The goal of the Salt Lake City Historical Markers Pilot Program is to commemorate and preserve significant historical events, people, places, or structures within Salt Lake City. Additionally, the program aims to raise public awareness about local history, promote appreciation for cultural heritage, and foster a sense of community pride.

We’ll evaluate the pilot program and determine its future administration based on continued funding and the success of the pilot program.

If the program continues, requesters will need to reapply during the applicable cycle. This is to encourage ongoing participation from local stakeholders and ensure that the markers reflect the evolving interests and perspectives of the community.

A historical marker is a physical sign or plaque erected at a specific location to commemorate a significant historical event, person, or place. It is primarily informative, providing brief information about the historical significance of the site.

A historical landmark or monument is a physical structure or area that holds cultural, historical, architectural, or archaeological significance. A landmark or monument often serves as a tangible symbol or memorial of historical importance. While they each preserve and celebrate history, they serve different functions and levels of recognition within the cultural landscape.

Currently, there is no citywide, statewide, or national repository system for historical markers. Further, each organization with existing historical marker programs track markers using different methods and systems.

• Click here to learn about Salt Lake City’s current historic preservation efforts, processes and Historic Landmark Commission.
• Click here to learn about the Utah Historical Society’s database for historical markers and monuments.
• Click here to see the Utah State Historic Preservation Office’s Historic Utah Buildings Web Viewer.
• Click here to see the Daughters of Utah Pioneers Historical Markers repository.

Sponsoring organizations that operate within Salt Lake City boundaries can submit a request. This includes:

• Businesses
• Nonprofits
• Chambers of Commerce
• Community Centers
• Community Councils

The Salt Lake City Historical Marker Request Form will prompt requesters to provide:

• Supporting documentation
• Contact information
• Details about the historical markers
• Type of marker: event, person, structure or site
• Location
• Historical relevance
• Represented community

Sponsoring organizations may include their preferred wording and content for the desired historical marker. In this case, the wording or content should:

• Accurately represent the historical event, person, structure or site being commemorated;
• Be clear, concise and understandable to a general audience;
• Avoid complex language, jargon, or tangential information; and
• Strive to present information in an impartial manner, avoiding biased or controversial language.

NOTE: The final historical marker plaque wording/content will be determined by the Salt Lake City Mayor’s Office of Access & Belonging, in collaboration with the internal review committee – composed of local expert historians and program stakeholders.

The Salt Lake City Mayor’s Office of Access & Belonging, with support from the Human Rights Commission, will determine what historical markers are approved. 

To determine final awardees, submissions will be assessed on the following criterion:

1. Complete Form Submission: The requestor must be a Salt Lake City sponsoring organization and the form must be complete upon submission. 

2. Historical Significance: The event, person, or place being commemorated should have significant historical importance to Salt Lake City and should represent a meaningful aspect of our city’s local history, culture, or heritage. 

3. Accuracy and Authenticity: The information provided in the application should be well-researched and accurate with appropriate supporting documentation and credible sources. 

4. Documentation and Evidence: The supporting documentation and evidence should bolster the application’s credibility. This may include historical documents, photographs, maps, newspaper articles, oral histories, and other primary sources that help to substantiate the significance of the subject being commemorated. 

5. Relevance: The historical marker should resonate with Salt Lake City residents and communities and should make a clear connection to current issues and/or themes that are important to the local community. 

6. Accessibility: The submission demonstrates physical (location, pathways, surface, elevation, and reach), cognitive (simple and clear language), and technology (web compatibility, if applicable) accessibility considerations. Click here for a detailed explanation of these accessibility considerations.

7. Community Support: There should be clear support from local community and stakeholders, such as historical societies, local government officials, community organizations, businesses, and residents for the proposed marker.  
   
8. Long-Term Maintenance: The requestor demonstrates consideration for long-term maintenance of the marker. 
   
9. Access & Belonging: The submission exhibits a strong commitment to promoting access and belonging within the community. 
   
10. Preservation of Salt Lake City History: The submission demonstrates a strong commitment to preserving and protecting the historical integrity of the city’s people, landmarks, buildings, sites, and cultural heritage. 
    
11. Commemorates Under-Told Salt Lake City History: The submission commemorates Salt Lake City under-told history. [NOTE: “Under-told history” refers to historical narratives, events, experiences, and perspectives that have been overlooked, marginalized, or neglected in mainstream historical accounts. These are often stories of groups or individuals whose contributions, struggles, achievements, or perspectives have been underrepresented or ignored in traditional historical discourse.]

After the historical marker is approved, the Salt Lake City Mayor’s Office of Access & Belonging will work to review and vet the historical event, person, structure or site; finalize information to be included on the historical marker plaque; purchase the plaque; and coordinate placement of the plaque. The timeline of these events is undetermined, but we will update the awardee on anticipated timeframes throughout the process.

The design of the Salt Lake City historical marker will be determined by the Salt Lake City Mayor’s Office of Access & Belonging. 

Yes, there will be an opportunity for public comment at the Salt Lake City Human Rights Commission meeting(s) on March 4th and/or May 6th, 2025. If you have additional questions, email [email protected].

Salt Lake City Corporation will pay for and install the historical marker plaque.

A historical marker must be located within Salt Lake City boundaries. 

Salt Lake City aims for all markers to be appropriately located, visible, and respectful of the historical significance of the commemorated site or event. We will determine the placement on a case-by-case basis, guided by factors such as: 

• Historical significance, 
• Community input, 
• Regulatory requirements, and 
• Practical considerations (e.g., respecting the surrounding environment and cultural context).

Yes. To ensure that a diverse range of historical events, people, and places are considered for commemoration, requesters can propose multiple historical markers for different sites or events.

If the historical marker is in a public right of way, more steps may be involved in the approval process. Considerations may include:

• Compliance with accessibility standards,
• Cegulatory approval,
• Coordination with public works,
• Safety,
• Maintenance responsibility,
• Liability issues,
• Community input and engagement, and
• Compliance with accessibility standards.

No, we will not allow for submissions on privately owned property. However, submissions that fall within a public right of way near or next to privately owned property will be considered.

At this time, we will not be accepting requests for temporary historic markers recognizing special events or occasions. The historical markers are intended to be permanent installations that commemorate Salt Lake City history.

The sponsoring organization is responsible for maintenance of the historical marker, including overseeing plaque repairs.