How does Historic District designation differ from individual property protection?
Individual property protection, also known as an opt-in restrictive covenant, is a legal contract entered into by a group of owners, usually in suburban subdivisions, to enforce rules of consistency on a neighborhood. Restrictive covenants are usually much more strict and overarching than historic districts and are often enforced by lawsuits between neighbors. A Local Historic District on the other hand is an overlay to city zoning codes that becomes part of the building permit approval process. Historic districts are concerned with maintaining historic identity of structures and as such do not regulate things such as paint colors, lawn decorations, etc.
