Skip to main content

Flood Risk and Historic Buildings

The National Park Service has compiled Guidelines on Flood Adaptation for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings, information guidance about how to prepare historic buildings to be more resilient to flooding risk in a manner that will preserve their historic charact. The guidelines should be used in conjunction with the Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings, ensuring projects meet the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. The treatments range from minimal effects on the historic character of a property to more challenging changes than would normally be acceptable in other contexts. Consequently, such treatments would not generally be appropriate to use in the majority of rehabilitation projects when flooding is not a risk. For more information please visit the Technical Preservation Services of the National Park Service.