Ventura County, CA Historic Preservation: Historic-Cultural Monuments (2026)
Key Facts
- Designating body
- Cultural Heritage Board
- Notice before designation
- 15 days to owner
- Designation types
- Landmark, Site of Merit, District, Point of Interest
- Scope
- Unincorporated area only
Summary
In unincorporated Ventura County, the Cultural Heritage Board designates Landmarks, Sites of Merit, Points of Interest and Districts under a set of written criteria.
1367 - Criteria for designation of Cultural Heritage Sites. For purposes of this Article, a site may be designated a Cultural Heritage Site by the Cultural Heritage Board or Board of Supervisors, as provided in this Article, if it meets the applicable criteria below.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 51).
Full Breakdown
The County's Cultural Heritage Ordinance lets the Cultural Heritage Board (or the Board of Supervisors on owner objection) designate a Cultural Heritage Site after a public hearing with 15-day notice to the property owner, if the site meets the criteria in Section 1367 -- for example, association with significant historic events or persons, or distinctive architectural characteristics. This applies only in the unincorporated area; the ten cities run their own historic-preservation programs.
Violations & Fines
Altering, demolishing or relocating a designated site without a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Cultural Heritage Board can block or reverse the work; owners must get County approval before changes affecting exterior character-defining features.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can nominate a Cultural Heritage Site in Ventura County?
Does this cover property inside Oxnard or Thousand Oaks?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Ventura County
California rules heatmap·Compare Ventura County to another location·View the California historic preservation overview
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