Listing Process

National Register staff will evaluate a property to determine if it can be listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Before initiating the listing process, check the Tennessee Historical Commission Viewer to determine if your property is already listed. You may also search our Tennessee National Register listing spreadsheet. If you are having trouble determining if your property is listed, please contact National Register staff using the contact information on this webpage. 

If you are interested in nominating a property, please download our Information Packet and follow its instructions. Some property types require additional information. If the property type you are trying to nominate is listed below, download the relevant guidance document and submit the required materials to National Register staff. 

• Farms and Agricultural Properties: Please download and complete the "Evaluating Farms" guidance document. 
• Historic Districts: Please download and complete the Historic District information packet. 
• Cemeteries: Please download and complete the "Evaluating Cemeteries" guidance document. 

Please note that review times for Step 1 submittals may vary or be extended. Timelines are dependent upon the number of submissions in the queue, and workloads for other state and federally mandated program reviews National Register staff must complete. 

Information packets that do not provide the information required by the relevant documents will not be evaluated until the relevant materials are submitted. Please contact National Register staff with any questions you have about the packet and/or guidance documents. 

After completing the relevant Step 1 materials, applicants may submit their information using one of the following options. The first is to submit the materials to National.Register@tn.gov. The state e-mail system only accepts attachments smaller than twenty-five megabytes, so please ensure materials do not exceed twenty-five megabytes per e-mail. Multiple e-mails with attachments may be submitted. Please request confirmation that materials have been received by staff. If you do not receive confirmation, please follow up with a separate e-mail.

The second option is to upload all the materials to a SharePoint folder. Please contact National Register staff for submittal instructions. 

Properties determined eligible by National Register staff may move on to Step 2, which is the preparation of a formal National Register nomination. 

National Register staff provide applicants with the current National Register nomination form, instructions, and example nominations. Regional preservation planners may be able to assist with drafting a nomination. 

The completed nomination form and photographs should be returned to National Register staff. Staff will review the nomination and provide comments for revisions. Most drafts go through several rounds of revision. Once the nomination is substantially completed and documented, it will be scheduled for the next possible State Review Board meeting. 

It is important to note that there is no way to "fast-track" a nomination. To ensure a nomination moves through the listing process quickly and efficiently, it is important for an applicant to thoroughly read the example nominations and materials provided by National Register staff. 

The Tennessee State Review Board meets three times a year to review nominations. They generally meet in January, May, and September. The Board is comprised of professionals in architecture, history, and archaeology. The Board will review each completed nomination and vote on whether to approve the nomination.

National Register staff submit approved nominations to the National Park Service in Washington, D.C. The National Park Service has final say on whether a property is listed, rejected, or returned to the Tennessee Historical Commission for revisions. 

When properties are successfully listed, property owners will receive a notification from the Tennessee Historical Commission. Owners may choose to celebrate the listing with a plaque. The Commission does not endorse, authorize, recommend, or have any preference for one company over another. We provide the list for your convenience. You are not required to purchase a plaque.