Puyallup, WA Historic Preservation: Historic-Cultural Monuments (2026)

22 PMC, the city's historic preservation code, lets the Puyallup design review and historic preservation board designate buildings, structures, sites, objects, and districts to the Puyallup Register of Historic Places. 025(1), a property qualifies only if it is significantly associated with the community's history, architecture, archaeology, engineering, or cultural heritage, retains integrity, and is at least 50 years old, or younger with exceptional importance, and falls within one of eleven listed categories such as association with a historically significant person or event or distinctive architectural design.

A nomination requires the property owner's consent. 030(1) requires board review before any change of use, new construction, reconstruction, alteration, remodeling, repair, relocation, or demolition, and no permit for that work may be issued until the owner receives a certificate of appropriateness, or, for demolition, a waiver of one. 015, avoid the review requirement. Applications must include exterior photographs, elevation drawings, and a written description of proposed material changes, and the board must decide within 60 calendar days of a complete application, extendable by 30 days.

If an owner disagrees with the board's decision, the city may issue permits only if the property is first removed from the register. 030(4) requires the board to first meet with the applicant to explore alternatives, and the board may condition a waiver on mitigation such as a historic building survey or a commemorative plaque; the property is then removed from the register once demolished. 54 PMC.