In 1982, King County began designating significant historic properties as official historic landmarks.  These properties are formally designated by the county’s Landmarks Commission and listed on the County’s Register of Historic Places. To be listed, a formal nomination involving extensive research and a public input process measures the information known about a property against an objective and formally adopted set of criteria. Not every property that is nominated meets the "tests" included in the criteria.  Once designated, a landmark site is subject to certain regulations to maintain the historic character of the site, but they also have access to certain incentive programs.  King County has interlocal agreements with many cities in the county to provide protection for historic landmark sites within those cities.