Tempe City Code Chapter 14A - Historic Preservation

An overview of the Tempe Historic Preservation Ordinance

By the early 1990s, increased redevelopment activity in Tempe combined with the loss of federal tax incentives for historic preservation and the continued decline and depletion of much of the community’s stock of historic buildings, caused the Tempe Historical Museum Board to recommend to the Mayor and City Council that the city participate in the Certified Local Government (CLG) program.  Established in 1980 by the United States Congress through an amendment to the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the The CLG program empowers local governments to develop comprehensive preservation programs.  Once certified  through the State Historic Preservation Office, a city is eligible to receive specialized assistance and grants for local preservation programs and projects.  In 1994, as a first step in the process of attaining certification, Mayor Harry E. Mitchell, appointed an ad hoc historic preservation commission charged with the task of drafting an historic preservation ordinance.  The ad hoc commission, assisted by city staff, researched the program requirements and existing ordinances from other communities and met with concerned citizens and organizations over an 18-month period while developing the ordinance. 

On November 9, 1995, as an expression of civic pride, the Mayor and City Council unanimously adopted Ordinance 95.35 creating the Tempe Historic Preservation Program.  This legislation exists today as the Tempe Historic Preservation Ordinance – Chapter 14A of the Tempe City Code.  The purpose of the ordinance is to provide protection for significant properties and archeological sites which represent important aspects of Tempe's heritage; to enhance the character of the community by taking such properties and sites into account during development, and to assist owners in the preservation and restoration of their properties. Reasonable and fair regulations are provided as a means of balancing the rights of property owners and the value to the community of these significant properties and sites.  The designation of any property or district shall not inhibit uses as permitted by the Zoning and Development Code, as adopted and amended by the city council.

Link to the Tempe Historic Preservation Ordinance from the City Clerk

Link to the Tempe City Code from the City Clerk