The City’s local historic districts program aims to identify and protect the distinctive architectural and cultural resources of Los Angeles’s historic neighborhoods. Designating a neighborhood as a local historic district—also called a Historic Preservation Overlay Zone (HPOZ)—means that any new projects in that neighborhood must complement its historic character.
Like other zoning overlays, HPOZs provide an additional layer of planning control during the project review process. All exterior work proposed in an HPOZ, including landscaping, alterations, additions, and new construction, is subject to additional review. Each district has a Preservation Plan with design guidelines and an HPOZ Board that reviews proposed work. Some projects are reviewed at a staff level, while others also go to the district’s HPOZ Board for consultation and review.
The drop-down menu below lists the City’s local historic districts. Click on a district to view its Preservation Plan, boundary map, individual district ordinance, HPOZ Board meeting schedule, and staff contact information.
For a list of staff contacts, please click here.
To submit a project for review, please visit the Online Application System. More information on submitting a project for review is available here.
Adopted HPOZs
Objective Design Standards in HPOZs
The development of objective design standards (ODS) for Los Angeles’s locally designated historic preservation overlay zones (HPOZs) is being funded by a REAP 2.0 grant Los Angeles City Planning received from the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG). The project is a component of the City’s larger Missing Middle LA program, which is addressing housing and design goals in lower-density neighborhoods.
In November 2025, the City’s Office of Historic Resources (OHR) contracted Architectural Resources Group (ARG) to prepare ODS specifically for new residential infill, mixed-used infill projects, and ADUs within HPOZs (“ODS for HPOZs”). The REAP 2.0 grant deadline for this project is December 2026.
Objective Design Standards Update
Thank you to all who have written to City Planning’s Office of Historic Resources, expressing concerns and initial thoughts about the first draft of the proposed Objective Design Standards (ODS) for new housing in Historic Preservation Overlay Zones (HPOZs). City Planning will continue to carefully review all of the input received to date and will further revise the draft standards before proceeding through a public approval process, anticipated to begin in Fall 2026. In order to provide additional time for supplemental input on the draft standards, the Department is extending the comment period on the initial draft standards until July 28, 2026.
As City Planning continues to take in and address this valuable public input, the Department wants to clarify one important point, since many comments have referenced an inaccurate assumption that the ODS are meant to supersede well-established historic preservation protections. The existing 35 HPOZ preservation plans will not be replaced by these standards. Rather, the proposed ODS are meant to supplement -- not supersede -- the existing preservation plans, providing clearer standards to foster compatible design when multiple new dwelling units are proposed within HPOZs.
The HPOZ preservation plans contain detailed, carefully-crafted design guidelines that reflect extensive community input and important preservation priorities articulated over time. These preservation plan guidelines will continue to be the basis for the City’s review of all rehabilitation projects and many new construction projects in the HPOZs, consistent with the City’s existing HPOZ Ordinance. These include any project affecting or adding to an existing single-family dwelling, constructing a new single-family dwelling, some multifamily housing developments, and commercial or institutional projects.
However, as a result of recent changes to state law, local jurisdictions may no longer utilize non-objective design guidelines in reviewing several categories of streamlined “ministerial” housing development project applications; as written, most HPOZ preservation plan guidelines fall into this category. Some of these new state laws, such as Senate Bill 1123, also known as the Starter Home Revitalization Act, allow for multiple new dwelling units to be added to single-family zoned parcels, even in HPOZs and regardless of whether an existing property is a Contributor or a Non-Contributor. Because the City is foreclosed from imposing many of the existing subjective preservation plan guidelines, depending on the proposed project, HPOZ neighborhoods are often left without an ability to shape the design of some housing development projects.
In an effort to craft implementable design standards throughout the City’s 35 HPOZs, the ODS will provide a clear set of objective criteria, adapted from long-successful design guidelines, to guide the review of such projects. The intent is to provide better preservation outcomes while still streamlining the review process for project applicants. For all multifamily development projects where state law does not limit local jurisdictions to only objective standards, the ODS will work in tandem with the preservation plan guidelines in shaping proposed projects, using the existing HPOZ review processes.
City Planning hopes that this update clarifies the scope and intent of the ODS. The Department welcomes supplemental comments through the new July 28, 2026 comment period deadline. Written comments can be submitted to micaela.torres-gil@lacity.org or via this public comment form.
The Department will continue to keep interested parties apprised of additional resources and opportunities to provide input on the draft ODS, leading up to the first consideration of the ODS by the City Planning Commission. City Planning will also be posting project updates on Planning’s Local Historic Districts (HPOZs) webpage.
Thank you again for sharing your concern for historic preservation in our HPOZ neighborhoods.
HPOZ Board
HPOZ Boards review projects for conformance with the guidelines in the adopted Preservation Plan for their district. Depending on the HPOZ, projects reviewed by the Board may range from smaller projects such as window rehabilitation work to larger projects such as home additions and infill developments.
HPOZ Boards also serve as informal sources of technical expertise and guidance. Members are volunteers who bring expertise and familiarity with the neighborhood to their role, and often offer excellent advice on cost-effective ways to remodel properties that will maintain and enhance the building's historic character. They may even suggest local contractors and craftspersons who have worked on similar rehabilitation projects.
Board meetings take place twice monthly in person and may be canceled if a quorum cannot be met or if there are no projects to review. Boards that represent one HPOZ are made up of five members and boards that represent more than one HPOZ are made up of seven members.
All members should have a demonstrated interest in the culture, history, and architecture of the HPOZ Board they serve, and meet one of the following appointment criteria:
| Appointing Body |
Qualifications |
| Mayor |
Real estate or construction experience |
| Council Office* |
Renter or owner of property within HPOZ |
| Cultural Heritage Commission |
Architect licensed in the State of California |
| Cultural Heritage Commission* |
Renter or owner of property within HPOZ (non-Architect member) |
| HPOZ Board |
Renter or owner of property within HPOZ |
*1 appointee for 5-member Board; 2 appointees for 7-member Board
If interested in serving on an HPOZ Board, please fill out this brief questionnaire and we will be in touch with you.
Positions are open on the following HPOZ Boards:
