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

The Historic Property Preservation Ordinance, adopted under the authority of the Georgia Historic Preservation Act, O.C.G.A. § 44-10-20 et seq., lets the Spalding County Board of Commissioners designate a 'historic property' or 'historic district' within the unincorporated county's jurisdiction by adopting a dedicated ordinance for that specific property or district under Sec. 108. The designation ordinance must show the property or district on the Official Zoning Map, and the record for an individual historic property must include a legal description, a physical description with the parcel's address and tax identification number, and the names of the current owners.

Sec. 104(B) notes the county currently has three properties already listed on the National Register of Historic Places within unincorporated Spalding County and reserves the right to expand that inventory. Before the Board can adopt a designation ordinance, Sec. 108(B) requires the five-member Historic Preservation Commission, established under Sec. 106 pursuant to O.C.G.A. § 44-10-24, to investigate and report on the property's historic, cultural, architectural or aesthetic significance, with that report sent to the Georgia Department of Community Affairs for 30 days of comment, followed by a public hearing noticed at least three times in the local paper and by mail to every owner and occupant.

Once a property is designated, Sec. 109 bars any material change to its exterior appearance, defined by Sec. 105(I) to include reconstruction, demolition, excavation and even sign relocation, unless the owner first obtains a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historic Preservation Commission.