Federal Lighthouse Transfers
Federally owned historic light stations no longer needed by their agencies can pass to other stewards under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000.
The no-cost selection process
The National Park Service's application and selection procedure provides for competitive applications through which eligible entities can acquire a historic light station at no cost. After the Secretary of the Interior notifies the Administrator of the General Services Administration of a recommendation, GSA completes the light station's transfer to the selected applicant.
GSA's April 2026 announcement for Cleveland Harbor listed federal, state and local agencies, nonprofit organizations, educational institutions and community development organizations among the eligible applicants.
The Upper Entrance notice
On July 9, 2025, GSA announced availability of the Keweenaw Waterway Upper Entrance Light in Houghton County, Michigan, under the federal disposal program authorized by the act. The announcement also covered Sheboygan Breakwater Light in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin. Both lights were offered to eligible entities without an acquisition charge, and both were eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Upper Entrance Light is approximately 110 feet tall from its base to the top of its light tower. Its foundation is a steel sheet pile caisson with a concrete deck. The structure includes a one-story concrete fog signal building and a steel light tower 50 feet tall, topped by an open-air beacon.
The July announcement identified both lights as active aids to navigation operated by the Coast Guard. GSA specified that the Coast Guard would reserve access to maintain the aids after conveyance.
Cleveland's pierhead example
The April 16, 2026 Cleveland announcement offered the Cleveland Harbor West Pierhead Lighthouse to eligible organizations at no cost through the same act. Built in 1910 at the entrance to Cleveland Harbor, the lighthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated as a City of Cleveland landmark.
Its four-story brick tower is sheathed in wood. The building includes a basement, a galley on the first floor, and living quarters on the second, third and fourth floors.
Historic lens treatment plans
For a light station with a historic Fresnel lens, the NPS procedure requires a separate Historic Fresnel Lens Treatment Plan. That plan must be completed and submitted as an addendum to the application. The agency's application and selection procedure was last updated April 2, 2026.
Concealed structure: Cape Hatteras
Repair projects for historic structures can reveal previously unknown conditions. At Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, a project update dated March 27, 2025 recorded structural problems discovered during repairs. Work to remove and fix masonry near the gallery decking revealed significant corrosion and cracking in most of its support brackets and in the tension ring connecting them. The decking is the platform at the top of the lighthouse. Brick layers had concealed the condition of the components until the work exposed them.
Structural engineers and historic architects were developing alternative designs and cost estimates to repair the brackets, tension ring and associated components. The National Park Service considered a delay to the project's completion likely but said it was too soon to forecast a revised completion date. The wider Cape Hatteras project included lighthouse repairs, fabrication of a replica Fresnel lens and landscape rehabilitation.
When public sale follows
If no applications arrive by the end of the federal lighthouse application process, or if its Review Committee makes no recommendation, GSA offers the station for sale by competitive bid or auction. These sales take place through GSA Auctions.