Rowan County, NC Historic Preservation: Historic-Cultural Monuments (2026)

Sec. 5-31 of the Rowan County Code, titled 'Designation of landmarks,' provides that upon compliance with the landmark designation procedures set forth in the article, the county commissioners may adopt and amend or repeal an ordinance designating one or more historic landmarks, and that no property shall be recommended for designation unless written consent from the property owner is obtained and the landmarks commission finds it of special significance in terms of historical, prehistorical, architectural, or cultural importance and integrity of design, setting, workmanship, materials, character, and association.

The seven-member Historic Landmarks Commission, created under Sec. 5-28 with jurisdiction over unincorporated Rowan County outside municipal ETJs, investigates and reports on each proposed landmark under Sec. 5-32, sends its report to the State Historic Preservation Officer for thirty days of comment, then holds a courtesy hearing before the Board of Commissioners takes final action at a public hearing. Once a property is designated, Sec. 5-33 requires a certificate of appropriateness (COA) before any exterior alteration, restoration, move, or demolition, covering masonry walls, fences, light fixtures, steps, pavement, and outdoor advertising signs; minor work such as in-kind repairs can be approved administratively, but the commission itself must review any major work.

Sec. 5-31 also requires the designating ordinance to set the waiting period under Sec. 5-37 before a designated landmark can be demolished, and allows the county to post a sign on the property if the owner agrees.