NHLPA: Application and Selection

The National Historic Lighthouse Act of 2000 (NHLPA) provides a way for federally-owned historic light stations no longer needed by their federal agencies to be turned over to and managed by new stewards.

Eligible entities may acquire an historic light station at no-cost through the competitive NHLPA application process administered by the National Park Service's (NPS) NHLPA Program. If no new steward is identified for an available light station, the General Services Administration (GSA) is authorized to conduct a public sale of the property.

For information on how to apply for available NHLPA light stations, please see the sections below.


Who Can Apply? What Are the Criteria?

Please see our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page for answers to these and other questions.

NHLPA Application and Selection Process Flowchart

Notice of Availability and Letter of Interest

When a federal agency determines an historic light station to be excess to its needs, the GSA issues a Notice of Availability (NOA) for the property. Within sixty (60) days of when the NOA is issued, any qualified eligible entity with an interest in acquiring the light station must:

  1. Submit a Letter of Interest to GSA and
  2. Submit a copy of the Letter of Interest to the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) of the state where the light station is located.

Letters of interest must include:

  • Name of the light station property
  • Name of the eligible entity
  • Point of Contact name, title, address, and phone number(s). Also emails of both the Point of Contact and, if different, the eligible entity
  • Nonprofit corporations, educational agencies, and community development organizations must also provide a copy of their state-certified articles of incorporation

Note: Contact information for submitting a Letter of Interest can be found in an historic light station's Notice of Availability (NOA).

After receiving Letters of Interest, GSA forwards a list of qualified interested parties to the National Park Service.

Application Process

The National Park Service will send an NHLPA application to all quailified interested parties forwarded by GSA.

Site Visit

After forwarding interested parties to the NPS, GSA will schedule a site visit for potential applicants in coordination with the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and NPS. The date of the site visit is set by GSA and the USCG. During a site visit an interested party is given an opportunity to inspect the light station.

Application

Once a site visit is finished, interested parties may send a completed application to the NPS NHLPA contact in the region in which the light station is located. A completed application must be submitted to the NPS within ninety (90) days of the site visit.

Joint application

Two or more potential applicants may submit a joint application. The joint application must:

  • Clearly define the roles and responsibilities of each party and
  • Designate one potential applicant as the lead entity

Light Station with an historic Fresnel lens

For light stations with historic Fresnel lenses, a separate Historic Fresnel Lens Treatment Plan must be completed and included as an addendum to the application.

Review and Selection

NHLPA applications are reviewed by the NPS NHLPA Review Committee which evaluates the applications for:

In addition, the SHPO of the state in which the light station is located is sent copies of all applications and asked to provide comments.

The NPS Review Committee evaluates and scores all completed applications. At the end of the review process, the committee submits a recommendation to the Director of the National Park Service, who then makes a recommendation to the Secretary of the Interior.

Multiple Applications for one Light Station

In cases where there are multiple applications for a single light station, one application will be chosen. Applicants whose applications were rejected may request a review of the evaluation and recommendation from the NPS NHLPA Program.

Transfer of Light Stations

After the Secretary of the Interior notifies the Administrator of GSA of their recommendation, GSA completes the transfer of the light station to the selected applicant. If no applications are received by the end of the NHLPA application process or the Review Committee doesn't make a recommendation, GSA offers the historic light station for sale by competitive bid or auction at GSA Auctions.

To sign up to receive electronic updates for the GSA NHLPA program, please visit GSA 's NHLPA website.

Last updated: September 30, 2024

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