(a) National Historic Landmarks will be considered for withdrawal of designation only at the request of the owner or upon the initiative of the Secretary.

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(b) Four justifications exist for the withdrawal of National Historic Landmark designation:

(1) The property has ceased to meet the criteria for designation because the qualities which caused it to be originally designated have been lost or destroyed, or such qualities were lost subsequent to nomination, but before designation;

(2) Additional information shows conclusively that the property does not possess sufficient significance to meet the National Historic Landmark criteria;

(3) Professional error in the designation; and

(4) Prejudicial procedural error in the designation process.

(c) Properties designated as National Historic Landmarks before December 13, 1980, can be dedesignated only on the grounds established in paragraph (a)(1) of this section.

(d) The owner may appeal to have a property dedesignated by submitting a request for dedesignation and stating the grounds for the appeal as established in subsection (a) to the Chief, History Division, National Park Service, Department of the Interior, Washington, DC 20240. An appellant will receive a response within 60 days as to whether NPS considers the documentation sufficient to initiate a restudy of the landmark.

(e) The Secretary may initiate a restudy of a National Historic Landmark and subsequently a proposal for withdrawal of the landmark designation as appropriate in the same manner as a new designation as specified in § 65.5 (c) through (h). Proposals will not be submitted to the Advisory Board if the grounds for removal are procedural, although the Board will be informed of such proposals.

(f)(1) The property will remain listed in the National Register if the Keeper determines that it meets the National Register criteria for evaluation in 36 CFR 60.4, except if the property is redesignated on procedural grounds.

(2) Any property from which designation is withdrawn because of a procedural error in the designation process shall automatically be considered eligible for inclusion in the National Register as a National Historic Landmark without further action and will be published as such in the Federal Register.

(g)(1) The National Park Service will provide written notice of the withdrawal of a National Historic Landmark designation and the status of the National Register listing, and a copy of the report on which those actions are based to (i) the owner(s); (ii) the appropriate State official; (iii) the chief elected local official; (iv) the Members of Congress who represent the district and State in which the landmark is located; and (v) if the landmark is located on an Indian reservation, the chief executive officer of the Indian tribe. In the case of a landmark with more than 50 owners, the general notice specified in § 65.5(d)(3) will be used.

(2) Notice of withdrawal of designation and related National Register listing and determinations of eligibility will be published periodically in the Federal Register.

(h) Upon withdrawal of a National Historic Landmark designation, NPS will reclaim the certificate and plaque, if any, issued for that landmark.

(i) An owner shall not be considered as having exhausted administrative remedies with respect to dedesignation of a National Historic Landmark until after submitting an appeal and receiving a response from NPS in accord with these procedures.