May is Historic Preservation Month! This month celebrates the nation's and Kansas City's heritage through historic places. Take this time to explore Kansas City and its history. We'll be highlighting Kansas City's historic sites on our social media channels on Instagram and Twitter, so give us a follow to learn more!

About Us

The Historic Preservation office is located on the 16th floor of City Hall. The office works with the Historic Preservation Commission to oversee the Kansas City Register – a list of historically significant districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects. The office may be reached at (816) 513-2902 or kchp@kcmo.org.

How to I find out if my Property is on the Register of Historic Places?

Before obtaining a building permit, you must determine the property’s Historical Significance. To find out if your property is listed on the Kansas City Register of Historic Places, you can search by address on the Online Mapping (Parcel Viewer).

My property is on the Historic Register, what do I do next?

• If you are listed, the Historic Preservation Commission must review any potential “exterior changes” that will be visible from the public right-of-way. Note: you will not be able to obtain a Building Permit until the commission approves your application.
• You must follow the Urban Design Guidelines, which were created to better assist property owners making renovations to designated residential properties. The guidelines are based on principles expressed by the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.
• You must obtain a Certificate of Appropriateness and your application must be reviewed by the Historic Preservation Commission.

Helpful Tools

Supplements to Urban Design Guidelines

• Fencing and Wall Guidelines
• Trees and Planting Beds
• Researching Water Permits
• Kansas City Register of Historic Places Application and Nomination Form
• View a list of the National and Kansas City Historic Register FAQs

Historic Preservation Commission Forms and Schedules

• Historic Preservation Commission
• 2019 Historic Preservation Commission Schedule
• Historic Preservation Commission Meeting Docket
• Information Sheet on the Certificate of Appropriateness Process
• Certificate of Appropriateness Application – All applications must be submitted through CompassKC as of August 6, 2018.

Historic Preservation Commission Initiatives

• KCModern Survey
• African American Heritage Trail
• Kansas City: A Place in Time, Second Edition – Released June 20, 2017

Join the KCMO Historic Preservation mailing list to receive new poll notifications by email, or follow us on Instagram and Twitter for occasional updates.

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