The Mare Island Historic District encompasses approximately 65 percent of Mare Island Naval Shipyard (MINSY), a ship building and repair facility operated by the U.S. Navy since 1854.

The historic district includes an area of about 980 acres, of a total usable area of approximately 1500 acres at the shipyard. The boundaries for the historic district encompass the vast majority of buildings, structures, and sites that potentially contribute to the areas of significance (military history, industrial history, architecture and engineering, and historic archeology) and to the period of significance (1854-1945).

The historic district contains 482 contributing buildings, 13 contributing sites and 20 contributing structures.