As a guide for the identification and evaluation of landmarks, the preservation commission shall undertake, at the earliest possible time and consistent with the resources available to it, an inventory of properties of historical, architectural, prehistorical, and cultural significance within its jurisdiction. The inventories and any additions or revisions to them shall be submitted as expeditiously as possible to the Office of Archives and History. No regulation or amendment to a regulation designating a historic building, structure, site, area, or object as a landmark shall be adopted, and no property shall be accepted or acquired by a preservation commission or the governing board, until all of the following procedural steps have been taken:

(1)        The preservation commission (i) prepares and adopts rules of procedure and (ii) prepares and adopts principles and standards, not inconsistent with this Part, for altering, restoring, moving, or demolishing properties designated as landmarks.

(2)        The preservation commission forwards to the Office of Archives and History of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources an investigation and report on the historic, architectural, prehistorical, educational, or cultural significance of each building, structure, site, area, or object proposed for designation or acquisition.

(3)        The Department of Natural and Cultural Resources is allowed 30 days from receipt of the preservation commission’s complete investigation and report to provide written comments to the commission concerning the proposed designation or acquisition. Failure of the Department to submit its comments within the time allowed relieves the commission and the governing board of any responsibility to consider the comments.

(4)        The preservation commission and the governing board hold a joint legislative hearing or separate legislative hearings on the proposed regulation. Notice of the hearing shall be made as provided by N.C. Gen. Stat. § 160D-601 Following the hearings, the governing board may adopt the regulation as proposed, adopt the regulation with any amendments it deems necessary, or reject the proposed regulation.

(5)        Repealed by Session Laws 2022-64, s. 7, effective July 8, 2022.

(6)        Upon adoption of the regulation, the owners and occupants of each designated landmark are given written notice of the designation within a reasonable time. One copy of the regulation and all amendments to it shall be filed by the preservation commission in the office of the register of deeds of the county in which the landmark is located. In the case of any landmark property lying within the planning and development regulation jurisdiction of a city, a second copy of the regulation and all amendments to it shall be kept on file in the office of the city or town clerk and be made available for public inspection at any reasonable time. A third copy of the regulation and any amendments shall be given to the local government building inspector. The fact that a building, structure, site, area, or object has been designated a landmark shall be clearly indicated on all tax maps maintained by the local government for such period as the designation remains in effect.

(7)        Upon the adoption of the landmark regulation or any amendment to it, the preservation commission gives notice of the regulation or amendment to the tax supervisor of the county in which the property is located. The designation and any recorded restrictions upon the property limiting its use for preservation purposes shall be considered by the tax supervisor in appraising it for tax purposes. ?(2019-111, s. 2.4; 2020-3, s. 4.33(a); 2020-25, s. 51(a), (b), (d); 2022-64, s. 7.)