Don’t wait until it’s too late! Protect historic houses and other resources at the local level before they are threatened. Use the following list to find areas where your community still needs to develop or improve local preservation.

Review the current listings of historic resources in your community.

Step 2

Does your community have a local inventory of historic resources? Share it with our office for inclusion in the statewide inventory. Even if a resource only has a local designation, we still want to add the designation date and status to our data.

Step 3

Identify ways that your community’s cultural and historic resources can (or do) contribute to

• Local community character.
• Quality of life
• Economic growth potential.

Step 4

Evaluate your municipal planning policies and regulations. Do they address the preservation needs of your community to the greatest extent possible?

Step 5

Identify ways to improve your community’s regulatory mechanisms to advance preservation and make the highest and best use of historic resources. These include, but are not limited to,

• Municipal master plan.
• Municipal code and zoning ordinances.
• Planning procedures.

Step 6

Are there significant historic resources in your community that need to be protected through a local historic preservation ordinance?

Step 7

Are there significant historic resources in your community that are at serious risk of loss? If yes, contact Preservation New Jersey. They have an annual “10 Most Endangered Historic Places in New Jersey” list they use to rally support for important character-defining landmarks that teeter on the brink of extinction.

Step 8

Does local government own or act as a steward for historic buildings? Take action to keep these buildings occupied and in good repair.

Step 9

Do you need community-wide consensus about historic preservation actions and priorities? Prepare a historic preservation element for your municipal master plan.

Step 10

Consider participation in the Certified Local Government (CLG) program.