Community Assistance

Introduction

Across New Jersey, communities have used planning to protect local historic resources. Our office offers programs to aid these efforts, including the Certified Local Government Program (CLG). We also provide technical assistance and resources for all municipalities. Regardless of your experience in historic preservation techniques, we can help your community.

Get involved in local preservation

Unsure where to start? Follow this checklist and find out which actions your community still needs to take.

Join the Certified Local Government Program

This program helps communities actively promote historic preservation at a local level. It strengthens municipal planning and historic preservation programs through recognized standards. Municipalities must meet, then sustain these standards to stay in the program. In turn, this opens up a multitude of opportunities. Among other benefits, communities can

Stay better connected with regulatory review activities.
Access training and other educational resources.
Apply for grants exclusive to the CLG program.

Certified Local Government Program

Help your community meet CLG standards and find funding opportunities.

Other local preservation tools

Local stewardship is the most effective way to protect historic resources and the heritage they represent. These local initiatives may take the form of:

Preservation master plan elements
Comprehensive zoning ordinances
Regulated code enforcement
Public education and outreach programs

HPO supports historic preservation in New Jersey’s communities through a variety of programs.

Municipal Master Plan Historic Preservation Elements

Preserving historic buildings has environmental, social and economic benefits. Municipalities can reap these benefits by creating a Historic Preservation Element (HPE) for their Municipal Master Plan. The larger plan acts as a foundation for local zoning and land use ordinances. An HPE opens access to more preservation tools, like ordinances addressing historic preservation. These, in turn, help municipalities control sustainable development and foster a higher quality of life.

Municipal Land Use Law

The Municipal Land Use Law (MLUL) grants power to communities over development. Municipalities can exercise that power by adopting …

A master plan to control land use.
A zoning ordinance to guide development.

Since 1986, the MLUL has included historic preservation zoning. Municipalities have the authority to identify, evaluate, designate and regulate historic resources. This grants communities municipal-level powers to protect both individual sites and historic districts.

Download our Municipal Land Use Law reference

MLUL print/screen (PDF)

Download the PDF version for printing or desktop computer use.

MLUL eBook (EPUB)

Download an EPUB file for your phone, tablet or e-reader.

The importance of planning and zoning

The historic preservation ordinance is an extension of the municipality’s zoning laws. A municipality should tailor it to the community’s character and historic preservation goals. Typically, these ordinances deal with the designation and protection of

Landmarks: Significant individual properties
Districts: Historic areas

Such ordinances generally

Define specific boundaries
Establish a review process for public and private actions affecting the designated sites
Set up a review board or a commission to oversee compliance

As a result, these ordinances tie together land use decisions and preservation at the local level.

Historic preservation ordinances

Municipal-level designation and regulation is the most effective way to protect historic resources. One valuable tool, a zoning ordinance, can both

Designate resources
Establish design criteria and guidelines

The MLUL treats historic preservation designation as an “overlay” to zoning. As Section 65.1 states, historic designation is in addition to such designation and regulation as the zoning ordinance may otherwise require.

Historic preservation ordinances grant varying degrees of authority to each board or commission. Ordinances adopted pursuant to the requirements of the MLUL generally contain:

A statement of purpose and intent.
Definitions of terms, such as alterations, improvements, demolition, historic properties, etc.
Criteria and procedures for the designation of historic sites and district.
Procedures for the review of alterations, new construction and demolition affecting designated historic properties.
Standards and guidelines for historically appropriate and compatible alterations and new construction (design guidelines).

Historic Preservation Commissions

Learn how to set up and run an effective commission.

Design review

Historic Preservation Commissions usually apply the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties (“Standards”) when reviewing permit applications. These Standards apply to a variety of historic resource types, including

Historic buildings
Sites
Structures
Objects
Historic districts

Tools

Visit our Tools hub to download a PDF copy of the Standards or read NPS’s current online version.

Language changes in the Uniform Construction Code (UCC)

On March 5, 2018, the New Jersey Register of Historic Places adopted several changes to the New Jersey Uniform Construction Code (UCC), developed by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) — Division of Codes and Standards. The New Jersey Historic Preservation Office received numerous inquiries about these code changes and how they affect local historic preservation and resource protection. To guide local officials and historic preservation commissions (HPCs) through these issues, we met with Division of Codes and Standards staff to discuss the revisions and prepare this document.

OFFICIAL SITE OF THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY