Place Your Property on the National Register of Historic Places

Any individual or party interested in having their property or properties nominated to the National Register of Historic Places should contact The South Dakota State Historical Society in Pierre. The historic preservation specialist for the southeastern part of the state will assist you in determining potential eligibility and preparing a nomination. All nominations deemed potentially eligible by the Historic Preservation staff will be presented before the South Dakota Historical Society Board. The Board meets quarterly. If approved by the State Board, the nomination is forwarded to the National Park Service in Washington D.C. for approval or denial. The process from beginning to end usually takes about six to nine months.

In preparation for a nomination, the property owner is required to complete a National Register Preliminary Assessment Form. These forms may be obtained by contacting the regional historic preservation specialist. The completed Assessment Form is utilized by the staff to determine if potential eligibility for the National Register exists.

Information needed to complete the form includes:

Historic and current name of the property
Property address
Historic and current owners of the property
Historic and current use of the property
Date of construction
Exterior materials (both historic and current) for foundation, walls and roof
Interior materials (both historic and current) for ceilings walls and floors
Alterations to the property such as additions, window or door changes, changes to porches or changes to the decorative elements of the property including brackets balconies, railings, columns, shutters, cornices, molding, brackets, etc.
Site features including any outbuildings and a description of the setting/landscaping.

All properties on the National Register of Historic Places are significant for one or more of the following criteria:

Criterion A (history)
Criterion B (person)
Criterion C (architecture)
Criterion D(archeology)

Property owners must select one or more of the criteria and describe the history of the property and why it is significant on either a local, state, or national level. Owners should document their sources of information. (county records, family history, local historical society etc. etc.)

Recent photos of the property need to be submitted along with historic photos (if available). The photos should be full shots of each exterior side of the building(s) and representative photos of the interior.

To request a National Register Preliminary Assessment Form or to learn more about the process for nomination, please contact:

South Dakota State Historical Society
Historic Preservation Program
900 Governors Drive
Pierre, SD 57501-2217

Phone (605) 773-3458
Fax (605) 773-6041