Tustin, CA Historic Preservation: Historic-Cultural Monuments (2026)

Tustin City Code § 9252 creates the Cultural Resource (CR) overlay district and the citywide process for designating individual Cultural Resources. The City Council may add the CR designation to a property's underlying zoning, or designate a single structure, natural feature or site as a Designated Cultural Resource, after the Planning Commission, sitting as the Historic Resource Committee, studies an application, holds a noticed public hearing, and forwards a recommendation. Designation criteria include architectural or engineering significance, association with notable persons or events, distinctive construction methods, or value as a familiar neighborhood landmark.

Once a property carries the CR designation or is individually Designated, a Certificate of Appropriateness is required before any exterior alteration, new construction, or demolition; the Community Development Director decides most applications, with the Planning Commission advising in its Historic Resource Committee role, and any decision can be appealed under § 9294. Certificates lapse one year after approval unless a building permit is pulled and work is diligently pursued, though a one-year renewal is available. Demolishing a Designated Cultural Resource, or any structure built before 1940 within a CR District, needs additional findings, such as an unrepairable public-health hazard or a higher-benefit public use with no alternative location, plus a separate demolition or relocation permit on top of the Certificate. The Council may also adopt supplemental design standards by resolution covering acceptable materials, architectural character, and finishes for new construction inside a CR District.