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

Section 18.140.030 is Pleasanton's citywide backstop against illegal demolition of historic buildings, reaching any structure in the city, not just the Downtown Revitalization District. A 'historic building' under the section is one that meets National Register of Historic Places or California Register of Historical Resources eligibility criteria, is listed as a historic resource in the Pleasanton General Plan, or is otherwise determined to be a historic resource by the city. 'Demolition' is defined broadly to include dismantlement or removal of the building from its site, demolition by neglect under Sections 9.28.025 and 18.74.200, and alterations that go beyond what the city approved.

An owner who demolishes a historic building without prior written city approval, whether through a development application, another code provision, or a chief building official's dangerous-building determination under Chapter 20.32, faces a fine set by the director of community development at up to the greater of the building's pre-demolition appraised value, using a city-selected licensed appraiser, or its replacement value. On top of the fine, any new or replacement construction on the site is capped at the demolished building's original square footage, floor area ratio, height and setbacks for 20 years, and if the original building was legally nonconforming, the replacement cannot continue that nonconformity. The new construction must match the historical style described in the Pleasanton Downtown Historic Context Statement (2015) or another city document, and be of equal or better design quality. The city records these restrictions against the property title as a Notice of Violation and Covenant of Future Development Restrictions, and an owner can only be relieved of them through a later zoning approval from the zoning administrator, planning commission or city council. Decisions under this section are appealable through Chapter 18.144. Inside the Downtown Revitalization District specifically, Section 18.74.170 separately requires a certificate of appropriateness from the planning commission before any demolition, with delays of up to 180 days for structures the council has designated of primary significance.