Guidelines and Resources for Compliance-Generated
Determinations of Eligibility (DOEs)

Agencies or their representatives should consult with the MHT project review staff prior to completing a DOE form.  Depending on the nature of a project and the needs of the agencies involved, it may be appropriate to evaluate every building in the area of potential effect with either a regular DOE form or a DOE “short form.”  Certain circumstances, such as the evaluation of whole neighborhoods, a complex of resources, or an expansive geographic area may warrant special considerations.  Sometimes it is necessary to reevaluate a resource that was previously determined eligible or ineligible - due to the passage of time, changes to the property’s integrity, new information about the resource, or changing views of significance.   Completion of a DOE form for a property that is already included in the National Register is not warranted since the property is already listed. 

The following guidance applies to most projects and agencies.

• A map and digital photos, but not a DOE form, are needed if the potentially-affected property does not have a MIHP number, is not in a historic district, and is subject to one or more of the National Register Criteria Considerations (e.g. a building that is less than 50 years old), found in Appendix I. 
• A DOE “short form” is generally sufficient if the potentially-affected property has not been evaluated in the past, does not have a MIHP number, is not in a historic district, and is unquestionably ineligible (e.g. a building that has been greatly modified in recent decades and displays very little integrity from any time more than 50 years ago).
•  A complete DOE form is often needed if a property has not been evaluated in the past, has a MIHP number (including all archeological sites), is in a historic district, or appears to have any reasonable possibility of being eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.