Residents and business owners will have the opportunity to place a historic marker in front of their homes or other buildings as part of a voluntary citywide program kicking off Tuesday.

The Temple Historic Preservation Committee, a subcommittee of the Tourism Advisory Board, will coordinate the program.

Nancy Glover with the city’s Tourism Advisory Board said the program is a way to recognize local residents and business owners for historic homes and commercial buildings under a program that is not quite as restrictive regarding maintenance and repairs as the national and state programs.

“The property owners can fill out an application and supply supporting documents, the plat and interesting stories about the building,” she said Tuesday during a meeting of the Parks and Leisure Services Department advisory board.

She said that among other requirements, buildings must be at least 50 years old and in good condition, have a history that is significant to the city of Temple and be architecturally significant.

The historic preservation committee would have the right to take a marker back if changes made to the building “compromise the appropriateness of a marker,” according to guidelines for the program.

After an application is approved, the applicant would pay a $100 fee and be responsible for planting the cast aluminum marker.

Ms. Glover said the city’s growth stimulated a need for a preservation program.

“There are a lot of people in town concerned about the rate of growth in the community and how it might put some historic structures at risk,” she said.

The basic motivation for the program, she said, is to encourage historic preservation as well as creation of a self-guided tour of historic places in the city.

“We want to share the stories of the buildings with future generations,” she said. “The information received with the application will be compiled as part of a self-guided tour through Temple.”

David Perez-Guerra, chairman of the Temple Historic Preservation Committee, said the program would help recognize historic buildings in the city.

“Temple has so many historic structures that deserve recognition,” he said. “We expect the local property owners to see real value in participating in the program.”

Ms. Glover said the program began as part of the city’s strategic plan, adopted in 2003, which stated that officials should establish local standards for historic preservation and recognize significant structures in the city with historical markers.

The city will start the program with markers for the Santa Fe Depot, the Municipal Building, Clarence Martin Gym and the Temple College Downtown Center, Ms. Glover said.