Chatham County, GA Historic Preservation: Historic-Cultural Monuments (2026)

The Board of Commissioners created the Chatham County Historic Preservation Commission in Sec. 3-503 to review and protect resources with special historical, cultural or aesthetic value. The Commission has nine members serving staggered three-year terms, capped at two consecutive terms, and includes at least five members from preservation-related professions such as architecture, architectural history, planning, archaeology, law or building restoration; members serve without pay. Under Sec. 3-504, the Commission first compiles the Unincorporated Chatham County Historic and Cultural Resources List within the Chatham County-Savannah Comprehensive Plan, then recommends specific districts or properties from that list to the Board of Commissioners for designation by ordinance.

If a nominated property is not already listed, the county's Preservation Professional (the Executive Director of the Chatham County-Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission or a designee) must first evaluate its eligibility. Once a district or property is designated, Sec. 3-505 requires a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Commission before demolition, moving a resource, exterior material changes, new construction visible from a public right-of-way, or altering walls, fences or awnings visible from the street; a building permit cannot issue without one, though in-kind maintenance and signs under three square feet are exempt.

Routine items like awnings, roof materials, and window or door replacement can instead go through staff-level review by the Preservation Professional. The Commission must also submit its list of designated historic properties and districts to the Georgia DNR's Historic Preservation Division. This is a distinct county mechanism, separate from Savannah's own historic district ordinance covering the city's Landmark Historic District.