Forsyth County, GA Historic Preservation: Historic-Cultural Monuments (2026)

11 grew out of Forsyth County's historic resources survey, which has documented more than 400 properties countywide as having historic or cultural significance. The section states plainly that its purpose is to create an opportunity for preservation, not to block demolition outright, and that balance shows up in how the review works. When a land disturbance application proposes demolishing a structure that appears in the survey, the Director of Planning and Community Development automatically imposes a 60-day delay on the demolition. During that window the director can conduct, or ask the Georgia Department of Natural Resources' historic sites division or another qualified professional to conduct, an investigation weighing the building's desirability, economic feasibility of preservation, historical value, current condition, restoration costs, relocation prospects, and how it might integrate into the proposed development.

The director must hand the property owner the investigation results within 45 days, leaving the owner the balance of the 60-day period to pick a path: rehabilitate, relocate the structure on site, sell or donate it for relocation elsewhere, fold it into the development plan, or proceed with demolition. If the owner ultimately chooses demolition, the director issues the permit as requested; the ordinance does not give the county veto power. The automatic delay does not apply where the director finds the structure poses an immediate danger to health, safety, or welfare, and even during the delay period the director can issue a land disturbance permit once adequate protective measures are in place.