About Historic Registers
The federal National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 includes a provision to designate certified local governments (CLG’s). These CLG’s are local historic preservation commissions that have been “certified” by the National Park Service and, among other responsibilities, have the authority to establish a local heritage register. In Clark County, Washington, both the county and the city of Vancouver are Certified Local Governments (CLG). Historic registers are official listings of sites and properties that are considered to be historically significant to the city, county, state, or nation. Registers can include buildings, structures, sites, districts, objects, and archeological resources.
In Clark County, the county heritage register offers the most protection to a historic listing, while the national and state registers offer limited or no protection. All three registers provide property owners access to benefits for listing their property, such as grant opportunities, tax incentives and access to other funding sources. A site may be listed on one, two or even three of the registers at once. The CCHPC reviews and approves heritage register nominations from all of the cities and the unincorporated areas of Clark County.
An overview of the heritage registers in Clark County is provided below.
County Register and Local Ordinances
Washington State Registers
National Register of Historic Places
Staff Contacts
Bart Catching, Planner III
bart.catching@clark.wa.gov
564.397.4909
Susan Ellinger, Planner III
susan.ellinger@clark.wa.gov
564.397.4516