Kirkland, WA Historic Preservation: Historic-Cultural Monuments (2026)
Key Facts
- Reviewing body
- King County Landmarks and Heritage Commission
- Special member term
- 3 years, max 2 consecutive terms
- Designation criteria source
- KCC 20.62.040 via KMC 28.12.010(b)
- SFR designation removal
- Planning official may remove it, KMC 28.10.010
- Hearing prerequisite
- Commission rules filed with city clerk first
Summary
Kirkland does not run its own landmarks board: KMC 28.08.010 designates the King County Landmarks and Heritage Commission to review and approve landmark and cultural-monument designations inside city limits. Designation criteria, nomination and certificate-of-appropriateness procedures all come from King County Code Chapter 20.62, incorporated wholesale into Kirkland's Title 28.
(a) The King County landmarks and heritage commission established pursuant to King County Code Chapter 20.62 is hereby designated and empowered to act as the landmarks commission for Kirkland pursuant to the provisions of this title. ... (c) The commission shall not conduct any public hearings required under this title with respect to properties located within the city of Kirkland until its rules and regulations, including procedures consistent with this title, have been filed with the city clerk.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 4945, passed July 21, 2026).
Full Breakdown
010(a)). 010(a)). 010(b)). 010(c)). 010).
Violations & Fines
Violating the certificate of appropriateness procedure at KCC 20.62.080(e) carries the penalty set out in KCC 20.62.130, incorporated into Kirkland's code by KMC 28.12.010(h). Because the landmarks commission cannot hold a hearing on a Kirkland property until its procedural rules are filed with the city clerk under KMC 28.08.010(c), an owner who alters a designated landmark without the required certificate of appropriateness risks enforcement once those filed procedures take effect.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who decides whether a Kirkland property becomes a landmark?
Can a homeowner get a landmark designation removed in Kirkland?
What law sets Kirkland's landmark designation criteria?
Is there a penalty for altering a Kirkland landmark without approval?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Kirkland
Compare Kirkland to another location·View the Washington historic preservation overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Historic-Cultural Monuments in Nearby Cities
How other cities in King County handle historic-cultural monuments.