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City of Laurel Historic District
About the Historic District
The City of Laurel Historic District consists of seven individual, but contiguous districts as established in Sec.11-2 of the City of Laurel Municipal Code. Located in the northernmost part of the City, all of these districts fall under the design review authority of the Historic District Commission. Visit the Maryland Association of Historic District website. There you can find helpful resources such as contractor information, design guidelines, and much more!
Contributing or Non-Contributing Resources
Historic districts usually include a mix of "contributing" and "non-contributing" resources:
- Contributing resources are houses, churches, commercial structures, or other buildings that add to the significance of the district.
- Non-contributing resources do not add to the significance of the district.
- Find out which one your house is by viewing the Contributing or Non-Contributing Addresses (PDF) list.
Historic District Guidelines
Although the Commission is the final determinant in the issuance of an HDC Certificate of Approval, their decision is rendered in the context of the Historic District Commission Design Guidelines, as listed in Art. I, Div. 14 of the Unified Land Development Code. These guidelines are intended to allow for a variety of choices for individual projects yet still maintain the integrity of the Historic District as a whole.
View the online code https://libraryunified_land_development_DIV14
PDF VERSION: HDC Design Guidelines
Historic District Survey
- Historic District Architectural Survey - Districts 1 to 6 (PDF)
- Historic District Architectural Survey - District 7 (PDF)
- Historic District Architectural Survey Addendum (PDF)
TREE REMOVAL
First, check that the tree is seen from a public right-of-way, if it is not, you do not need HDC approval however, if it is you will need approval. Next, check the Champion Tree list to see if your tree is listed (those trees are more protected). If you remove a tree that needed HDC approval but did not receive approval, you could be fined. Lastly, here is the section of our ordinance regarding landscaping or tree removals:
Sec 20-26.19:
(c) Minor landscaping for small shrubs or flowers and routine landscaping maintenance such as mulching or pruning of trees (up to thirty-three (33) percent of the tree mass) does not require Commission approval. Removal of any dangerous or diseased landscaping or trees does not require Commission approval so long as the request is accompanied with a letter from a certified arborist or Maryland Licensed Tree Expert certifying that the tree to be removed is, in fact, sufficiently diseased and/or dangerous to justify removal of the tree. The staff and the City will review these materials to ensure, in their sole judgment, that they meet the above criteria. A tree that is removed shall be replaced by another tree on the same lot, unless the balance of landscaping on said lot is found by the Historic District Commission to be adequate without a new tree. The HDC encourages the replacement to be a native tree. The Director of Economic and Community Development shall approve any requests for removal of trees or shrubs that meet the criteria of subsection (c), in its sole judgment. The removal of diseased and dead trees is encouraged by the HDC.