Beverly Hills — Historic Preservation

Last reviewed: July 1, 2026

Overview

Beverly Hills administers historic preservation through the Cultural Heritage provisions of the Beverly Hills Municipal Code, located in Title 10, Chapter 3. These provisions establish the role of the City’s Cultural Heritage Commission (CHC), spell out how landmarks and historic districts are designated, and require specific project-level approvals—most notably a Certificate of Appropriateness—for work on designated resources. In practice, preservation actions layer onto the underlying Beverly Hills Zoning and Land Use rules rather than replace them, and projects still must satisfy applicable Development Standards and any required Design Review.

How Beverly Hills administers Historic Preservation

• Cultural Heritage decision-makers and applications
  • The CHC recommends to the City Council on proposed landmark and historic district designations, and on Mills Act contracts; it also acts on Certificates of Appropriateness, Certificates of Economic Hardship, and Certificates of Ineligibility (code cross-references in the City’s noticing table cite these sections: designation at §10-3-3215, certificate of appropriateness at §10-3-3219, hardship at §10-3-3220, ineligibility at §10-3-3221).
  • Certain cultural heritage determinations can be handled administratively by the Director (e.g., a Certificate of Review for a District Non-Contributor and a Director’s determination of ineligibility) per the same table in §10-3-253.
• Public notice
  • Cultural heritage applications follow the City’s general Notification Requirements in §10-3-253; the table there points applicants to the operative sections for each preservation action (e.g., §10-3-3219 for Certificates of Appropriateness). Verify the exact mailed radius and posting requirements for the specific cultural heritage action by referencing the applicable section or the City’s public notice guidelines.
• Underlying zoning and uses
  • Preservation decisions do not independently authorize uses or development outside what the underlying zoning permits; conformance to zone regulations is still required under §10-3-203.

What approvals exist (and when they apply)

• Landmark or Historic District designation (City Council action on CHC recommendation) — see §10-3-3215 reference in §10-3-253.
• Certificate of Appropriateness (CHC action) for work on designated landmarks and contributing properties — see §10-3-3219 reference in §10-3-253.
• Certificate of Economic Hardship (CHC action) — see §10-3-3220 reference in §10-3-253.
• Certificate of Ineligibility (CHC action) — see §10-3-3221 reference in §10-3-253.
• Director-level cultural heritage actions: Certificate of Review for a District Non-Contributor and Director’s determination of ineligibility — as indicated in §10-3-253.

District-by-district breakdown (how preservation overlays underlying districts)

Historic designation functions as a layer on top of standard districts like R-1.X, R-2, R-4, C-3, etc. Use, height, FAR, setbacks, and similar metrics continue to be governed by the underlying district unless a separate, adopted plan says otherwise. Conformance to the underlying zone is required by §10-3-203.

Designated Landmarks (City Landmarks)

• Purpose: Recognize and protect individual resources with historic, architectural, or cultural significance.
• Typical permitted uses: Whatever the underlying district allows (e.g., a landmarked house in R-1.X remains a house). See §10-3-203 for conformity to zone regulations.
• Key dimensional standards: Governed by the underlying district; no additional dimensional standards were found in the retrieved materials specific to landmarks.
• Where it applies: Any property the City Council designates by action under the designation procedure referenced at §10-3-3215 in §10-3-253.
• Project approvals: Changes subject to a Certificate of Appropriateness under §10-3-3219 (as cited in §10-3-253).

Designated Historic Districts — Contributing Properties

• Purpose: Protect the collective character of areas where individual properties contribute to a district’s significance.
• Typical permitted uses: From the underlying zoning map/designation (e.g., R-2 for duplex-scaled residential, C-3 for commercial). §10-3-203 applies.
• Key dimensional standards: From the base zone; not replaced by cultural heritage status in the retrieved code.
• Where it applies: Properties formally included when the City Council designates a historic district under §10-3-3215 (as cross-referenced in §10-3-253).
• Project approvals: Alterations typically require a Certificate of Appropriateness per §10-3-3219 (cited in §10-3-253).

Designated Historic Districts — Non-Contributing Properties

• Purpose: Manage changes to non-contributors so they do not erode the district’s character.
• Typical permitted uses: Per the underlying zone; §10-3-203 governs.
• Key dimensional standards: Underlying zone controls.
• Where it applies: Properties within a designated historic district identified as non-contributing in the district record.
• Project approvals: A Certificate of Review for District Non-Contributor can be processed administratively by the Director (see cultural heritage row in §10-3-253).

Properties Found Ineligible (Certificate of Ineligibility)

• Purpose: Provide clarity when a site does not meet criteria for designation.
• Typical permitted uses: Underlying zoning applies; §10-3-203.
• Where it applies: Citywide, upon issuance of a Certificate of Ineligibility under §10-3-3221 (as cited in §10-3-253).

Pending Nominations; Economic Hardship Safety Valve

• Pending nominations: Public noticing and hearing processes apply per §10-3-253, which points to §10-3-3215 for designation. Confirm any interim protections during nomination with the City.
• Economic Hardship: Applicants may seek a Certificate of Economic Hardship under §10-3-3220 (as cited in §10-3-253).

Decision-relevant standards and approvals

Interactions with other Beverly Hills approvals

• If a project also requires Design Review or Architectural Commission review, expect parallel processes; the cultural heritage references in §10-3-253 sit alongside those citywide procedures.
• Parking, loading, and other site standards continue to apply under Parking and related chapters, unless a duly adopted specific plan states otherwise. See general conformance in §10-3-203.
• Adding an ADU on a designated resource is allowed under state law, but a city may impose objective standards to prevent adverse impacts on listed historic resources; plan for cultural heritage review plus objective ADU standards. Not found in the retrieved Beverly Hills ordinance text; state guidance confirms this allowance.

Checklist

• Confirm whether your property is a designated Landmark, in a designated Historic District (and whether it is a contributor or non-contributor), or has been found ineligible.
• Scope the work: exterior vs interior; visible from the public way; demolition vs alteration; new construction within a district. Match the scope to the right approval (e.g., Certificate of Appropriateness for alterations to landmarks/contributors under §10-3-3219 as cited in §10-3-253).
• If you are a non-contributor in a district, coordinate with staff on a Director-level Certificate of Review pathway referenced in §10-3-253.
• If you believe designation criteria are not met, explore a Certificate of Ineligibility under §10-3-3221 (cited in §10-3-253).
• If compliance appears infeasible, discuss a Certificate of Economic Hardship under §10-3-3220 (cited in §10-3-253).
• Follow required public notice procedures in §10-3-253 and coordinate timelines with any concurrent Design Review or planning actions.
• Ensure your proposal still conforms to the underlying zoning district standards per §10-3-203.

Risks & Ambiguities

Plain-English Summary

Beverly Hills protects historic places through a Cultural Heritage program administered by the CHC. If your property is a designated landmark or contributes to a historic district, most exterior changes need a CHC-issued Certificate of Appropriateness. Non-contributors in a district typically follow a Director-level review, and there are processes to confirm ineligibility or to claim economic hardship. Preservation approvals sit on top of the normal zoning rules—so your use, height, and setbacks still come from your base zone—and you may also need separate Design Review.

Source References

• BHMC Title 10, Chapter 3: Notification Requirements and Cultural Heritage application routing — §10-3-253 (references §§10-3-3215, 10-3-3219, 10-3-3220, 10-3-3221)
• BHMC Title 10, Chapter 3: Conformance to Zone Regulations — §10-3-203
• State guidance on ADUs and historic resources — California ADU Handbook (objective standards to prevent adverse impacts on listed historic resources)

Information Gaps

• The full operative language of §§10-3-3215, 10-3-3219, 10-3-3220, 10-3-3221 (designation criteria, detailed submittal requirements, decision findings, appeal processes) was not included in the retrieved excerpts. Not found in retrieved materials.
• Specific district names, maps, and contributor/non-contributor inventories were not included. Not found in retrieved materials.
• Any interim protections during nomination and whether interiors are regulated could not be confirmed. Not found in retrieved materials.

Retrieved passages

• Beverly Hills Zoning Code (section shall) Medium relevance show source text
• Beverly Hills Zoning Code (section 10-3-3221) Medium relevance show source text
• Beverly Hills Zoning Code (section 10-3-3219) Medium relevance show source text
• Beverly Hills Zoning Code (chapter and) Medium relevance show source text
• Beverly Hills Zoning Code (section shall) Medium relevance show source text
• Beverly Hills Zoning Code (article 43) Medium relevance show source text
• Beverly Hills Zoning Code (section shall) Medium relevance show source text
• Beverly Hills Zoning Code (section 10-3-1551) Medium relevance show source text
• CFC § 10 (chapter is) Medium relevance show source text
• CBC § 18955 (Section 18955) Medium relevance show source text
• Beverly Hills Zoning Code (section 10-3-1590) Medium relevance show source text
• CBC § G106 (SECTION G106) Medium relevance show source text
• Beverly Hills Zoning Code (§ 65915) Medium relevance show source text
• Beverly Hills Zoning Code (chapter if) Medium relevance show source text

Cited sections

• BHMC Title 10, Chapter 3: Notification Requirements and Cultural Heritage application routing — §10-3-253 (references §§10-3-3215, 10-3-3219, 10-3-3220, 10-3-3221) (Title 10)
• BHMC Title 10, Chapter 3: Conformance to Zone Regulations — §10-3-203 (Title 10)
• State guidance on ADUs and historic resources — California ADU Handbook (objective standards to prevent adverse impacts on listed historic resources)
• BeverlyHills_ZoningCode.md
• 2025 California ADU handbook.md

• Official Beverly Hills code library