK/SHPO does not allow this practice. All images are to be included at the end of the nomination.
  4. Include any map images, site plans, scanned historic photographs, and other applicable images at the end of the nomination rather than in a separate document. Exceptions can be made if the document becomes too large or unmanageable.

Part 2: Photographs

  1. Digital images saved as
    • .tif files following the NPS photograph policy (https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/upload/NR-NHL-photo-policy-2024-01-02.pdf) on same or separate CD AND,
    • .jpeg for use in PowerPoint presentations to the Historic Preservation Review Committee (HPRC) and other entities (minimum 1200x1600, 200dpi) on same or separate CD (NOTE: the .jpeg images are required in order for the OK/SHPO to produce the PDF version of the nomination and retain the quality of the image.)
  2. Digital Image File Name examples:
    • OK_OklahomaCounty_SmithHouse_0001.tif
    • OK_OklahomaCounty_HistoricResourcesofOklahomaCity_SmithHouse_0001.tif
  3. Number of photographs must correspond to photograph log in nomination form.
  4. Note photograph directions on an aerial image or site plan.

The NPS National Register office no longer requires photographic prints; however, the OK/SHPO requires one copy of photograph prints (at least 4x6, preferably color). Many users of the OK/SHPO's NRHP information will access it in hard copy files, and photographic prints are often some of the most important documents for their research. For more guidance from NPS on photographs, please see https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/upload/NR-NHL-photo-policy-2024-01-02.pdf.

Part 3: Maps

  1. NPS accepts web-generated maps at the end of the nomination or in a separate MS Word document.
  2. When submitting a web-generated map, the following is required:
    • Figure latitude and longitude coordinates in decimal degrees to at least six decimal places. (Example: 39.072290, -94.645300) Don't forget the negative symbol or your map will appear in the wrong hemisphere!
      • List the datum information with the map attachment. Digital format will be WGS datum 1984. USGS paper maps will be NAD 1927 or NAD 1983.
    • Map attachments
      • A close-up, large-scale aerial image depicting the nomination boundaries
      • A zoomed-out, smaller-scale aerial image depicting the nominated property in a broader context
      • Include with the aerial map images the WGS datum; latitude/longitude points in decimal degrees extending to at least six decimal places; labels clearly noting the property; a scale; a north arrow
      • Map images can be obtained from free mapping software such as Bing.com, Google Earth, or ArcGIS Explorer. Simply capture the desired image, paste it into a photo editing program, and label appropriately. The image can then be pasted into the nomination.
    • The map image should be reproducible in black and white
    • Using free mapping software such as Bing.com, Google Earth, or ArcGIS Explorer, save the map point or image file with latitude/longitude coordinates in .kmz or .kml format (or equivalent) on the same or a separate CD
      • For properties less than 10 acres, include a single latitude/longitude point
      • For properties more than 10 acres, provide latitude/longitude points at the corners of the polygon representing boundaries
For guidance from NPS on mapping, go to https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/upload/GIS_Guidance_2013_05_15_508.pdf.

Part 4: Additional Documentation/Requirements

  1. Exhibits A & B, see http://www.okhistory.org/shpo/forms
  2. Copy of research material
  3. A CD of the photographs, correspondence, and mapping for submission to NPS
  4. A paper copy of the nomination form (optional)