Historic Preservation Abbreviations You Should Know

Every field has its own acronyms and abbreviations that professionals are expected to know, and historic preservation is no exception. It can be daunting as a recently employed young professional or as a student speaking to potential employers if not all of these combinations of letters are familiar to you.

Below, we have compiled a list of abbreviations that every preservation professional should know – and I’m sure there are more that I have missed. If you’ve got some to add, register here to comment on this post.

Groups + Certifications:

ACHP – Advisory Council on Historic Preservation

AIA – American Institute of Architects

AIC – American Institute for Conservation of Historic + Artistic Works

AICP – American Institute of Certified Planners

APA – American Planning Association

APT – Association for Preservation Technology International

36 CFR 61 – Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualification Standards for Archeology and Historic Preservation

CLG – Certified Local Government

DOCOMOMO – International Committee for Documentation and Conservation of Buildings, Sites and Neighborhoods of the Modern Movement

EDRA – Environmental Design Research Association

FAIA – College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects

ICOMOS – International Council on Monuments and Sites

IDP – Intern Development Program (for Architects)

NCARB – National Council of Architectural Registration Boards

NCPE – National Council for Preservation Education

NCPH – National Council on Public History

NCPTT – National Center for Preservation Technology and Training

NCSHPO – National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers

NPS – National Park Service

NTHP – National Trust for Historic Preservation

PTN – Preservation Trades Network

RPA – Register of Professional Archaeologists

SAH – Society of Architectural Historians

SHA – Society for Historical Archaeology

SHPO (ship-oh) – State Historic Preservation Office

THPO (tip-oh or thip-oh) – Tribal Historic Preservation Office

USGBC – United States Green Building Council

VAF – Vernacular Architecture Forum

Laws, Processes + Projects:

ARB, BAR – Architectural Review Board, Board of Architectural Review

CRGIS – Cultural Resources Geographical Information System Facility

CRM – Cultural Resources Management

DoE – Determination of Eligibility

HABS – Historic American Buildings Survey

HAER – Historic American Engineering Record

HALS – Historic American Landscapes Survey

HRS – Historic Resources Survey

HSR – Historic Structure Report

HTC – Historic Tax Credit

LEED – Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design

MEP – Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing

MLS – Master’s in Library Science

MoA/MoU – Memorandum of Agreement; Memorandum of Understanding

MPDF – Multiple Property Documentation Form

MSHP, MAHP, MHP – Master’s in Historic Preservation

NAGPRA – Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act

NEPA (nee-puh) – National Environmental Policy Act

• EIS – Environmental Impact Statement
• EA – Environmental Assessment
• FONSI (fon-zee) – Finding of No Significant Impact

NHL – National Historic Landmark

NHPA (Section 106) – National Historic Preservation Act

NRHP, NR – National Register of Historic Places

NRN – National Register Nomination

RFP, RFQ – Request for Proposals, Request for Qualifications

SOI – Secretary of the Interior (Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties)