Caldwell, ID Historic Preservation: Historic-Cultural Monuments (2026)

Under Caldwell City Code section 02-17-08, a building, site, structure or object may be designated a historic landmark by city council ordinance based on historical, architectural, archeological and cultural significance, suitability for preservation, educational value, acquisition and repair costs, adaptive use potential, appraised value, and the financial capacity of anyone underwriting preservation costs, and it must also meet the national register of historic places criteria. The historic preservation commission, on its own initiative, at the council's request, or at the property owner's request, investigates and drafts a designating ordinance for city council consideration at a public hearing following the notice procedure in section 02-17-07.

Once the council passes the designating ordinance, owners and occupants receive written notice, the ordinance is filed with the Canyon County recorder, and the city clerk notifies the Canyon County tax assessor. Section 02-17-12 then requires 180 days' written notice to the historic preservation commission before a designated landmark not within a local historic district can be demolished, materially altered, remodeled, relocated or put to a different use, during which the commission may negotiate to preserve the property or pursue acquisition by gift, purchase or exchange; the commission may reduce or waive that waiting period for extreme owner hardship if the owner agrees to conditions preserving the property's character. State or federally designated landmarks receive only an honorary local designation outside city jurisdiction over repair or demolition.