The Local Historic Districts Act

"Local Historic Districts Act, Act 169 of 1970" [PDF]

(This act is also available at the Michigan Legislature's website.)

The Local Historic District Manual

"Local Historic Districts in Michigan"

Establishing a Local Historic District

"The Process for Establishing a Local Historic District" [PDF]

Evaluating Resources in Local Historic Districts

"Criteria for Evaluating Resources for Inclusion in Local Historic Districts" [PDF]

Model Historic District Ordinance

SHPO encourages units of government to use this Word document as a template, and to revise it to meet their own specific, local needs.

Model Historic District Ordinance [DOC]

Historic District Study Committee Reports

The purpose of the historic district study committee report is to establish the legal basis for the creation of a local historic district.   Historical data about a proposed district is collected, analyzed, summarized and presented in the report in a clear and concise manner to illustrate the historic significance of a district.  The report should justify why a local historic district is being created and establish the boundaries for the district.

"How to Write a Historic District Study Committee Report" [PDF]

Additional Information

The following National Park Service bulletins are useful in determining local historic district boundaries and in developing a historic district study committee report.  They can be downloaded from the National Park Service website:

• National Register Bulletin 15:  How to Apply the Criteria for Evaluation
• National Register Bulletin 39:  How to Research a Historic Property
• National Register Bulletin 21:  Defining Boundaries for National Register Properties
• National Register Bulletin 23:  How to Improve the Quality of Photographs for National Register Nominations

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.