Greensboro, NC Historic Preservation: Historic-Cultural Monuments (2026)
Key Facts
- Designating body
- Guilford County Joint Historic Preservation Commission recommends, Council designates
- Commission size
- 11 members, 3 appointed by Greensboro City Council
- Criteria
- Cultural, social, economic, political, or architectural significance
- Alteration approval
- Certificate of Appropriateness required for exterior work
- Enforcement
- Court action to stop unlawful demolition or alteration
- Appeals
- Superior Court of Guilford County
Summary
Greensboro designates cultural and historic landmarks through the Guilford County Joint Historic Preservation Commission, an 11-member body with three seats appointed by the Greensboro City Council. The commission recommends landmark designation, by ordinance, for buildings, structures, sites, areas or objects embodying cultural, social, economic, political or architectural significance, then holds final authority over alterations to any landmark it designates.
The City of Greensboro seeks: A. to safeguard its heritage by preserving any property therein that embodies important elements of its cultural, social, economic, political, or architectural history... The Guilford County Joint Historic Preservation Commission has review and recommendation authority for the following within the City of Greensboro: 1. to recommend to the City Council, building, structures, sites, areas, or objects within the corresponding zoning jurisdiction to be designated by ordinance as landmarks... In case any building, structure, site, area, or object designated a historic property is about to be demolished whether as a result of deliberate neglect or otherwise, materially altered, remodeled, or removed, except in compliance with this section, the city or Guilford County Joint Historic Preservation Commission may institute any appropriate action or proceeding to prevent such unlawful demolition, material alteration, remodeling, or removal.
Full Breakdown
C. Gen. Stat. 160D-303. 2 states the city's purpose: to safeguard its heritage by preserving property that embodies cultural, social, economic, political, or architectural history, and to promote such property's use and conservation for public education, pleasure and enrichment. 3. 5(A), the commission reviews candidate buildings, structures, sites, areas or objects and recommends to City Council whether they should be designated by ordinance as local landmarks, and it also recommends when a landmark designation should be revoked or removed. 5(B) gives the commission final decision-making authority over Certificates of Appropriateness, meaning owners must obtain commission approval before exterior work, demolition, or material alteration.
5(C) let the commission acquire, hold, restore, and later sell or lease historic property subject to preservation covenants. 7. Per the LDO's review-authority table, decisions on individual landmarks rest with the Guilford County Joint Historic Preservation Commission rather than the separate city Historic Preservation Commission, which instead handles historic district overlays and landmark sign designations. Appeals of historic preservation decisions go to the Superior Court of Guilford County.
Violations & Fines
Demolishing, materially altering, remodeling, or removing a designated landmark without a Certificate of Appropriateness violates 30-3-9.8. The city or the Guilford County Joint Historic Preservation Commission can go to court to stop the work, restrain or correct the violation, or abate it, including action against deliberate neglect intended to force a landmark's demolition. Owners who skip commission review risk an injunction halting construction and a court order to undo unauthorized changes.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does a building become a designated cultural landmark in Greensboro?
Can I alter a designated landmark's exterior without approval?
What happens if I demolish a landmark without approval?
Who hears an appeal of a landmark designation decision?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Greensboro
Compare Greensboro to another location·View the North Carolina historic preservation overview
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