St. Johns County, FL Historic Preservation: Historic-Cultural Monuments (2026)

03 of the St. Johns County Land Development Code lets the County designate sites, buildings, structures, objects or districts of unique cultural, architectural, archaeological or historical significance as County Landmarks or Landmark Districts. An application can be initiated by the Cultural Resources Review Board (CRRB), the Board of County Commissioners, the County Administrator, a property owner, or, for a proposed Landmark District, fifteen percent of the property owners within it; the application must include a legal boundary description, an architectural or archaeological description and a statement of significance.

Any site already listed on the National Register of Historic Places is automatically nominated; other properties must have achieved significance at least fifty years ago, show at least three of seven integrity factors (location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling and association) and meet one of nine listed significance criteria, such as association with a historically important person or event, a distinctive architectural style, or archaeological value. 02 before approving, conditioning or denying it; owners are notified within fifteen working days and the designation is recorded in the county's official record books and Cultural Resources Inventory.

Once designated, no demolition, alteration, relocation or new construction may occur on a Landmark or a contributing property within a Landmark District without a Certificate of Appropriateness from the CRRB, though the County Administrator may approve minor projects administratively; demolition approvals can be delayed up to one year to let the CRRB explore alternatives.