Rochester, NY Historic Preservation: Historic-Cultural Monuments (2026)

Under Rochester City Code § 120-193, the Preservation Board and Planning Commission share authority to designate landmarks, including any "structure, improvement, landscape feature or cultural site" found to hold cultural and civic benefit for city residents. A nomination can come from City Council, the Planning Commission, the Preservation Board, the property owner, or any city resident who secures Preservation Board sponsorship. The Director of Zoning and Permitting must send the owner notice by certified mail, return receipt requested, within five business days of receiving a completed nomination.

The Preservation Board then holds a public hearing and has 32 days after it closes to approve, approve with modifications, or deny the designation; missing that deadline counts as a refusal. If the owner does not consent, designation requires a three-fourths affirmative vote of the full Board. Approved nominations move to the Planning Commission, which likewise has 32 days after its own hearing to approve or disapprove, again needing a three-fourths vote without owner consent, though missing the deadline there counts as approval of the Board's action.

Once the Planning Commission acts, the Director of Zoning and Permitting records the landmark on the Zoning Map, and designation becomes effective upon recording. Critically, § 120-193A(4)(g) makes it unlawful to construct, alter, remodel, remove, move, or demolish any building, structure, improvement, or premises covered by a pending nomination until the application is finally disposed of. Once designated, § 120-194 requires a certificate of appropriateness from the Preservation Board (or, for guideline-compliant work, the Director of Zoning and Permitting) before any construction, alteration, remodeling, removal, movement, or demolition on the landmark.

A limited set of activities, such as in-kind replacement of historic features, non-designated interior renovations, and removal of dead or diseased trees certified by a licensed arborist, is exempt.