Prince William County, VA Historic Preservation: Historic-Cultural Monuments (2026)

The Historical Commission first surveys historic structures and sites countywide and reports its inventory to the board of county supervisors under Sec. 2-88, including photographs, existing zoning, and a suggested protective boundary that cannot extend more than one-quarter mile from the property line of the site or structure. Under Sec. 2-89 the commission may later recommend additional landmarks or revisions to existing historic districts, each accompanied by a report meeting the same Sec. 2-88 standard. Final designation happens only under Sec. 2-97: the board of county supervisors, acting with the commission's advice, declares a site or structure a county historical landmark by resolution, and the resolution must include a declaration that the site is in fact of historic significance.

A property owner does not have to wait for the commission's initial survey to be completed; at any time after that initial report, an individual may petition the board of county supervisors directly to have a site or structure declared a county historical landmark. Once a landmark is designated, the commission keeps working: it designs a county historical emblem to be affixed to the landmark under Sec. 2-91, advises owners on preservation and restoration problems under Sec. 2-92, and must give the board written counsel within 30 days of any request touching the razing, destruction, removal, or major alteration of a designated historic structure or site, or the erection of a new structure or sign within a designated historic district, under Sec.

2-90. A quorum of eight commission members is required to vote on any recommendation under Sec. 2-85. Landmark status itself is honorary and advisory; the enforceable land-use protections for a historic district sit in the separate zoning ordinance historic-district regulations cross-referenced at Sec. 32-502 et seq.