Placentia, CA Historic Preservation: Historic-Cultural Monuments (2026)

Chapter 23.06 of the Placentia Municipal Code is titled the Placentia Historical Resources Ordinance. Section 23.06.020 states its purpose: to ensure the appropriate evaluation and preservation of sites, buildings, or structures that embody the heritage, history, and culture of the city. The code uses the term historical resource rather than cultural monument, and § 23.06.030 defines it as a resource listed in, or determined eligible by the State Historical Resources Commission for listing in, the California Register of Historical Resources.

The definition of alteration is broad. It covers any change, modification, or demolition to the character-defining or significant physical features of a property, and for buildings it reaches exterior changes. The list includes grading, surface paving, new structures, cutting or removal of designated trees, disturbance of archaeological sites, and placement or removal of signs, plaques, light fixtures, walls, fences, steps and plantings.

Section 23.06.050 sets the procedure. An applicant files with the administrator, who is the city administrator of Placentia or a designee, and pays the fee established by city council resolution. The application, including any appeal, is processed under Chapter 23.87 (Use Permits). The applicant also pays the deposit needed to evaluate the project under CEQA, 14 California Code of Regulations Section 15064.5.

For a substantial alteration the commission bases its decision on three points: compliance with the Secretary of the Interior's rehabilitation standards, protection of the historic and architectural qualities that make the property a historical resource, and compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act. For a demolition or removal it bases its decision on a structural soundness and suitability report from a licensed engineer or architect who meets the Secretary of the Interior's Professional Qualification Standards, plus CEQA compliance.