Historic Preservation Tax Credits

As of August 15, 2023, all federal Historic Preservation Certification Applications must be submitted electronically. This includes new applications submitted to State Historic Preservation Offices (SHPOs) and materials submitted to the National Park Service in response to requests for additional information. This does not affect the application procedure for the Michigan Historic Preservation Tax Credit.

Virtual Trainings and other important submittal information is available at this SHPO link. For details and additional information, explore Announcing HPCA Electronic Submission.

Historic Preservation Tax Credits

Historic buildings are tangible links with the past. They help give a community a sense of identity, stability and orientation. The federal and state governments encourage the preservation of historic buildings through various programs, including federal and state income tax incentives to support the rehabilitation of historic buildings.

While the requirements and materials needed to apply for each tax credit program are similar, the federal and state tax credit programs utilize two entirely separate and distinct applications and processes. Qualifying for one program does not guarantee automatic qualification for the other.

Click the appropriate box below to learn more about Historic Preservation Tax Credit programs.

Federal Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits

Federal Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits are offered by the National Park Service - Technical Preservation Services, but coordinated through each state's State Historic Preservation Office. The tax credit is only available to properties that will be used for a business or other income-producing purpose, and a "substantial" amount must be spent rehabilitating the historic building. Note that federal application forms dated February 26, 2021 will only be accepted through August 14, 2023. All applications submitted on or after August 15, 2023 must utilize new electric application submission. Learn more at this link.

State Historic Preservation Tax Credits

As we work to recover and revitalize Michigan communities, Public Act 343 of 2020 was signed into law by Governor Whitmer on December 30, 2020 and established the new State Historic Tax Credit program. The State Historic Preservation Tax Credit (“State Credit”) will help support place-based projects while promoting the preservation of Michigan’s historic resources.

The following general requirements apply for State Historic Tax Credit consideration:

A property must be listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the State Register of Historic Sites, or be in a local historic district, and either be individually listed or contribute to a listed district in order to be eligible for the State Credit.
Credit reservations will be awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis.
A three-part application process is used to apply for the State Credit. It is similar to the parts used for the Federal Historic Rehbilitation Tax Credit, but is a completely independent and separate application.

December 1, 2023 Update: The 2023 application round is now closed, and no new applications will be accepted. Applications for the Owner-Occupied and Small Commercial Credits will be re-opened on January 2, 2024. Due to overwhelming demand, the Large Commercial credits have filled a priority list for the allocation of 2024 tax credits. Therefore, the Large Commercial Tax Credit application will not be offered in 2024.

Tax Credit Programs and Applications

To learn more about each tax credit program, select the appropriate link below

State Credit: Commercial

I am interested in State Historic Tax Credits for Commercial Properties.

State Credit: Residential

I am interested in State Historic Tax Credits for Residential Properties.

Federal Tax Credit

I am interested in the Federal Historic Tax Credit Program.

Combined Credits

I am interested in Combined State and Federal Historic Tax Credits.