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Laws, Policies and Guidelines

Historic preservation, as practiced by municipalities, is an activity that promotes the public welfare by preserving the distinctive characteristics of places and buildings that are significant for their history or architecture.

Preservation tools available in Cambridge include the National Register of Historic Places, a Federal listing that is administered by the Massachusetts Historical Commission; historic districts and preservation easements enabled by the Massachusetts General Laws; and local ordinances allowing for the review of demolition and the designation of landmarks and neighborhood conservation districts.

FOLLOW THESE LINKS TO FIND THE TEXT OF THE PERTINENT LOCAL AND STATE LEGISLATION:

To find the full text of the local ordinance, you can link directly to the Cambridge City Code, then go to "Title 2: Administration and Personnel", then to "Chapter 2.78: Historical Buildings and Landmarks."

To find the text of the Historic Districts Act, the state enabling legislation, link to Chapter 40C of the General Laws of Massachusetts This will take you to the Table of Contents for Chapter 40C of the Massachusetts General Laws.

See also these CHC policies and contact the CHC staff for information about other CHC policies and procedures:

• Policy for Holding Landmark Designation Study Hearings for Preferably Preserved Significant Buildings 
• Consent Agenda Policy
• Policy on Posting Notice of cases in the Harvard Square Conservation District
• Regulation Requiring Posting of Notice of Demolition of Significant Building
• Policy Limiting Validity of Permits 
• Policy on Temporary Signs 
• DRAFT Preservation Restriction Policy, August 6, 2010
• Window Guidelines
• Statement of Practice for Reviewing the Use of Synthetic Materials and slideshow of examples of Synthetics in Cambridge Historic Districts