Missouri Historic Preservation Tax Incentives
The Missouri Historic Preservation Tax Credit program is administered by the Missouri Department of Economic Development. The DED reviews applications to ensure that the proposed rehabilitation work qualifies financially for the program, and it scores large-cap projects according to its own criteria. The DED then forwards applications to the SHPO for architectural review. The SHPO reviews all proposed rehabilitation work according to the Secretary of the Interior’s 10 Standards for Rehabilitation – the same Standards that are used when reviewing federal applications. The SHPO then forwards the review to the DED, certifying that the application does or does not meet the Standards. The DED issues the official determination based on the SHPO’s recommendation. Further information about the Missouri HTC program can be found on the DED website.
Who Qualifies?
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- The Missouri Department of Economic Development provides a program summary that outlines eligibility.
- Any Missouri taxpayer is eligible to participate in the Missouri Historic Tax Credit program. Nonprofit entities are also eligible. Government entities are ineligible.
- The property must be either listed individually on the National Register of Historic Places or certified as contributing to either a National Register District or a Certified Local District.
- The costs and expenses associated with the rehabilitation must exceed 50% of the total basis of the property (acquisition cost).
- The rehabilitation must meet the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. Applications are subject to a review by the State Historic Preservation Office. (Note that local historic preservation review boards do not have any review or approval authority for tax credit purposes.)
- Owner-occupied properties may be eligible for the Missouri Historic Preservation Tax Credit Program.
Participants are strongly advised to consult a qualified tax advisor and/or the Missouri Department of Economic Development for help in determining tax and financial implications of participation in this program.
Related Links
Submitting Missouri HTC Projects for Review
Missouri historic preservation tax credits applicants must submit application material through the Submittable online submission program managed by the Department of Economic Development. For assistance providing photos to accompany historic tax credit applications, click here. These historic tax credit application photo instructions are also available through the Department of Economic Development's “HTC - Preliminary Application Checklist” webpage at ded.mo.gov/media/pdf/htc-preliminary-application-checklist (see Page 4, Item 15: Photos). Once the completed application is processed by the DED, the DED will forward the application materials to the SHPO for review.
All applicants to the Missouri Historic Tax Credit program are advised to wait for signed approval from the DED on their proposed scope of work before undertaking any demolition or construction work on the project. Any work performed without signed approval is done at your own risk. If you perform work that does not meet the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards, it can have financial consequences at the end of the project.