Historic Landmarks

The Landmarks Commission:

• evaluates the property and determines whether it is a significant historic resource, and identifies the physical and other characteristics that convey that significance
• makes a recommendation to the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors as to whether the property is a significant historic resource and qualifies as an Historic Landmark

More Information: Designation of Historic Landmarks and Historic Districts

Historic Districts

The Landmarks Commission:

• evaluates the group of properties proposed and determines whether they qualify as an Historic District
• proposes the boundary of the Historic District
• identifies the architectural and design characteristics of the properties which need to be preserved
• proposes design guidelines that would apply to new construction in the Historic District
• makes a recommendation to the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors on all of the above

More Information: Designation of Historic Landmarks and Historic Districts

Historic Landmarks and Historic Districts

The Landmarks Commission reviews the design of proposed projects and approves, approves with conditions, or denies building permits to:

• repair, alter, or add to the exterior of an existing structure
• construct a new structure
• demolish an existing structure

For discretionary permits (ex: use permits), where there is another decision maker, such as the Board of Zoning Adjustments, the Landmarks Commission’s actions are advisory to the applicable decision maker.

Other Potential Historic Resources – Not Historic Landmarks or in Historic Districts

The Landmarks Commission reviews the design of proposed projects requiring discretionary permits (ex: Use Permits) on referral from the Project Review Planner and makes recommendations to the applicable decision-making body whether to approve, approve with conditions, or deny building permits to:

• repair, alter, or add to the exterior of an existing structure
• construct a new structure
• demolish an existing structure

In such cases, the Landmarks Commission may also recommend rezoning to the Historic District.

More Information: Design Review of Historic Resources

The Landmarks Commission applies for grants for historic preservation projects which promote and advertise Sonoma County under the Advertising Program, administered by the County Administrator’s Office.

For grants for historic rehabilitation or restoration projects, the Landmarks Commission and/or Landmarks Commission staff:

• reviews the applications to determine whether the project qualifies
• makes recommendations to the Board of Supervisors for grant awards
• manages the contracts for approved projects
• reviews completed projects to ensure grant compliance

More Information: Historic Preservation Grants

The Landmarks Commission uses the Historic Resource Inventory as a tool to manage the implementation of the Historic Preservation Program and to prioritize their recommendations for designating eligible historic resources as County Landmarks. Landmarks Commission staff compiles and maintains records on historic resources in the County. The Historic Resource Inventory is an index that corresponds to Historic Resource Surveys and Historic Evaluation Reports on file at Permit Sonoma (PRMD). The Historic Resource Inventory contains records for designated historic resources, resources that are eligible for historic designation, and resources that are potentially eligible but need further evaluation.

More Information: Inventory, Surveys, and Evaluations

Please contact us for more information related to:

• Landmarks Commission
• Historic Preservation Program