Historic Preservation

The following actions will be considered by the Vermont Advisory Council on Historic Preservation at their upcoming meeting: January 21, 2021

The Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties are common sense historic preservation principles in non-technical language. They promote historic preservation best practices that will help to protect our nation’s irreplaceable cultural resources.

Standards for Preservation

Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (Public Law 89-665 U.S.C. 300101) requires federal agencies take into account the effects of their undertakings on historic properties. It is the responsibility of the federal agency involved in the project to initiate consultation with the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation (VDHP) as the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) and fulfill the requirements of Section 106.

Established in the spring of 1970 by the Vermont Legislature, Act 250 is Vermont’s Land Use and Development Act. The Act 250 program provides a public, quasi-judicial process for reviewing and managing the environmental, social and fiscal consequences of major subdivisions and developments in Vermont.

Section 248 of Title 30 requires companies to obtain a Certificate of Public Good from the Public Utility Commission (PUC) before beginning site preparation or construction of electric transmission facilities, electric generation facilities and certain gas pipelines within Vermont.

The Vermont Historic Preservation Act was established in 1975 by the Vermont Legislature with the passage of Title 22 V.S.A. Chapter 14: Historic Preservation. The Act requires that state agencies take measures to preserve any historic resources under its ownership.