Washington County, OR Historic Preservation: Historic-Cultural Monuments (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- CDC Section 373, Historic/Cultural Overlay
- Protected 'Object' examples
- Monuments, statuary, fountains
- Exterior alteration permit
- Type II procedure
- Relocation or demolition permit
- Type III procedure
- Owner exemption path
- Type I, ORS 197.772(3)
- Salvage offer required to
- Washington County Museum
Summary
Unincorporated Washington County protects designated monuments, statuary and other cultural objects through a Historic and Cultural Resource Overlay District applied by plan amendment. Owners of a designated resource need a Type II permit even for exterior alteration and a Type III permit to relocate or demolish it.
Object. The term object is used to distinguish from buildings and structures those constructions that are primarily artistic in nature or relatively small in scale and simply constructed. Although it may be, by nature or design, movable, an object is associated with a specific setting or environment, such as statuary in a designed landscape. Examples: sculpture, monuments, mileposts, boundary markers, statuary, and fountains. ... No development permit shall be issued for exterior alteration, relocation or demolition of any designated resource or any potential resource which is under consideration for designation while a public hearing or any appeal thereof is pending.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Community Development Code: Supplement 2 | Code of Ordinances: Supplement 25).
Full Breakdown
Section 373 of the Community Development Code creates the Historic and Cultural Resource Overlay District. 3 defines the 'Object' category the district protects as constructions 'primarily artistic in nature or relatively small in scale and simply constructed,' giving sculpture, monuments, mileposts, boundary markers, statuary and fountains as examples, distinct from buildings and structures. 1, either a quasi-judicial Type III action initiated by the property owner, the Board, the Planning Commission or the Director, or a legislative Type IV action any individual may request. A through C.
1 bars any development permit for exterior alteration, relocation or demolition while a designation hearing or appeal is pending. 4. 9 covering structural capacity to move, documented efforts of at least 90 days to find a relocation buyer, and confirmation the Washington County Museum or another preservation group was offered a chance to salvage the resource. 772(3), though the underlying designation stays on record until formally removed under Section 373-11.
Violations & Fines
Exterior work, relocation or demolition of a designated cultural resource without the required Type II or Type III permit is a Code violation the county's Land Use Division can enforce through permit denial, stop-work action and the county's general code enforcement process; a pending designation hearing or appeal under Section 373-6.1 independently blocks permit issuance regardless of any other violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a monument have to be on the county inventory before this overlay applies?
Can I get out of the designation if it costs too much to maintain?
What has to happen before a designated resource can be demolished?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Washington County
Compare Washington County to another location·View the Oregon historic preservation overview
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