Understanding Historic Districts + Preservation Tools.

Historic preservation can feel overwhelming for rural towns that carry deep memory but may not have full time staff or large budgets. The good news is that Idaho offers a clear framework, practical tools, and funding avenues that help communities protect the places that define their shared story. This page brings together the big picture and finer details from recent preservation across the state so any town can understand what is available.

A National Register district is recognition at the federal level. It identifies a group of buildings or landscapes that matter to a community’s past. In Idaho this form of designation is honorific. It brings no limits on property owners. It signals value, strengthens identity, and can open the door to tax incentives and economic renewal.

A local historic district is created by city ordinance. It has a design review process that protects architectural features such as wood windows, storefronts, and historic materials. It gives a community the power to shape change and keep its character intact. The standards are based on national guidelines but each town chooses its own level of oversight.

Many communities begin with a National Register district to build support and understanding, then later discuss whether a local district fits community goals.

Surveys are the backbone of preservation planning. Idaho communities often receive survey work through mitigation projects or through Certified Local Government grants. Surveys identify which buildings are eligible for listing and document history before it disappears. As seen in towns all over the west, surveys also cover parks, bridges, neighborhoods, and entire corridors. With accurate survey maps in hand, a town can begin to see where districts might take shape and which resources deserve focused attention.

Cities and counties that become Certified Local Governments form a partnership with the State Historic Preservation Office and the National Park Service. This gives them access to funding, training, and project support. Idaho has forty CLGs across the state. CLG status allows communities to apply for annual grants that support surveys, nominations, preservation plans, outreach, or training events.

These grants are accessible, match friendly, and sized for rural towns that want to take steady steps without overwhelming staff or budgets.

A preservation plan gives a town a ten year guide that lays out what the community values, what it wants to protect, and how to manage change. It becomes a training tool for new commission members and a shared reference for city staff. For rural places that feel stretched thin, a plan provides clarity. It organizes priorities, gathers community input, and becomes the basis for future grants or district nominations.

Idaho communities can adopt the International Existing Building Code, which offers flexible paths for historic structures. Building inspectors hold the authority to interpret these codes, which means relationships and communication matter as much as policy. When inspectors understand the intent of the code, they can protect historic features while still meeting safety requirements.

Idaho offers a wide range of funding routes that make preservation work possible for small towns. Annual CLG grants support surveys, nominations, outreach, and planning, while the Idaho Heritage Trust provides bricks and mortar funds for the physical care of historic buildings. Counties often maintain budget lines for museums and historical societies, which can help local groups meet match requirements or seed new projects. Federal programs also bring investment for theaters and other landmark structures. Together these sources create a network of support that lets rural communities take on meaningful preservation work without placing the full cost on local budgets.

This matters because preservation is not limited to large cities. Rural communities often have stronger ties to place and buildings that carry the core story of their identity. With Idaho’s tools, any town can identify its most important buildings and landscapes, build knowledge before memory slips away, form honorific districts that strengthen civic pride, guide change through local policy if the community chooses, and secure grants that turn long standing hopes into real projects.

National Register Historic District

A group of buildings or sites listed for their significance. It is honorific and brings recognition and access to federal tax incentives. It does not impose limits on owners.

Local Historic District

A district created through city ordinance. It requires design review for alterations. This is where legal authority and preservation rules live.

Design Review

A process in which proposed changes to buildings in a local district are evaluated for their effect on historic character.

Contributing Property

A building or site inside a district that adds to the district’s historic meaning and reflects the period being recognized.

Mitigation Survey

Survey work funded under a compliance process when a public project may affect historic resources. The goal is to record and evaluate before impact.

CLG Grant

A funding program for Certified Local Governments that supports surveys, nominations, planning, and training.

Preservation Plan

A long range document that sets goals for a town’s preservation work. It guides decisions and trains new commission members.

International Existing Building Code

A building code that offers flexible options for historic buildings so they do not need major alterations to meet safety rules.

Inspector Discretion

The power an inspector has when applying building codes to historic structures. Their choices can shape outcomes more than the code itself.

Honorific Listing

Recognition without regulation. Used for National Register status when no local ordinance is tied to it.

Property Owner Buy In

The requirement for owner approval when forming a National Register district. At least half plus one must support the effort.

Eligible Property

A building or site that meets criteria for local, state, or federal recognition due to its age, design, or history.

Historic Integrity

The visible qualities that express a property’s history. This includes materials, design, setting, and sense of time.

Period of Significance

The span of years when the events or design features that make a place important occurred.

Boundary Study

Testing different district edges to find a shape that contains a strong percentage of eligible buildings.

WPA Era

Refers to buildings or features created under the Works Progress Administration during the New Deal period.

Slip Cover

A later exterior layer, often metal or composite, applied over an older storefront. It hides historic features that may still survive underneath.

Brick and Mortar Grant

Funding used for physical work on historic buildings such as repairs, roof work, and exterior restoration.

County Line Item

A budget category at the county level that may support museums or preservation groups.

In Kind Match

Hours or services used to meet a grant match without cash.

Economic Impact of a District

The way a recognized historic district tends to stabilize or improve downtown business activity, especially during downturns.

Stewardship

Local care for buildings, landscapes, and stories. 

Survey Boundary

The map that outlines which properties are being reviewed for eligibility during a survey project.

Section 106

A federal review process for projects that may affect historic properties. It often leads to documentation and mitigation work.

Eligible District

An area already found by a survey to meet federal criteria. Many small downtowns fall in this category.

Tax Credit Rehabilitation

A federal incentive that refunds part of the cost of repairing a contributing historic building inside a National Register district.

Community Outreach

The work of talking with owners, distributing flyers, and building trust during district formation or planning.

Training Camp

A one day preservation training hosted by the state for small towns.