This publication is an introduction to the protection of historic properties by public agencies in three very different legal systems - the United States, the United Kingdom and Spain. It also lays out the international legal framework actually in place to protect historic heritage. The book outlines historical trends in each legal tradition, and examines in detail current law, using a multitude of examples of how historic buildings and heritage sites are protected in each country. The publication examines statutes and legal techniques designed integrally to protect cultural heritage as well as environmental statutes that effect historic properties tangentially, especially Environmental Impact Laws. Extensive use is made of case law to clarify how the law can be used to protect historic properties. The publication also deals with the use of financial incentives in the protection of historic properties.While the publication is intended to cover legal mechanisms established to conserve all types of historic building, it pays special attention to the protection given to industrial heritage, giving examples of cases where a particular legal technique has been used to protect industrial buildings, and, for example, in the case of the Sagunto Steel Works, how some industrial sites worthy of protection illustrate difficulties in protecting industrial properties under current national laws protecting historic properties.