Any city, county, parish, township, or municipality which meets the program requirements and completes application process can apply to become a CLG.

Unfortunately, no. Only cities, counties, and other subunits of government are eligible to apply to become a CLG. It is only the local government that can become a CLG, so they are the only ones who can apply. You can either approach your local government directly and ask them about applying, or you can contact our office and SHPO staff will reach out for you.

Assuming that your community already meets all of the requirements to become a CLG, it is simply a matter of getting in touch with our office and submitting a little bit of paperwork. Once the paperwork is completed and submitted to our office, SHPO staff will review it and, if complete, submit the application to the National Park Service with our recommendation. The Park Service will then complete their review and provide their response back to us. Once we have received concurrence from the Park Service, SHPO staff will notify your community and at that point, your community is declared a Certified Local Government! From the time the paperwork is submit to our office to final decision will depend on whether we or the Park Service need to request additional information from your community, but typically, if everything is in order, the turn-around period can be as little as less than a month. More information on the application process and the necessary paperwork can be found in the Idaho Certified Local Government Program Handbook, available here.

There are few, specific minimum requirements that a community has to meet before they can apply to become a CLG; the community will be expected to maintain these requirements for as long as they wish to continue to participate in the program.

• Have a Historic Preservation Commission as established by local ordinance
  • 5-10 members appointed by governing authority, with an effort to represent specific historic preservation disciplines
  • Members must have a demonstrated interest, competence, or knowledge in historic preservation
  • Appointment terms up to 3 years; can be reappointed
  • Solicit expertise when reviewing National Register nominations (if necessary)
  • Regular professional development/training
• Conduct a Survey and Have a System to Maintain an Inventory
• Public Participation in the Preservation Program
• Encourage Local Preservation Planning Efforts
• Enforce Local and State Preservation Laws

CLGs are the only ones who can apply for CLG Grants. Other local groups and non-CLG communities are not eligible to apply.

All CLG Grant funded projects must relate to the National Register of Historic Places in some way. Typical project types include:

• Architectural surveys (Thematic and/or Geographic)
• Archaeological surveys
• Preparation of National Register of Historic Places nominations
• Design guidelines and historic context reports
• Acquisition and Development (including “bricks-and-mortar” projects)
• Develop community preservation plan
• Publishing educational materials
• Public/HPC training, education, and workshops

NO. There is no required design review component to participate in the Idaho Certified Local Government program. There are only two (2) situations related to the CLG Program which involve design review: 1. If there are Federal funds, permits, or approvals involved in a bricks-and-mortar project (e.g. Federal Tax Credits or CLG Grant funds); or 2. If the local community decides to pass a local ordinance requiring it for historic districts (e.g. local zoning code requirements).