Owensboro, KY Historic Preservation: Historic-Cultural Monuments (2026)

The Owensboro Historic Preservation Board, five core members appointed by the mayor with board of commissioners approval, oversees landmark and district designation under § 2-355. A case starts when two-thirds (⅔) of the property owners within a proposed landmark or district file an application; the board then appoints a review committee, drafts preservation guidelines, and holds a public hearing advertised seven to twenty-one days out. A property or district must be at least fifty years old and meet at least one of eight statutory criteria, from architectural significance to association with a person who shaped the city's history, before the board of commissioners votes to approve, modify, or reject the designation within sixty days, established by ordinance if approved.

Once designated, the county clerk's office records notice that the property is burdened by the preservation guidelines, and any exterior alteration, new construction, demolition, or relocation visible to the public requires a certificate of appropriateness under § 2-356, whether or not a building permit is also needed. The city currently carries two such designations: the J. Z. Moore Historic Preservation District and the Old Owensboro Historic Business District under § 2-359. Ordinary maintenance and repair that does not change the exterior appearance is exempt, and the board is barred from regulating paint color.

Work performed without the required certificate, or that departs from an issued certificate, triggers a stop work order from the board, its designee, or the building inspector under § 2-357, and the city attorney may seek an injunction in circuit court to enforce compliance.