To Own or Not To Own: Historic Preservation Overlay Zones

Southern California - Historic homes in Irvine are hard to come by. In the whole entirety of Orange County, there are less than a handful of tracts protected. Even the Eichler tracts in Orange are free to modification with the owners’ discretion.

One such home in Irvine is up for sale. Within a small gated neighborhood in Portola Springs is Lambert Ranch. The Lambert Family has owned the property at 55 Parsons Brown since 1925. It is best described as a one level craftsman home with a detached garage. Situated on 1.6 beautiful acres, it has 1,840 sqft of living space. The home has been the subject of much talk recently due to its uniqueness in the Orange area. On a clear day, you can even see Newport Beach.

However in Los Angeles, homes in the Historic Preservation Overlay Zones can affect ownership, taxes, and decisions made regarding your home. LA’s HPOZs first began in 1983 in the Angelino Heights district. After 30 years, there are over 30 of them.

According to the LA Office of Historic Preservation, home prices rise faster in these zones. Homes can also qualify for property tax reductions, decreasing the costs of home maintenance. But is your home a “contributing” or “non-contributing” member of the HPOZ? The two are subject to the same limitations but contributing members enjoy more benefits from the government.

There is a HPOZ board for each zone of 5-7 members. Minor repairs on contributing houses take about one month to approve. However there are alterations, such as changing the exterior paint swatch or window trim, it requires a formal process of approximately 3 months.

Thankfully the city provides resources and even FAQs to assist home owners’ maintenance. However, they will cite you and ask homeowners to restore property to original condition if any work is suspected to be done without permission.

You thought Irvine’s HOAs were strict…