The Purpose of the Program

The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 was amended in 1980 to provide for a federal-state-local preservation partnership. Grant funds were made available from the National Park Service through the State Historic Preservation Offices for Certified Local Governments (CLGs) to initiate and support historic preservation activities at the local level.

Since then, nineteen Michigan local governments have become CLGs. Any municipality can become a CLG: a county, a township, a large city or small village, or a town. By meeting a few simple but important standards, a community may receive financial aid and technical assistance that will enhance and promote historic neighborhoods and commercial districts. An active CLG program can become an important planning vehicle for community development by identifying specific preservation projects and applying for grants to carry out the projects. The SHPO provides guidance for all units of government to initiate and develop such programs.

As of March 2007, the following Michigan communities are CLGs:

• Allegan
• Ann Arbor
• Battle Creek
• Bay City
• Canton Township
• Detroit
• East Lansing
• Farmington Hills
• Grand Rapids
• Holland
• Jackson
• Kalamazoo
• Lansing
• Mason
• Menominee
• Monroe
• Saline
• Washtenaw County
• Ypsilanti

A full list of Michigan's local districts, both CLG and non-CLG, is  available here.

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.