Pasco, WA Historic Preservation: Historic-Cultural Monuments (2026)
Key Facts
- Minimum age
- 50 years (or exceptional importance)
- Consent required
- Property owner's consent
- District consent threshold
- 75% of owners
- Pre-work approval
- Certificate of appropriateness
- Pre-demolition approval
- Waiver of certificate
Summary
Pasco designates local landmarks through the City of Pasco Register of Historic Resources under PMC 20.15, open to any building, site, object or district at least 50 years old with the owner's consent. Listed properties need a Historic Preservation Commission certificate of appropriateness before any work or demolition.
With owner's consent, any building, structure, site, object, or district may be designated for inclusion in the City of Pasco Register of Historic Resources if it is significantly associated with the history, architecture, archaeology, engineering, or cultural heritage of the community; if it has integrity; if it is at least 50 years old, or is of lesser age and has exceptional importance; and if it falls in at least one of the following categories.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 4837, passed May 4, 2026).
Full Breakdown
010 sets the designation criteria: 'With owner's consent, any building, structure, site, object, or district may be designated for inclusion in the City of Pasco Register of Historic Resources if it is significantly associated with the history, architecture, archaeology, engineering, or cultural heritage of the community; if it has integrity; if it is at least 50 years old, or is of lesser age and has exceptional importance,' and the property must also fall into one of eleven listed categories, from association with significant historical events to being an outstanding work of a noted designer or architect.
30 RCW) before recommending listing to City Council; for historic districts, consent from 75 percent of property owners counts as adequate owner consent. 040 spells out the practical effect of listing: before any work on a register property, other than ordinary repair, maintenance, or defined emergency measures, the owner must obtain a certificate of appropriateness from the Commission, and before whole or partial demolition, the owner must instead obtain a waiver of that certificate. 010 extends this review to any change of use, new construction, reconstruction, alteration, restoration, remodeling, repair, moving or demolition affecting a listed property or a contributing property within a listed historic district, covering all interior and exterior features that contributed to the original designation. 25 PMC.
Violations & Fines
Undertaking work on a register property without first securing a certificate of appropriateness, or demolishing one without the required waiver, is grounds under PMC 20.15.040(2) for the Historic Preservation Commission to review the property for removal from the register; PMC 20.15.030 further allows the Commission to remove a listed property without owner consent if it fails to maintain minimum register standards.
Frequently Asked Questions
How old does a building need to be for Pasco's historic register?
Can the City list my building without my permission?
What do I need before remodeling a listed Pasco property?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pasco
Compare Pasco to another location·View the Washington historic preservation overview
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