Pasco County, FL Historic Preservation: Historic-Cultural Monuments (2026)
Key Facts
- Who decides
- County building official
- Required consultation
- Historic Preservation Committee
- Required document
- Certificate of appropriateness
- Governing LDC section
- LDC Sec. 315 (historic preservation)
Summary
Pasco County lets the building official waive standard building code requirements for structures already designated as landmarks or historic structures, but only after conferring with the county's Historic Preservation Committee and obtaining a certificate of appropriateness.
The building official shall have the power to waive the provisions of this building code relating to the construction, alteration, repair, enlargement, restoration, relocation or moving of existing buildings or structures designated as landmarks or historic structures, when such buildings or structures are judged by the building official to be safe and the proposed construction... is in the best interest of the public health, safety and welfare. Prior to making a determination not to waive the provisions of the building code, the building official shall confer with the Pasco County Historic Preservation Committee and shall obtain from the applicant a certificate of appropriateness, in accordance with section 315 (historic preservation) of the Land Development Code.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 94 Update 1 | Land Development Code: Supplement 20).
Full Breakdown
Code of Ordinances Sec. 18-19 gives the building official discretionary power to waive building code provisions governing construction, alteration, repair, enlargement, restoration, relocation, or moving of buildings or structures already designated as landmarks or historic structures, when the official judges the structure safe and the proposed work serves the public health, safety, and welfare. That discretion isn't unchecked: before deciding not to waive the code's requirements, the building official must confer with the Pasco County Historic Preservation Committee and must obtain from the applicant a certificate of appropriateness, a review document required under Section 315 of the county's Land Development Code, the county's separate zoning and land-use instrument.
This section addresses only the building-code side of working on an already-designated historic structure; the substantive criteria for designating a property as a landmark, and the full certificate-of-appropriateness review standards, sit in that separate Land Development Code chapter 315, which is not part of the Code of Ordinances chapter this record cites. Owners of historic properties in unincorporated Pasco who want to renovate, relocate, or restore a designated structure should expect the Historic Preservation Committee's input to shape whether the building official grants any code waiver at all.
Violations & Fines
This section is a discretionary administrative waiver mechanism, not a standalone prohibition, so it does not itself list a distinct penalty. Work performed without the required building permit, or performed contrary to a building official's determination under this article, is enforced as a general chapter 18 permitting violation under Sec. 18-36, with civil citations under Sec. 1-11 capped at $500 per violation plus costs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a designated historic building in Pasco County skip normal building code rules?
Who reviews a historic renovation before the code can be waived?
Where are Pasco County's landmark designation criteria found?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pasco County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Pasco County to another location·View the Florida historic preservation overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.