Yuba City, CA Historic Preservation: Historic-Cultural Monuments (2026)
Key Facts
- Designation process
- rezone application
- Reviewed by
- Historic Preservation Review Committee
- Height bonus for features
- up to 25 ft.
- Design review by
- Community Development Division
- Qualifies if
- on National Register or local register
Summary
Yuba City preserves historic buildings through the Historic Combining District under Article 37, applied by rezoning a specific property rather than a citywide landmark list. Sec. 8-5.3701 states the district's purpose, and Sec. 8-5.3703 requires a rezone application reviewed by the Historic Preservation Review Committee before the City Council can designate a property.
The Historic Combining District is established to implement the historic and archaeological resources policies of the General Plan; to promote the preservation, rehabilitation, restoration, reconstruction, and protection of historic and cultural resources; to encourage and promote public knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of the City's history; to promote appreciation and use of historic resources; to encourage preservation of resources, which may potentially be considered eligible for historic preservation zoning; to promote public awareness of the benefits of preservation; and to encourage public participation in identifying and preserving historic resources, thereby increasing community pride and awareness of the City's cultural and historical heritage.
Full Breakdown
Article 37 establishes the Historic Combining District "to implement the historic and archaeological resources policies of the General Plan; to promote the preservation, rehabilitation, restoration, reconstruction, and protection of historic and cultural resources," per Sec. 8-5.3701. Unlike a citywide historic register, the designation attaches to individual parcels through a rezoning action.
Sec. 8-5.3703 requires a property owner seeking the designation to file a rezone application with the Development Services Department, including a statement of current and proposed use, a scaled site plan, a written explanation of the property's historic significance and preservation plan, photographs of the structure, and the resolution-set application fee. The Historic Preservation Review Committee then reviews the application to determine whether the resource qualifies and which character-defining features merit protection before the City Council acts on the rezone.
A "qualified historical property" under Sec. 8-5.3702 is one listed in the National Register of Historic Places, located in a registered historic district, or listed on any state, county or city register of historically or architecturally significant sites. Disestablishing the designation under Sec. 8-5.3704 follows the same rezone process, but requires a report from a qualified professional explaining why the property is no longer of historical significance.
Once designated, Sec. 8-5.3708 requires administrative design review by the Community Development Division for any exterior modification needing a building permit, and Sec. 8-5.3705 allows architectural features such as towers, cupolas or water tanks up to 25 feet above the district's normal height limit if documented as original to the historic structure. Sec. 8-5.3706 lets the City Council adopt preservation incentives by resolution.
Violations & Fines
Exterior alterations to a designated historic building that skip the administrative design review required by Sec. 8-5.3708 are processed as unpermitted work by the Community Development Division, which can withhold or revoke the building permit until elevation drawings documenting the change are submitted and approved. Relocating or removing a historic structure without the Use Permit and environmental review Sec. 8-5.3707 requires is likewise a code violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does a building get historic designation in Yuba City?
Can I modify the exterior of a designated historic building?
Can a historic designation be removed?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Yuba City
California rules heatmap·Compare Yuba City to another location·View the California historic preservation overview
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