Historic Preservation in Seattle, WA (2026)
2 verified historic preservation rules for Seattle, Washington, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
HPOZ Rules
Seattle SMC 25.12 and 25.16-25.30 establish historic districts including Pioneer Square, Pike Place Market, Ballard Avenue, Columbia City, Harvard-Belmont, Fort Lawton, International District, and Sand Point. Exterior changes need Certificate of Approval.
Eight Historic Districts Govern Pioneer Square, Pike Place, Ballard
Heavy RestrictionsSeattle Historic Preservation Program — Eight Historic Districts and Certificate of Approval
Historic Preservation — We work with community members to designate and preserve districts, sites, and objects of historic, cultural, and social importance. Seattle's eight historic districts and more than 400 structures, sites, and objects of historic, cultural, architectural, and social importance are valuable cultural assets. Through the process of designating and protecting new and existing...
Historic-Cultural Monuments
Seattle SMC 25.12 empowers the Landmarks Preservation Board to designate individual landmarks. Approved landmarks require a Certificate of Approval before any controlled-feature alteration; over 500 landmarks are listed citywide.
Landmarks Preservation Board Designates Individual Properties
Heavy RestrictionsSeattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance (since 1973) — Landmarks Preservation Board
City Landmarks — Since 1973, Seattle has designated more than 400 individual sites, buildings, vehicles, vessels, and street clocks as landmarks subject to protection by city ordinance. [...] In the sections below you will find a step-by-step guide to Seattle's landmark process; answers to frequently asked questions; Landmark Preservation Board minutes, schedules, and agendas; staff contacts; a...
Looking for King County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Seattle city rules.
Historic Preservation in King County →