Community Heritage Register
The Tacoma Community Heritage Register was created by City Council in 2025 to provide recognition for and increase public awareness of sites of community significance that may not meet the criteria for inclusion in the Tacoma Register of Historic Places.
Unlike the Tacoma Register of Historic Places, the Tacoma Community Heritage Register does not place restrictions on designated properties but is purely commemorative in nature. Eligible properties should be associated with historical events, individuals, and communities that are significant to Tacoma residents, but the physical characteristics of those properties may differ widely. Some may be buildings like homes or businesses, but they can also include event sites, monuments, and natural features. Another difference between this register and the existing Tacoma Register of Historic Places is that sites need only be 25 years or older to be nominated.
Nomination Process
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To be eligible for the Tacoma Community Heritage Register, a site must be at least 25 years old at the time of nomination and satisfy at least one of the following three criteria:
- It is associated with events significant to Tacoma’s history, including culturally significant events or patterns of events that are currently underrepresented on the Tacoma Register; or
- It is associated with the lives of persons significant in Tacoma’s history, including communities that are currently underrepresented on the Tacoma Register; or
- Owing to its unique location or singular physical characteristics, it represents an established and familiar visual feature of the neighborhood or City.
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We encourage all applicants to reach out to our office to discuss their plans prior to beginning a heritage register nomination. Any resident of Tacoma or City official may request consideration by the Landmarks Preservation Commission of a site for placement on the Community Heritage Register. To make such a request, a completed nomination form should be submitted to the City of Tacoma’s Historic Preservation Office.
At a minimum, the nomination form needs to include:
- A narrative statement that addresses the significance of the site with respect to the eligibility criteria identified above; and
- A clear description of the site location, including a complete legal description if available and a location map; and
- Representative photographs of the site; and
- For nominations that are not sponsored by the property owner, the nomination sponsor must provide evidence that attempts to contact the property owner have been made prior to submittal, and provide contact information for the owner.
Once the City’s Historic Preservation Officer determines the nomination form is complete, it will be submitted to the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) for preliminary review at a formal public hearing. If the LPC finds that the nomination meets at least one of the eligibility criteria, a second LPC hearing will be scheduled at which the property will be recommended for designation as a Community Heritage Register Site. Following this second LPC hearing, the formal designation will be forwarded to City Council, who may adopt a resolution formally designating the property as a Tacoma Community Heritage Site.
If, at its preliminary hearing, the LPC finds that the property does not meet the criteria, the application process stops and the LPC may not consider the property for designation for a period of two calendar years. Once two calendar years pass, the process may be restarted.
Additional details regarding the nomination process are laid out in 13.07.065 of the Tacoma Municipal Code.