The National Historic Preservation Act, passed by Congress in 1966 and amended in 1980, created the Certified Local Government (CLG) program to insure that local governments will be eligible to receive technical and financial assistance to strengthen their local historic preservation efforts and expand their historic preservation activities.

The Bureau for Historic Preservation (BHP) helps local governments apply for and achieve the National Park Service's (NPS) Certified Local Government program. In turn, local governments agree to expand their responsibilities through the enactment and enforcement of historic preservation ordinances, by the appointment of Boards of Historical Architectural Review (BHAR) or historical commissions, and by commenting on National Register nominations within their jurisdiction. In addition, they agree to provide a brief annual report of their preservation activities, have their BHARs participate in training opportunities, and undertake or update historic resource surveys. To help achieve these goals, the PHMC's Bureau for Historic Preservation provides valuable technical assistance and matching grants to Certified Local Governments.

Requests for CLG status may be made by downloading, filling out, and mailing the CLG application form (PDF, 26 KB) with accompanying documentation to the right.

Please note:
By submitting materials with respect to state or federal historic preservation programs administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC), you grant to the PHMC the rights to:

1. use the materials for education and promotional purposes and to promote the mission of the PHMC;
2. publish the materials on the PHMC Web site; and
3. make the materials available to researchers and scholars.

FY 2012 Federal Certified Local Government Grants - Application Deadline January 13, 2012

The application deadline for federal FY 2011 Ceritified Local Government (CLG) grant applications will be January 13, 2012. For information on the CLG grant program, please review the CLG Grant Guideline section.

If you have any questions regarding the CLG program and the application process contact:

Andrea MacDonald
717.787.4215
amacdonald@pa.gov