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The National Register District and The Local Historic District From a property owner’s viewpoint, there are substantial differences between owning a property listed within a National Register Historic District and one designated as part of a Local Historic District: National Register of Historic Places The National Register is an official Federal list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects significant in American history, architecture, archaeology, engineering, and culture. This is a Federal program administered by the National Park Service through the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Historic Preservation Division. Listing on the National Register: • Recognizes that the resource is important to the history of the local community, the state, or the nation; • Provides limited protection from adverse effects by Federally funded, licensed, or assisted projects; • Allows consideration in planning Federal and Federally assisted projects; • Allows the owners of income-producing properties certain state and federal tax incentives for rehabilitation; and • Is not permitted if the majority of property owners submit notarized objections to the Historic Preservation Division. Local Historic Districts Local Districts are established and administered by Athens-Clarke County and the Athens- Clarke County Historic Preservation Commission. Their purpose is to preserve the unique character of historic buildings and their surroundings, while encouraging new construction to include architectural designs that complement historic buildings. Inclusion in a Local Historic District: • Recognizes the property’s relationship to an area that has distinctive historic character; • Does not restrict routine maintenance of properties such as painting, for example; • Provides for design review of exterior changes by the Athens-Clarke County Historic Preservation Commission through the Certificate of Appropriateness application process; • Requires that a Certificate of Appropriateness be obtained for both demolition of a building or structure and new construction, and • Enables an owner of certified historic properties to be eligible for an eight-year tax freeze on property tax assessment. Georgia Register of Historic Places Properties listed in the National Register of Historic Places are automatically included in the Georgia Register of Historic Places. Listing in the Georgia Register enables the owner to be eligible for an eight-year tax freeze on property tax assessment for certified historic properties that have undergone substantial rehabilitation.