Historical Zoning Commission

Historic District Design Guidelines

• 2010 Historical Zoning Commission Design Guide Manual (PDF)

The City of Lawrenceburg Historic District Design Guidelines are intended to provide Lawrenceburg’s Historic Zoning Commission (HZC), residents of the City of Lawrenceburg’s local historic districts, and managers of other properties governed by the HZC with guidelines for building rehabilitation, new construction, and other changes which would affect the overall appearance of Lawrenceburg’s historic areas. The manual provides information on rehabilitation methods and parameters for new construction and demolition to guide property owners in planning and designing their projects.

This manual provides information on the design review process and recommended guidelines for property owners. The guidelines in the manual are administered by the HZC in their review of actions affecting historic properties within all of the overlay zones in the city. The guidelines are to be followed by property owners prior to initiating work such as rehabilitation, new construction, demolition or any other actions reviewed by the HZC.

History of Historic District Zoning

Legislation permitting historic district zoning in Tennessee was passed by the state legislature in 1965. The purpose of this act was to promote the educational, cultural, and economic welfare of people in the state of Tennessee by enabling municipalities and counties to preserve and protect historic structures, areas, and districts which serve as visible reminders of the history and cultural heritage of the state and country. 

Since the passage of this bill, over 40 communities across the state have passed ordinances to create local historic districts and historic zoning commissions to administer them.

The Commission

This ordinance created the Lawrenceburg HZC, which is composed of six voting members consisting of a representative of a local patriotic or historical organization, an architect, a member of the local planning commission, and a city council member. The remaining members are appointed from the community in general. The HZC is appointed by the chief executive of the municipality and is subject to confirmation by the local legislative body. 

The responsibilities and duties of the Commission include: the review of applications for the designation of local historic districts and local historic landmark districts, and/or to submit to the Lawrenceburg’s Regional Zoning Commission and the Lawrenceburg’s City Council recommendations for the designation of local historic districts; adopt a set of specific design guidelines for established local historic districts; and grant or deny Certificates of Appropriateness with respect to the local historic districts.