Title: The National Register of Historic Places--More Than Just Buildings and Battle Sites Description: There are thousands of properties on the National Register of Historic Places. It's everything from buildings to battlefields. But even so, some organizations, including Native American Tribes, have struggled to participate in this list. Learn more from GAO's Anna Maria Ortiz. Related work: GAO-26-107879, National Register of Historic Places: Selected States and Tribes Identified Challenges to Participation Released: September 2026 [ START ] { Music } [ Anna Maria Ortiz: ] Some of our most important sites aren't even recognized on the National Register. [ Holly Hobbs: ] Welcome to GAO's Watchdog Report, your source for fact-based, nonpartisan news and information from the U.S. Government Accountability Office. I'm your host, Holly Hobbs. There are thousands of properties on the National Register of Historic Places. It's everything from buildings to battlefields. But even so, some organizations, including Native American Tribes, have struggled to participate in this list. Here to tell us more is GAO's Anna Maria Ortiz. Thanks for joining us. [ Anna Maria Ortiz: ] Thanks, Holly. [ Holly Hobbs: ] Maybe we can start with what is the National Register of Historic Places and what does it take to get on this list? [ Anna Maria Ortiz: ] So the National Register is our country's official list of places that are worthy of preservation. There are more than 100,000 sites on it, probably some near you. According to the Park Service, there's nearly one in every county in the U.S. To get on the list, an organization or individual will usually start with their state's historic preservation officer or a tribal historic preservation officer if the property is on tribal lands. These officers can help people prepare the nominations to demonstrate the property's historical significance. After a state level review, the application goes to the National Park Service, who reviews it for aspects of integrity. These aspects include things like design, workmanship, and basically, can the property convey its historical significance? If it's deemed eligible for inclusion, the property goes on the list. [ Holly Hobbs: ] Is it just buildings and battle sites, or is there more? [ Anna Maria Ortiz: ] Buildings and battle sites are definitely important, and a large portion of the list, but it goes far beyond that. There are historic districts like college campuses or historic neighborhoods. There are structures like bridges, statues, and fountains. And there are other kinds of historically significant places. For example, the Snoqualmie waterfall in Washington state is on the list because of its historical significance to the cultural heritage of the Snoqualmie Indians. [ Holly Hobbs: ] So is there criteria that the Register uses in picking sites? [ Anna Maria Ortiz: ] In general, a property has got to be 50 years old or older, but there are also four categories that it can fall over. And many sites are listed under one or more of these categories. It could be something that's associated with a historical event like the battlefields you mentioned. It could be associated with a historic person, like a birthplace. It could be an architect or a master work of a specific style of design, or it could be a site that yields or is likely to yield historical evidence, like an archeological site or prehistoric settlement. [ Holly Hobbs: ] Are there benefits to being on the list? [ Anna Maria Ortiz: ] Some people do it in the hopes of increasing tourism. Sometimes it's just to bring awareness to the site, but there can be tangible benefits too. For example, there are grant programs available to property owners who want to preserve a property. There are also tax credits potentially available and according to the National Park Service, these tax credits have yielded billions of dollars every year in private investment to rehabilitate or renovate historic properties for reuse. [ Holly Hobbs: ] So we've heard about the benefits of being on the list, why you would want to be on the list. But we've also heard from Tribes and other organizations that they may face challenges in getting on these lists. Can you tell us what we heard from them? [ Anna Maria Ortiz: ] Yes. Tribes and tribal organizations we spoke with talked about several challenges. One is that the categories and criteria the National Park Service use don't always apply particularly clearly to tribal sites. For example, one tribe told us that the criteria are really focused on individuals, whereas the tribe doesn't think of its history in an individual frame. We also heard that it takes a lot of time and resources to develop the nominations, and it can be really difficult for Tribes to put historic properties that are associated with their ancestral homelands on the list, because often they aren't proximate to those properties. [ Holly Hobbs: ] We've done other work on Tribes, and one of them we did was about visitors in Indian country picking up artifacts or not being good visitors, not being good guests. Were the Tribes at all concerned about that aspect? If you're on the list, you're going to get more visitors and potentially some damage to these sites. [ Anna Maria Ortiz: ] Definitely. And looting and damage is definitely a concern for Tribes and tribal organizations we spoke with. And in fact, it's one of the reasons a lot are reluctant to nominate their sites to the list. It turns out that the National Park Service has actually developed regulations and processes that can be used to protect the location of a list and keep the property that's on it from public disclosure when there's a risk of it being looted or damaged. But a lot of the Tribes we spoke with weren't aware of this guidance. [ Holly Hobbs: ] Besides the Tribes, do we hear from other groups about challenges that they maybe faced in joining this or participating in this list? [ Anna Maria Ortiz: ] We heard from state historic preservation officers that the nomination process can be really daunting for ordinary Americans. The guidance for applications is complex and dense, and organizations often end up hiring a consultant, which can be really costly in order to get their properties listed. The officers also told us that some of the guidance is really outdated. Maybe about 20 years old, and that's something the National Park Service observed through us as well. They're aware that the guidance needs updating. [ Holly Hobbs: ] What do we think the national parks should be doing to improve participation? [ Anna Maria Ortiz: ] The National Park Service should engage in a thoughtful and well-planned approach to revising its guidance. And by that we mean they should take the time to really bring the guidance up to date, and they should reach out to state and tribal historic preservation officers to find out what sorts of impediments are in the guidance that keep ordinary Americans from being able to get their properties on the list. We also recommended that the National Park Service reach out to Tribes and tribal organizations to both make them aware of how tribal lands and properties can be nominated under the existing criteria, and also to make them aware of some of the protections that the National Park Service can make available for sensitive sites, like protecting their location from disclosure. [ Holly Hobbs: ] Last question. What's the bottom line of this report? [ Anna Maria Ortiz: ] The National Register is our country's official list of historically significant places, and it should be accessible to ordinary Americans. By updating its guidance and conducting outreach, the National Park Service can improve its accessibility, and it can also ensure that the list includes a wide variety of places that are worthy of preservation and protection. [ Holly Hobbs: ] Anna Maria, thanks for your time. [ Anna Maria Ortiz: ] Thank you so much. [ Holly Hobbs: ] And thank you for listening to the Watchdog Report. To hear more podcasts, subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen. And make sure to leave a rating and review to let others know about the work we're doing. For more from the congressional watchdog, the U.S. Government Accountability Office, visit us at GAO.gov. [ END ]