Historic Properties

Historic properties are integral to our community as they encompass and maintain our heritage and unique culture. Because of this, the City of Aspen has certain processes and regulations specific to historic properties.

Is Your Property Historic

To determine if your property is historic refer to the The City of Aspen Inventory of Historic Landmark Sites and Structures (PDF) lists the individual landmarks with local historic status. Properties that are not on the Inventory, but are located in the Main Street Historic District or the Commercial Core Historic District also require review by the Historic Preservation Committee to maintain the integrity of the Historic District.

If you determine that your property is historic, you will need to fill out the Historic Preservation Application Package (PDF) if you are proposing to do any work with the property.

  • A Certificate of No Negative Effect may be issued for minor work that does not materially change the historic character of the property or district, and the proposed work is clearly within the adopted design guidelines.
  • A Certificate of Appropriateness must be applied for if the proposed work will make material changes that may alter, diminish, eliminate or affect the historic or architectural character of the property or district in any way.

Pre-Application Questions & Contact

We strongly encourage all applicants to hold a pre-application conference with a Planner in the Community Development Department so that any questions regarding the requirements for submitting a complete application, and the review process, can be addressed.

Also, depending upon the complexity of the development proposed, an applicant should consider scheduling a work session with the HPC early in the conceptualization of the project. It is a good practice on large projects to submit one copy of the development application to the Case Planner for a preliminary determination of any deficiencies in the information being provided, which can reduce the overall cost of materials and staff hours billed.

Please contact Amy Simon 970-429-2758 or Sara Adams 970-429-2778 with any questions or to schedule a pre-application meeting.