Revisiting the historic preservation ordinance: what works, what doesn't, and is there an optimal solution?

The inclusion of historic preservation into city and county codes, or ordinances, was due in part to the passage of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (NHPA).This thesis is an examination of how different communities have interpreted preservation at the local level via the inclusion of a historic preservation ordinance into municipal and/or county code. Because all preservation begins at the local level, an attempt has been made to identify the optimal parts, or inclusions, in a municipal or county historic preservation ordinance. A brief legal basis for the use of preservation ordinances is included, as is an examination of existing preservation codes, and ordinance data gathered by the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions. The optimal ordinance inclusions are provided in the final chapter.