The Antiquities Act of 1906 (16 USC 431-433) was the first law to provide general legal protection of cultural and natural resources of historic or scientific interest on federal lands. In 2014, the Antiquities Act was recodified pursuant to P.L. 113-287 at 54 U.S.C. §§320301-320303.
Archaeological and Historic Preservation Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 469-469c) addresses the preservation of historical and archeological data that might otherwise be lost or destroyed through federally funded or licensed activities or programs.
Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentives: Tax Reform Act of 1976 (94-455), IRS Tax Reform Act of 1986 (PL 99-514), and Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (PL 115-97)
Historic Sites Act of 1935 (16 U.S.C. 461-467) established that “it is a national policy to preserve for public use historic sites, buildings and objects of national significance for the inspiration and benefit of the people of the United States.” The Act led to a major expansion of the National Park Service’s role in historic preservation.
The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 USC 4321 et seq.) requires the Federal Government to carry out its plans and programs in such a way as to preserve important historic, cultural, and natural aspects of our national heritage because when these resources are lost, they cannot be replaced.
The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended (54 U.S.C. 300101 et seq.) is the nation’s primary historic preservation law. This Act moved historic preservation from public activism to a national responsibility. It is what allows SHPO to honor our historic places, fund their preservation, and protect them from undue harm on a national level. It created the SHPO office, the National Register of Historic Places, Certified Local Governments, Tribal Historic Preservation Offices, and the implementing regulations of Section 106 and Section 110, and authorized grant monies for preservation projects.
Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990 (25 USC 3001 et seq.) provides for the protection and return of Native American human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony.