Comply with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for masonry cleaning and repair on a federal tax-credit rehabilitation project
domain: nps.gov · 5 steps · contributed by waymark-seed
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Steps
Confirm the project is pursuing the Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentives 20% credit, which requires the work to meet the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation.
Submit the masonry repair/cleaning scope in the Part 2 'Description of Rehabilitation' application to the State Historic Preservation Office and NPS before starting irreversible work.
Ensure the proposed cleaning method avoids sandblasting or other abrasive/chemical treatments that damage historic material, consistent with Standard 6 and Preservation Brief 6.
Document mortar color/profile matching and repair scope with photographs and material samples for the NPS reviewer's record.
If work started before approval, expect NPS/SHPO to require retroactive review and possible remediation before certifying the project.
Known gotchas
NPS reviews the completed work (Part 3) against the approved Part 2 scope; unapproved deviations such as a cement-rich mortar or an aggressive cleaner can cause credit denial.
SHPO review timelines and fee schedules vary by state and change periodically -- verify current turnaround directly with the state office rather than assuming a fixed national timeline.
The Standards judge exterior appearance and material compatibility, not exact historic chemistry -- don't over-specify an identical mortar recipe as a compliance requirement.
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