Rule 110-37-6-.06. Standards for Evaluating Significance
Rule 110-37-6-.06. Standards for Evaluating Significance
(1) The Standards for Evaluating Significance shall be used in determining the significance of all properties for which a Part A- Preliminary Certification is received by the Department.
- (a) Properties that consist of an individual building are reviewed by the Department to determine if they appear to meet Georgia Register criteria for significance and possess historic integrity by applying the Criteria for Evaluation of Properties for the Georgia Register, Rule 110-37-2-.02.
(b) Some properties consist of multiple buildings or structures whose concentration or continuity possesses greater historical significance than many of their individual component buildings and structures.
1. Properties that comprise multiple buildings will be reviewed by the Department to determine if they appear to meet Georgia Register criteria for significance and possess historic integrity by applying the Criteria for Evaluation of Properties for the Georgia Register, Rule 110-37-2-.02.
(i) This review will include a determination as to whether the property is most appropriately evaluated as a historic district or an individual property for the purposes of meeting Georgia Register criteria for significance. This determination will be made based on an assessment of the concentration or continuity of resources that comprise the property and the relationship of those resources, including but not limited to:
- (I) Whether there are identifiable primary and secondary hierarchical and/or proportional relationships;
- (II) Whether the property comprises multiple tax parcels;
- (III) Whether the property is composed of elements with separate owners;
- (IV) The acreage of the property and the relationship of that acreage to the property's historical significance;
- (V) The relationship of the association between the property's resources to the property's historical significance; and
- (VI) Additional related factors, as determined by the Department.
- 2. Buildings must be determined contributing to the significance of the individual property or district for the purposes of this program.
(c) Properties located within Georgia Register-listed or potential historic districts, or for Historic Home Designated as contributing to a district under local law and certified by the Department of Community Affairs as meeting National register Criteria are reviewed by the Department to determine if they contribute to the significance of the listed or potential district.
- 1. A property contributing to the significance of a district is one which was present during the district's period of significance and which, by integrity of its historic location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling and association adds to the district's sense of time and place and historical development.
- 2. A property not contributing to the significance of a district is one which was not present during the district's period of significance; or one which does not add to the district's sense of time and place and historical development; or one where the location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling and association have been so altered or have so deteriorated that the overall integrity of the property has been irretrievably lost.
- 3. In the case of a Georgia Register-listed historic district or for Historic Homes as a district under local law for which no defined period of significance has been documented, properties that have been constructed within the past 50 years generally shall not be considered contributing to the significance of the district unless a strong justification concerning their historical or architectural relationship to the district is provided in the district's Georgia Register or local nomination documentation, or the significant historical attributes of the district are documented to be less than 50 years old and the property is documented as contributing to that significance.
(2) If a nonhistoric surface material obscures some or all of a building's façade, the owner of the building must demonstrate that the underlying façade retains substantial historic integrity and the property otherwise contributes to the historic district in order to obtain a determination of significance.
- (a) Demonstrating integrity may be achieved by removing a sufficient portion of the covering material or by other means as determined acceptable by the Department.
- (b) Applicants should contact the Division for guidance.
- (3) The Department shall determine the level of documentation necessary to evaluate the significance of a property. Determinations of significance and nonsignificance will be made on the basis of the application documentation, existing Georgia Register documentation (where applicable), and other available information as needed.
- (4) If a property is designated as a historic property or contributed to a district under local law and certified by the Department of Community Affairs as meeting National Register Criteria, then no further certification is required. However, if a Historic Home is not designated as a historic property or contributing to a district under local law, the property must be individually listed in the Georgia Register, contributing to a Georgia Register-listed district, or follow the requirements set forth in O.C.G.A. 110-37-6.05(c) or 110-37-6.05(e).
- (5) Historic Home applications for rehabilitation projects that begin after January 1, 2026 may be eligible as a certified structure if they are listed under local law as contributing to a designated historic district or individually listed as a historic structure and have been certified by the Department of Community Affairs as meeting National Register criteria.
Authority: O.C.G.A. § 48-7-29.8.
History. Original Rule entitled "Standards for Evaluating Significance" adopted. F. July 17, 2020; eff. August 6, 2020.
Amended: F. June 30, 2025; eff. July 20, 2025.