Corvallis, OR Historic Preservation: Historic-Cultural Monuments (2026)

Land Development Code § 1.6.50 defines the Corvallis Register of Historic Landmarks and Districts, called the Local Register, as the City's official list of Locally-designated Historic Resources, a separate track from listing on the federally administered National Register of Historic Places. To place a property on the Local Register, the owner must obtain approval of a Zone Change applying a Historic Preservation Overlay under Chapter 2.2, which then shows on the City's Zoning Map; the Code requires the property owner's own approval before a Local Register designation can take effect, so the City cannot designate a private resource over an unwilling owner's objection.

Once designated, whether locally through the Overlay or because a resource is listed in the National Register, the property becomes a Designated Historic Resource subject to Chapter 2.9 - Historic Preservation Provisions, and most exterior work needs a Historic Preservation Permit reviewed either administratively by the Director or, for demolition, moving, and other major changes, by the Historic Resources Commission after a public hearing under §§ 2.9.60 and 2.9.70. The City of Corvallis is a federally Certified Local Government under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, meaning the State Historic Preservation Office has authorized it to administer these local reviews, and Historic Significance for either register requires a resource be at least 50 years old, with an exception for younger resources of exceptional importance, and meet one of nine listed criteria, ranging from architectural distinctiveness to association with a significant person or event.