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CITY OF LOS ANGELES HISTORIC PRESERVATION OVERLAY ZONES (HPOZ)

10th Annual HPOZ Conference Sat., May 19

Join the Conservancy and the Los Angeles Department of City Planning for a day of educational sessions and networking. We welcome anyone interested in preserving L.A.'s historic neighborhoods.

Who’s in Charge?
The Conservancy and HPOZs
How to Report a Violation (code enforcement)
List of HPOZs by Name and Region

Angelino Heights HPOZ. Photo courtesy Office of Historic Resources.

Historic districts in the City of Los Angeles are known as Historic Preservation Overlay Zones, or HPOZs. The zoning overlay provides for the review of proposed exterior alterations and additions to historic properties within designated districts.

The city currently has twenty-nine HPOZs, with many more in the pipeline. HPOZs are as varied as the city itself, with a vast range of architectural styles and a wealth of economic and demographic diversity.

Who’s in Charge?

HPOZs are established and administered by the Los Angeles City Planning Department (with ultimate oversight by the City Council), though other groups also participate in different ways. Residents have a key role in creating and maintaining HPOZs, and they may work with all of the groups below.

Office of Historic Resources

The city’s Office of Historic Resources (OHR) is the part of the Planning Department that directly oversees historic preservation and works with city planners on the creation and administration of HPOZs. Their website has a wealth of information about how HPOZs are created, profiles of current and proposed districts, and much more.

Office of Historic Resources HPOZ site

Highland Park HPOZ. Photo by Larry Underhill.

HPOZ Boards

Each HPOZ has a five-member board that serves as an advisory body to the Planning Department. The board includes owners and renters of properties in the HPOZ, as well as people with professional or demonstrated experience in architecture, real estate, and construction.

The board reviews proposed changes to structures within the HPOZ and makes recommendations to the Planning Department, which has the ultimate authority to approve or deny alterations. See the OHR website for more information about HPOZ boards.

Each HPOZ board holds regular public meetings. To attend the meeting or speak to the city planner assigned to your HPOZ:

• Go to the Department of City Planning website
• Click on Meetings and Hearings in the left column
• Click on the region that contains your HPOZ (see list of HPOZs and regions at the bottom of this page)
• Click on Agendas in the main frame
• Locate the most recent agenda for your HPOZ (see example)
• Open the agenda (PDF document) and go to the very end (see example)

In December 2010, the Los Angeles City Planning Commission approved preservation plans for sixteen HPOZs. For the first time, all of the city’s HPOZs have clear guidelines for protecting their unique character. The plans will give property owners and HPOZ boards far greater clarity and certainty, streamline the approval process for minor changes to save time for both owners and City staff, and clear the path for other neighborhoods to pursue historic designation. HPOZ boards will continue to review major alterations and play a vital role in protecting their historic districts.

HPOZ Alliance

Van Nuys HPOZ on the Conservancy's 2006 HPOZ tour. Photo by Larry Underhill.

The HPOZ Alliance is an advocacy group composed of residents of existing HPOZs. The Alliance was created in 2000 to coordinate efforts, and provide a unified voice, among the city’s HPOZs.

The Alliance meets quarterly to address issues common to all HPOZs, such as code enforcement or creating preservation plans.

By working together, members of the Alliance can participate more effectively in the implementation and enforcement of the city’s HPOZ ordinance, provide guidance and support to proposed HPOZs, and partner with the city in the preservation of our irreplaceable historic districts. For more information about the Alliance, contact Murray Burns at 213-482-5102 or planariap@earthlink.net.

The Los Angeles Conservancy and HPOZs

Conservancy staff lead a discussion at the 2009 HPOZ Conference. Photo by Conservancy staff.

For more than thirty years, the Conservancy has worked with the city and many preservation partners to help Angelenos protect their historic neighborhoods. Specific efforts include:

• Helping to craft the city’s HPOZ ordinance in 1979
• Holding educational tours to showcase specific HPOZs
• Working with the city’s Planning Department to provide training for city planners and neighborhood leaders at annual HPOZ conferences
• Advocating for sound policy to foster the effectiveness of HPOZs throughout the city
• Advising interested residents, offering technical assistance, and speaking to neighborhood groups on the process of creating an HPOZ
• Working with the HPOZ Alliance to address important issues such as code enforcement

Pico-Union HPOZ. Photo by Larry Underhill.

In 2008, the Conservancy received a grant from the Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency to develop an education, outreach, and leadership training program for the Pico-Union HPOZ, including a self-guided walking tour of the neighborhood. We’ve partnered with various groups on tours, workshops, community fairs, and other activities to engage residents in their neighborhood’s rich history and ongoing preservation.

More about Pico-Union

How to Report a Violation (Code Enforcement)

Strong and consistent enforcement of HPOZ protections is needed to ensure that preservation ordinances are effective and visible. More Information

List of HPOZs by Name and Region

Visit the Office of Historic Resources website for information about each of these HPOZs.

One of L.A.'s first suburbs, the hilltop residential area of Angelino Heights lies two miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles, near the communities of Echo Park and Silver Lake. The area was planned as a respectable, genteel Victorian suburb for Los Angeles' late 19th-century upper-middle class. The first designated HPOZ in the city, Angelino Heights contains some of the best remaining examples of Victorian architecture in Los Angeles, as well as later examples of the Craftsman and Mission Revival styles. The 1300 block of Carroll Avenue is listed as a historic district in the National Register of Historic Places and contains the highest concentration of 19th-century Victorian homes in all of Los Angeles.