Historic District designation honors, preserves and protects areas that are significant to Boulder’s history. A historic district can be a collection of buildings, building sites, parks and the spaces in between.

When Is Review Required?

Historic Preservation review is required when a group of property owners, the City or a recognized preservation organization submits an application to amend or designate a historic district. While most historic districts are nominated by a group of property owners, the Landmarks Board, City Council, or a recognized historic preservation organization may also submit an application. If this is the case, the Landmarks Board considers the application in an Initiation Hearing to decide whether or not to accept the application. The decision to designate a historic district is made by the City Council through adoption of an ordinance.

What Are the Review Criteria?

  • The Landmarks Board and City Council’s criteria for reviewing historic district applications is to determine “whether the proposed designation conforms with the purposes and standards in sections 9-11-1, "Legislative Intent," and 9-11-2, "City Council May Designate Landmarks and Historic Districts," B.R.C. 1981.” The City Council also considers whether the designation is in balance with the goals and policies of the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan.
  • Additionally, the Landmarks Board adopted the Significance Criteria for Historic Districts in 1975 to help evaluate each proposed designation in a consistent and equitable manner. The criteria consider the proposed district’s historic, architectural and environmental significance.

What Are the Application Requirements?

Please note that this information becomes part of the public record.

  • Contact Information - List of all property addresses and, if known, contact information (name, address, mailing address, phone number and email address) for each property proposed to be in the historic district.
  • Boundary Map - A map indicating the property addresses and proposed boundary. Indicate all adjacent street names.
  • Photographs - Provide clear, color photographs of the front of each building, captioned with the address. Include accessory buildings.
  • Cover Letter - Short narrative summarizing the nominator's motivation for nominating the historic district. (e.g. Why, and why now?)
  • Significance Criteria - Written narrative describing the proposed historic district's architectural, historic and environmental significance, as defined in the Significance Criteria for Historic Districts (link).

Historic District Petition signed by at least 25% of the current, legal property owners.

Historic Preservation Organization Resolution - Landmarks Board Resolution recognizing a historic preservation organization.

  • Historic Photographs - Photographs of the building, property or past residents.
  • Historic Plans - Original blueprints or architectural plans and sketches.

How Do I Apply?

Prepare

Review “What Are the Application Requirements?” to learn what materials you will need to provide.

Apply

Log in and apply through the Customer Self-Service Portal. Upload the required materials and submit the application. As soon as your application is submitted, you’ll receive a confirmation email with a link to access your plan.

Completeness Check

Staff will review the materials and contact you to collect any missing or incomplete information.

Pay Application Fee

Staff will invoice the $75 application fee after all required materials are submitted. Payments can be made through the Customer Self-Service Portal.

Check Application Status

Visit the Customer Self-Service Portal to follow the status of your application.

  • Log in to your account.
    • Open the Dashboard and click on “View My Plans”.
    • Click on the historic preservation application.

What is the Review Process?

Staff Analysis

Once a complete application is received and the application fee is paid, staff will schedule review by the Landmarks Board. Prior to the hearing, staff will research the property and prepare a memo assessing the property’s historic, architectural and environmental significance.

Property Owner Meeting

Design Guidelines

Questionnaire

Staff will mail a questionnaire to each property owner to understand support, opposition, or neutrality to the proposed district. Responses are anonymous, and will ask the property owner to indicate no opinion, support or objection to the proposed district.

Landmarks Board Initiation Hearing

Applications submitted by less than 100% of the property owners must be reviewed by the Landmarks Board in an Initiation Hearing within 45 days of a complete application. The board can either accept the application by adopting a resolution, or deny the application.

Landmarks Board Designation Hearing

Between 60 and 120 days after a complete application is received or after the Landmarks Board’s adoption of a resolution, the Landmarks Board reviews the application in a public hearing. The Landmarks Board considers the review criteria and makes a recommendation to City Council. If the Landmarks Board votes to deny an application, the decision is final unless called up by the City Council or appealed by the owner(s).

City Council 1st Reading

If the Landmarks Board recommends designation, staff prepares an ordinance and schedules City Council review. First reading is typically on the consent agenda.

City Council 2nd Reading

Within 100 days of the Landmarks Board hearing, City Council holds a designation hearing and votes to either approve, modify and approve, or deny the designation.

Record Ordinance

If City Council votes to designate a property, the City Clerk records the designation ordinance and staff updates the official map of Boulder’s designated landmarks and historic districts.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Yes. The fee for individual landmark designation is $75.
  • The fees are set by the Boulder City Council and are included in Section 4-20-37. The review fee is required at time of application and is non-refundable once the application has entered review.

  • For applications submitted by all of the owners in the proposed historic district, the designation process takes between four to seven months. The Landmarks Board Designation hearing is held between 60 and 120 days of a complete application, and the City Council hearing is held within 100 days of the Landmarks Board hearing.
  • For applications submitted by less than 25% of the owners, a Landmarks Board Initiation Hearing must be held within 45 days of the complete application, followed by the timeline above for Landmarks Board and City Council review.
  • The timelines for individual landmark designation can be waived by agreement with the owner, applicant and city.

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