Chapter 44

44.34(3) (3) Maintain, publish and disseminate the national and state registers of historic places in Wisconsin and lists or descriptions of properties in the national and state registers of historic places in Wisconsin which may be of interest to the general public.

44.34(4) (4) Serve as the state’s principal agency for administration of historic preservation activities and programs of the federal government and maintain the state’s eligibility to participate in the programs.

44.34(5) (5) Prepare the state preservation plan and annually review it.

44.34(6) (6) Undertake a program of technical assistance to localities and private parties in furtherance of local and private historic preservation programs.

44.34(7) (7) Administer and distribute grants-in-aid using federal funds in furtherance of preservation and restoration of historic properties in accordance with federal law and regulations of the federal government.

44.34(8) (8) Cooperate with federal, state, and local government agencies in the planning and conduct of specific undertakings affecting historic properties and preservation objectives, and in overall land use planning.

44.34(9) (9) Cooperate with local landmarks commissions and historical societies in coordinating their activities with the state plan and programs for historic preservation.

44.34(10) (10) Review and comment upon those actions of any state agency or political subdivision which may have an adverse effect upon historic properties and ameliorate the adverse effects, if any, in the manner specified in ss. 44.39 to 44.42.

44.34(11) (11) Certify historic preservation ordinances.

44.34(12) (12) Prepare and distribute to all cities, villages and counties, no later than January 1, 1992, a model historic preservation ordinance.

44.34 History History: 1987 a. 395 s. 30; 1989 a. 290; 1991 a. 39; 1999 a. 9; 2001 a. 16.

44.36 44.36 State register of historic places.

44.36(1) (1) State register. The state historical society shall maintain, publish and disseminate the state register of historic places.

44.36(2) (2) Criteria of significance.

44.36(2)(a) (a) The state register of historic places shall include districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects which are significant in national, state or local history, architecture, archaeology, engineering and culture. The quality of significance is present in districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects that possess integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling and association and that satisfy any of the following conditions:

44.36(2)(a)1. 1. Association with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of history.

44.36(2)(a)2. 2. Association with the lives of persons significant in the past.

44.36(2)(a)3. 3. Embodiment of the distinctive characteristics of a type, period or method of construction or that represent the work of a master or that possess high artistic values.

44.36(2)(a)4. 4. Representation of a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction.

44.36(2)(a)5. 5. Yielding, or likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history.

44.36(2)(b) (b) No cemetery, birthplace or grave of a historical figure, property owned by a religious institution or used for religious purposes, reconstructed historic building, property primarily commemorative in nature or property that has achieved significance within the past 50 years may be considered eligible for the state register of historic places unless it is an integral part of a district that meets the criteria of significance under par. (a) or unless it falls within at least one of the following categories:

44.36(2)(b)1. 1. A religious property deriving primary significance from architectural or artistic distinction or historical importance.

44.36(2)(b)2. 2. A birthplace or grave of a historical figure of outstanding importance if there is no appropriate site or building directly associated with his or her productive life in the vicinity of that birthplace or grave.

44.36(2)(b)3. 3. A cemetery which derives its primary significance from the grave of a person of transcendent importance, age, distinctive design features or association with historic events.

44.36(2)(b)4. 4. A reconstructed building when accurately executed in a suitable environment and presented in a dignified manner as part of a restoration master plan and when no other building or structure with the same association has survived.

44.36(2)(b)5. 5. A property primarily commemorative in intent if design, age, tradition or symbolic value has invested it with its own exceptional significance.

44.36(2)(b)6. 6. A property achieving significance within the past 50 years if it is of exceptional importance.

44.36(3) (3) Procedures. The state historical society shall promulgate by rule procedures for nominations to and removals from the state register of historic places. The procedures shall be consistent with and, to the extent possible, shall be coordinated with the procedures for nominations to and removals from the national register of historic places maintained by the U.S. department of the interior. The rules shall include standards for documenting nominations to the state register.

44.36(4) (4) Nominations.

44.36(4)(a) (a) Any person may nominate a district, site, building, structure or object to the state register of historic places.

44.36(4)(b) (b) The state historical society may reject any nomination which is not adequately documented.

44.36(4)(c) (c) A nomination to the state register of historic places does not constitute a nomination to the national register of historic places.

44.36(5) (5) State register of historic places.

44.36(5)(a) (a) The state historical society shall include in the state register of historic places:

44.36(5)(a)1. 1. Any property listed in the national register of historic places in Wisconsin on January 1, 1989.

44.36(5)(a)2. 2. Any property nominated and approved under this section.

44.36(5)(a)3. 3. Any property nominated under this section if the nomination is accompanied by a request for interim listing and the officer determines, based on evidence submitted with the nomination, that the state review board is reasonably likely to approve the nomination under s. 44.33 (1). An interim listing under this subdivision expires on the first day of the 12th month after it is first included in the state register of historic places and is not renewable.

44.36(5)(b) (b) The list of properties in the state register of historic places is not a rule under s. 227.01 (13). The state historical society shall publish the list of properties on the state register of historic places in the Wisconsin administrative code as an appendix to the rules promulgated under this section.

44.36 History History: 1987 a. 395.

44.39 44.39 State agency cooperation.

44.39(1) (1) Lead agency. The state historical society shall serve as the central unit of state government to coordinate the activities of all state agencies in connection with historic properties, to serve as the repository of information concerning historic properties owned or leased by the state, to collect and disseminate to state agencies information concerning appropriate means for managing and improving historic properties and to take any other action necessary to implement this section and ss. 44.40 and 44.41.

44.39(2) (2) Identification of affected state agencies. The state historical society shall identify every state agency which has any power or duty under s. 44.40 or 44.41 and shall notify each identified state agency of its powers and duties.

44.39(3) (3) Appointment of state agency historic preservation officer; duties. Every state agency notified under sub. (2) shall appoint one of its employees or officers, who has authority in the agency to affect the management of that agency’s resources and to directly influence that agency’s decision making, to serve as that agency’s historic preservation officer. That state agency historic preservation officer shall coordinate all functions of that state agency related to historic properties and shall serve as the liaison between that state agency and the state historical society.

44.39(4) (4) Cooperation. All state agencies shall cooperate with each other and with the state historical society to achieve the objectives of ss. 44.39 to 44.41.

44.39(5) (5) Waiver of compliance.

44.39(5)(a) (a) If the department of health services or the department of corrections determines that public safety may be jeopardized by compliance with any requirement of this section or s. 44.40 or 44.41, the department may request a waiver of compliance from the building commission. The building commission may grant the waiver of compliance.

44.39(5)(b) (b) If a waiver of compliance is granted by the building commission under par. (a), the applicable agency shall notify the officer of any proposed action to be taken under the waiver that may affect a historic property. The officer shall be notified at least 30 days before the proposed action is taken and, during the period before the proposed action is taken, the applicable agency shall allow the historical society to document the condition of the historic property.

44.39 History History: 1987 a. 395; 1989 a. 31; 1995 a. 27 ss. 1993j, 9126 (19); 2007 a. 20 s. 9121 (6) (a).

44.40 44.40 State agency decisions; negotiation.

44.40(1) (1) Each state agency shall consider whether any proposed action of the state agency will affect any historic property that is a listed property, on the inventory or on the list of locally designated historic places under s. 44.45. If the state agency determines that its proposed action will affect any historic property, it shall notify the officer.

44.40(1m) (1m) The historical society and a state agency notified under s. 44.39 (2) jointly shall identify actions of the state agency that may cause or permit an adverse effect on historic property including, but not limited to, any state agency action that involves the exercise of state agency authority in the issuance of a permit, license, authorization, variance or exception or in any grant of financial assistance and any state agency action related to property owned by the state agency or related to its long-range planning and facilities development.

44.40(2) (2) 

44.40(2)(a) (a) Upon receipt of a notice under sub. (1) the officer shall determine whether the proposed action will have an adverse effect upon a historic property that is any of the following:

44.40(2)(a)1. 1. A listed property.

44.40(2)(a)2. 2. On the inventory.

44.40(2)(a)3. 3. On the list of locally designated historic places under s. 44.45.

44.40(2)(b) (b) The officer shall make the determination under par. (a) within 30 days of receipt of the notice under sub. (1) or notify the state agency that an extension of time, not to exceed 30 days, is necessary to make the determination. If the officer notifies the state agency of an extension, he or she shall include in the notice the reasons for the extension.

44.40(3) (3) If the officer determines under sub. (2) that the proposed action will have an adverse effect on the historic property, the officer may require negotiations with the state agency to reduce such effects. If the negotiations result in an agreement as to the means of reducing such effects, the agreement shall be incorporated into the state agency’s proposed action. The officer shall prepare a written report on the effects and the status of all negotiations. The officer shall submit the report to the governor and to the chief clerk of each house of the legislature for distribution to the appropriate standing committees under s. 13.172 (3).

44.40(4) (4) A state agency may deny or impose conditions on a permit, license, authorization, variance, exception or award of financial assistance identified under sub. (1m) in order to reduce any adverse effect on historic property.

44.40(5) (5) This section does not apply to any state agency action which is subject to 16 USC 461 to 470mm.

44.40 History History: 1989 a. 31.

44.41 44.41 Protection and use of state agency property.

44.41(1) (1) Long-range plans. Each state agency which owns listed property shall develop a long-range plan for the management, preservation and improvement of that property. The state agency shall develop the long-range plan as part of the long-range public building program under s. 13.48. The long-range plan shall, to the greatest possible extent, result in preservation of that property.

44.41(2) (2) Use of listed property. Before purchasing or constructing a building which is not a listed property, each state agency shall consider using a building which is listed property. A state agency shall use such a building to the maximum extent feasible if the building is appropriate for or can be adapted to meet the needs of the state agency, can be acquired and occupied at a cost which is within the budget of the state agency, is at an appropriate location and meets other requirements of the state agency.

44.41(3) (3) Protection of listed property. If a state agency transfers or sells any listed property, it shall reserve a conservation easement under s. 700.40, to be transferred to and held by the state historical society, which secures the right of the historical society to preserve and maintain that property. The state historical society shall establish a form for that conservation easement and provide copies of that form to every state agency.

44.41 History History: 1987 a. 395; 1989 a. 56.

44.42 44.42 Negotiations with political subdivisions and school boards.

44.42(1) (1) Upon receipt of a notice from a political subdivision under s. 66.1111 (4) or a school board under s. 120.12 (21) concerning a proposed action affecting a historic property, the officer shall determine whether the action would have an adverse effect upon a historic property which is:

44.42(1)(a) (a) A listed property.

44.42(1)(b) (b) On the list of locally designated historic places under s. 44.45.

44.42(2) (2) The officer shall, within 30 days of receipt of the notice under s. 66.1111 (4) or 120.12 (21), reach a determination under sub. (1) or notify the political subdivision or school board in writing that an extension of time, not to exceed 30 additional days, will be required to make adequate determinations and the reasons for requiring the extension. If the officer determines that the proposed action which is the subject of that notice will have an adverse effect on the property which would be subject to that action, the officer may require negotiations with the political subdivision or school board proposing such action in an attempt to reduce such effects. If the negotiations result in an agreement as to the means of reducing such effects, that agreement shall be incorporated into the proposed action of the political subdivision or school board. The officer shall prepare a written report on the effects and the status of all negotiations. The officer shall submit the report to the governor and to the chief clerk of each house of the legislature for distribution to the appropriate standing committees under s. 13.172 (3).

44.42 History History: 1987 a. 395; 1989 a. 31; 1991 a. 39; 1999 a. 150 s. 672.

44.44 44.44 Certification of historic preservation ordinances.

44.44(1) (1) The state historical society shall certify a historic preservation ordinance if the ordinance does all of the following:

44.44(1)(a) (a) Contains criteria for the designation, on the register of a political subdivision, of historic structures and historic districts which are substantially similar to the criteria for inclusion in the national register of historic places in Wisconsin.

44.44(1)(b) (b) Provides a procedure for the designation of historic structures or historic districts which includes, at a minimum, a nomination process, public notice of nominations and an opportunity for written and oral public comment on nominations.

44.44(1)(c) (c) Provides for the exercise of control by a political subdivision by ordinance, to achieve the purpose of preserving and rehabilitating historic structures and historic districts.

44.44(1)(d) (d) Creates a historic preservation commission in the political subdivision.

44.44(2) (2) The owner of a building designated as a historic building on the register of historic property of a political subdivision shall provide any information or materials regarding the ordinance which are requested by the state historical society in determining whether to certify the ordinance.

44.44 History History: 1987 a. 395 s. 32.

44.45 44.45 List of locally designated historic places.

44.45(1) (1) Definition. In this section, “list” means the list of locally designated historic places under sub. (2).

44.45(2) (2) Publication of list. The state historical society shall maintain, publish and disseminate a list of locally designated historic places. The list may include any listed property.

44.45(3) (3) Contents of list. If a political subdivision has a historic preservation ordinance which is certified under s. 44.44, that political subdivision may submit to the state historical society information on any historic place which it has designated. If the process for designating that place complies with that ordinance, the state historical society shall include that place on the list.

44.45(4) (4) Promulgation of list.

44.45(4)(a) (a) The state historical society shall establish the form on which a political subdivision submits information under sub. (3).

44.45(4)(b) (b) The list is not a rule under s. 227.01 (13). The state historical society shall publish the list as an appendix to the rules promulgated under s. 44.36.

44.45(4)(c) (c) The state historical society shall update the list as necessary to add additional locally designated historic places to the list or to delete designations which do not meet the requirements of this section.

44.45 History History: 1987 a. 395; 2007 a. 97.