House approves Goughnour bill to spark more historic preservation
H.B. 1572 to raise tax credits for certain income-producing properties
Rep. Dan Goughnour June 30, 2025 | 4:37 PM
HARRISBURG, June 30 – The House today approved legislation sponsored by Rep. Dan Goughnour, D-Allegheny, to make it easier to rehabilitate and preserve certain historic properties in Pennsylvania.
House Bill 1572 would alleviate some of the construction and rehabilitation costs of property preservation by increasing a tax credit available for each project under the state’s Historic Preservation Tax Credit.
The tax-credit program provides tax credits to qualified taxpayers who are restoring a qualified historic structure into an income-producing property. Goughnour said that last session, the General Assembly took an important step in protecting the Commonwealth’s rich history by increasing the total tax credits issued per year from $5 million per year to $20 million. However, each qualifying project can only receive a credit of $500,000, and his legislation would increase the per-project cap on the credit to $1.5 million.
“Most projects far exceed $500,000 in cost,” Goughnour said. “For instance, of all the projects approved in 2023, only one cost less than $10 million, and the largest totaled $110 million. So, increasing the credit will make preserving these properties more attractive.”
The $500,000 credit limit has remained unchanged since 2019.
Under the program, no more than 25 percent of the expenditures incurred during the restoration of the structure may qualify for the tax credit. The applicant qualifies for the tax credit once the project is complete.
H.B. 1572 is the first bill sponsored by Goughnour to pass the House since he was sworn into office in April. His legislation now heads to the Senate for consideration.