(a)

1. (1) The standards for rehabilitation cited herein are the criteria used to determine if a rehabilitation project qualifies as a certified rehabilitation.
2. (2) The intent of the standards is to assist the long-term preservation of a property's significance through the preservation of historic materials and features.

3. (3) The standards:

   1. (A) Pertain to historic buildings of all:

(i) Materials;

1. (ii) Construction types;

   1. (iii) Sizes; and

      1. (iv) Occupancy;
   2. (B) Encompass the exterior and the interior of historic buildings; and
   3. (C) Encompass related landscape features and the building's site and environment, as well as attached, adjacent, or related new construction.
2. (4) To be certified, a rehabilitation project must be determined by the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program to be consistent with the historic character of the structure or structures and, where applicable, the district in which it is located.

(b) The following standards are to be applied to specific rehabilitation projects in a reasonable manner, taking into consideration economic and technical feasibility:

1. (1) A property shall be used for its historic purpose or be placed in a new use that requires minimal change to the defining characteristics of the building and its site and environment;

2. (2)

   1. (A) The historic character of a property shall be retained and preserved.
   2. (B) The removal of historic materials or alteration of features and spaces that characterize a property shall be avoided;

3. (3)

   1. (A) Each property shall be recognized as a physical record of its time, place, and use.
   2. (B) Changes that create a false sense of historical development, such as adding conjectural features or architectural elements from other buildings, shall not be undertaken;

4. (4)

   1. (A) Most properties change over time.
   2. (B) Those changes that have acquired historic significance in their own right shall be retained and preserved;
5. (5) Distinctive features, finishes, and construction techniques or examples of craftsmanship that characterize a historic property shall be preserved;

6. (6)

   1. (A) Deteriorated historic features shall be repaired rather than replaced.

   2. (B) Where the severity of deterioration requires replacement of a distinctive feature, the new feature shall match the old in:

      1. (i) Design;
      2. (ii) Color;
      3. (iii) Texture; and
      4. (iv) Other visual qualities and, where possible, materials.
   3. (C) Replacement of missing features shall be substantiated by documentary, physical, or pictorial evidence;

7. (7)

   1. (A) Chemical or physical treatments, such as sandblasting, that cause damage to historic materials shall not be used.
   2. (B) The surface cleaning of structures, if appropriate, shall be undertaken using the gentlest means possible;

8. (8)

   1. (A) Significant archeological resources affected by a project shall be protected and preserved.
   2. (B) If such resources must be disturbed, mitigation measures shall be undertaken;

9. (9)

   1. (A) New additions, exterior alterations, or related new construction shall not destroy historic materials that characterize the property.

   2. (B) The new work shall be:

      1. (i) Differentiated from the old work; and
      2. (ii) Compatible with the massing, size, scale, and architectural features to protect the historic integrity of the property and its environment; and

10. (10) New additions and adjacent or related new construction shall be undertaken in such a manner that if removed in the future the essential form and integrity of the historic property and its environment would be unimpaired.

    1. (c)
11. (1) The quality of materials and craftsmanship used in a rehabilitation project must be commensurate with the quality of materials and craftsmanship of the historic building in question.
12. (2) Certain treatments, if improperly applied, or certain materials, by their physical properties, may cause or accelerate physical deterioration of historic buildings.

13. (3) Inappropriate physical treatments include, but are not limited to, improper:

    1. (A) Repointing techniques;
    2. (B) Exterior masonry cleaning methods; or
    3. (C) Introduction of insulation where damage to historic fabric would result.
14. (4) In almost all situations, use of these materials and treatments will result in denial of a certification of completion.
15. (5) Similarly, exterior additions that duplicate the form, material, and detailing of the structure to the extent that they compromise the historic character of the structure will result in denial.
16. (6) For further information on appropriate and inappropriate rehabilitation treatments, owners are to consult the Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings published by the National Park Service (see https://www.nps.gov/tps/standards/rehabilitation/rehab/guide.htm).
17. (7) Technical information to help property owners formulate plans for the rehabilitation, preservation, and continued use of historic properties consistent with the intent of the United States Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties with Guidelines for Preserving, Rehabilitating, Restoring, and Reconstructing Historic Buildings is available from the program.

18. (8) Owners are responsible for procuring this material as part of planning for a rehabilitation project.

    1. (d)
19. (1) In certain limited cases, it may be necessary to dismantle and rebuild portions of an eligible property to stabilize and repair weakened structural members and systems.

20. (2) In such cases, the program will consider such extreme intervention if:

    1. (A) The necessity for dismantling is justified in supporting documentation;
    2. (B) Significant architectural features and overall design are retained; and

    3. (C)

       1. (i) Adequate historic materials are retained to maintain the architectural and historic integrity of the overall structure.
       2. (ii) Owners are cautioned that the standards for rehabilitation require retention of distinguishing historic materials of external and internal walls as well as structural systems.
       3. (iii) In limited instances, rehabilitations involving removal of existing external walls (i.e., external walls that detract from the historic character of the structure such as in the case of a nonsignificant later addition or walls that have lost their structural integrity due to deterioration) may be certified as meeting the Secretary's Standards.

(e)

1. (1) Prior approval of a project by other state, federal, or local agencies or organizations does not ensure certification by the program for tax purposes.
2. (2) The Secretary's Standards take precedence over other regulations and codes in determining whether the rehabilitation project is consistent with the historic character of the property and, where applicable, the district in which it is located.

(f)

1. (1) The qualities of a structure and its environment that qualify it as an eligible property are determined taking into account all available information, including information derived from the physical and architectural attributes of the building.
2. (2) Such determinations are not limited to information contained in National Register of Historic Places or related documentation.