§ 60.15 Removing properties from the National Register. ( a ) Grounds for removing properties from the National Register are as follows: ( 1 ) The property has ceased to meet the criteria for listing in the National Register because the qualities which caused it to be originally listed have been lost or destroyed, or such qualities were lost subsequent to nomination and prior to listing;
( 2 ) Additional information shows that the property does not meet the National Register criteria for evaluation;
( 3 ) Error in professional judgment as to whether the property meets the criteria for evaluation; or
( 4 ) Prejudicial procedural error in the nomination or listing process. Properties removed from the National Register for procedural error shall be reconsidered for listing by the Keeper after correction of the error or errors by the State Historic Preservation Officer, Federal Preservation Officer, person or local government which originally nominated the property, or by the Keeper, as appropriate. The procedures set forth for nominations shall be followed in such reconsiderations. Any property or district removed from the National Register for procedural deficiencies in the nomination and/or listing process shall automatically be considered eligible for inclusion in the National Register without further action and will be published as such in the Federal Register.
( b ) Properties listed in the National Register prior to December 13, 1980, may only be removed from the National Register on the grounds established in paragraph (a)(1) of this section.
( c ) Any person or organization may petition in writing for removal of a property from the National Register by setting forth the reasons the property should be removed on the grounds established in paragraph (a) of this section. With respect to nominations determined eligible for the National Register because the owners of private property object to listing, anyone may petition for reconsideration of whether or not the property meets the criteria for evaluation using these procedures. Petitions for removal are submitted to the Keeper by the State Historic Preservation Officer for State nominations, the Federal Preservation Officer for Federal nominations, and directly to the Keeper from persons or local governments where there is no approved State Historic Preservation Program.
( d ) Petitions submitted by persons or local governments where there is no approved State Historic Preservation Program shall include a list of the owner(s). In such cases the Keeper shall notify the affected owner(s) and the chief elected local official and give them an opportunity to comment. For approved State programs, the State Historic Preservation Officer shall notify the affected owner(s) and chief elected local official and give them an opportunity to comment prior to submitting a petition for removal. The Federal Preservation Officer shall notify and obtain the comments of the appropriate State Historic Preservation Officer prior to forwarding an appeal to NPS. All comments and opinions shall be submitted with the petition.
( e ) The State Historic Preservation Officer or Federal Preservation Officer shall respond in writing within 45 days of receipt to petitions for removal of property from the National Register. The response shall advise the petitioner of the State Historic Preservation Officer's or Federal Preservation Officer's views on the petition.
( f ) A petitioner desiring to pursue his removal request must notify the State Historic Preservation Officer or the Federal Preservation Officer in writing within 45 days of receipt of the written views on the petition.
( g ) The State Historic Preservation Officer may elect to have a property considered for removal according to the State's nomination procedures unless the petition is on procedural grounds and shall schedule it for consideration by the State Review Board as quickly as all notification requirements can be completed following procedures outlined in § 60.6, or the State Historic Preservation Officer may elect to forward the petition for removal to the Keeper with his or her comments without State Review Board consideration.
( h ) Within 15 days after receipt of the petitioner's notification of intent to pursue his removal request, the State Historic Preservation Officer shall notify the petitioner in writing either that the State Review Board will consider the petition on a specified date or that the petition will be forwarded to the Keeper after notification requirements have been completed. The State Historic Preservation Officer shall forward the petitions to the Keeper for review within 15 days after notification requirements or Review Board consideration, if applicable, have been completed.
( i ) Within 15 days after receipt of the petitioner notification of intent to pursue his petition, the Federal Preservation Officer shall forward the petition with his or her comments and those of the State Historic Preservation Officer to the Keeper.
( j ) The Keeper shall respond to a petition for removal within 45 days of receipt, except where the Keeper must notify the owners and the chief elected local official. In such cases the Keeper shall respond within 90 days of receipt. The Keeper shall notify the petitioner and the applicable State Historic Preservation Officer, Federal Preservation Officer, or person or local government where there is no approved State Historic Preservation Program, of his decision. The State Historic Preservation Officer or Federal Preservation Officer transmitting the petition shall notify the petitioner, the owner(s), and the chief elected local official in writing of the decision. The Keeper will provide such notice for petitions from persons or local governments where there is no approved State Historic Preservation Program. The general notice may be used for properties with more than 50 owners. If the general notice is used it shall be published in one or more newspapers with general circulation in the area of the nomination.
( k ) The Keeper may remove a property from the National Register on his own motion on the grounds established in paragraph (a) of this section, except for those properties listed in the National Register prior to December 13, 1980, which may only be removed from the National Register on the grounds established in paragraph (a)(1) of this section. In such cases, the Keeper will notify the nominating authority, the affected owner(s) and the applicable chief elected local official and provide them an opportunity to comment. Upon removal, the Keeper will notify the nominating authority of the basis for the removal. The State Historic Preservation Officer, Federal Preservation Officer, or person or local government which nominated the property shall notify the owner(s) and the chief elected local official of the removal.
( l ) No person shall be considered to have exhausted administrative remedies with respect to removal of a property from the National Register until the Keeper has denied a petition for removal pursuant to this section.