Portland's Historic and Conservation Districts: What You Can Change on the Outside of Your House, and Where
Portland has three kinds of historic district, and they do not work the same way. In one, replacing your windows or siding needs City review before a permit. In another, most work follows a checklist of standards. In the newest kind, including Laurelhurst and Eastmoreland, there is no design review at all. This page maps all 30 districts from the City's own boundary data and explains, with sources, what exterior work each one regulates.
Historic District (18)
Locally designated. Includes every district listed on the National Register before January 2017, such as Irvington, Ladd's Addition and Alphabet.
- Non exempt exterior alterations need Historic Resource Review before a permit
- Repair and maintenance are exempt; full siding replacement and replacing original wood windows are not
- Storm windows, basement windows, skylights and most pitched roof solar are exempt
- Demolition of a contributing house needs City Council review
Conservation District (6)
Six neighborhoods in North and Northeast Portland from the Albina Community Plan: Eliot, Mississippi, Piedmont, Russell Street, Woodlawn and Kenton.
- Most alterations follow clear and objective design standards checked at permit, not a land use review
- Historic Resource Review only for large alterations
- Demolition review for contributing houses
National Register District (6)
Listed federally since the state rule change of January 2017: Laurelhurst, Peacock Lane, Eastmoreland, plus three non residential sites.
- No design review: siding, windows and roofing follow the normal permit rules only
- Demolition review for contributing houses
- Federal tax credit and grant eligibility for qualifying work
Map: every district
Boundaries load directly from the City of Portland's map service, so they stay current. Click a district for its type and size.
Table: districts, size and resources
| District | Type | Acres | Contributing / non | Listed | Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irvington | Historic District | 595 | 2,394 / 419 | 2010 | 1889 to 1959 |
| Alphabet | Historic District | 156 | 478 / 157 | 2000 | 1880 to 1940 |
| Ladd's Addition | Historic District | 136 | 633 / 476 | 1988 | 1875 to 1949 |
| South Portland | Historic District | 55 | 186 / 60 | 1998 | 1876 to 1926 |
| King's Hill | Historic District | 41 | 126 / 25 | 1991 | 1875 to 1949 |
| Willamette National Cemetery (non residential) | Historic District | 292 | 34 / 1 | 2016 | 1950 - present |
| Mount Tabor Park (non residential) | Historic District | 190 | 14 / 16 | 2004 | 1888 to 1939 |
| Skidmore / Old Town (non residential) | Historic District | 43 | 57 / 44 | 1975 | 1875 to 1949 |
| Mount Tabor Park Reservoirs (non residential) | Historic District | 33 | 12 / 3 | 2004 | 1894 to 1953 |
| East Portland / Grand Avenue (non residential) | Historic District | 29 | 35 / 22 | 1991 | 1875 to 1949 |
| Lone Fir Cemetery (non residential) | Historic District | 28 | 2007 | ||
| Rocky Butte Scenic Drive (non residential) | Historic District | 27 | 14 / 5 | 1991 | 1925 to 1949 |
| New Chinatown / Japantown (non residential) | Historic District | 16 | 29 / 18 | 1989 | 1875 to 1949 |
| Washington Park Reservoirs (non residential) | Historic District | 14 | 10 / 7 | 2004 | 1894 to 1953 |
| 13th Avenue (non residential) | Historic District | 11 | 20 / 2 | 1987 | 1900 to 1949 |
| Kenton Commercial (non residential) | Historic District | 9 | 16 / 13 | 2001 | 1900 to 1925 |
| Yamhill (non residential) | Historic District | 8 | 1976 | 1875 to 1949 | |
| Halprin Open Space Sequence (non residential) | Historic District | 5 | 18 / 0 | 2013 | 1966 to 1970 |
| Piedmont | Conservation District | 218 | |||
| Kenton | Conservation District | 128 | |||
| Eliot | Conservation District | 112 | |||
| Woodlawn | Conservation District | 105 | |||
| Mississippi | Conservation District | 59 | |||
| Russell Street | Conservation District | 7 | |||
| Eastmoreland | National Register District | 480 | 1,034 / 247 | 2022 | 1910 to 1961 |
| Laurelhurst | National Register District | 394 | 1,308 / 436 | 2019 | 1910 to 1948 |
| Peacock Lane | National Register District | 5 | 27 / 6 | 2017 | 1924 to 1930 |
| Terwilliger Parkway (non residential) | National Register District | 112 | 3 / 1 | 2021 | |
| South Park Blocks (non residential) | National Register District | 9 | 6 / 13 | 2022 | |
| Portland Zoo Railway (non residential) | National Register District | 5 | 2020 | 1958 to 1961 |
Sources: City of Portland, PortlandMaps Open Data, Historic Districts and Conservation Districts layers (Bureau of Planning and Sustainability), read September 20, 2026; district type rules from the City's Historic Resources Code Project resource hierarchy and changes to historic districts; exemption practice from City Historic Resource Review decisions and the 2022 code amendments. Contributing and noncontributing counts are from the City layer and may lag recent changes. Download the table as CSV.
What this means for a project
The two largest residential Historic Districts, Irvington at 595 acres and Ladd's Addition at 136, are where most of the review happens: over 3,000 contributing houses between them, nearly all built before 1948, most with original wood siding and windows. In those neighborhoods a siding or window project is planned in two stages: a Historic Resource Review application with drawings and material specifications, then the building permit. Repairs that keep the original material, and work on the rear of the house that is not visible from the street, are usually exempt or handled at the lowest review level.
Laurelhurst and Eastmoreland look similar from the sidewalk but sit in the National Register District category, where the City applies demolition review and nothing else. A homeowner there can replace windows or siding on the normal permit rules, and because both neighborhoods are on the National Register, qualifying rehabilitation may be eligible for the federal historic tax credit on income producing property and for state preservation grants.
The six Conservation Districts sit in between. Since the 2022 code update most alterations there are checked against written standards at the permit counter rather than through a land use review, which is faster and cheaper, but the standards still govern material and proportion on street facing elevations.
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Questions about historic districts
How do I find out if my house is in one of these districts?
Use the map on this page, or search your address on PortlandMaps.com and open the zoning tab: a historic or conservation district shows as an overlay on the property. The City's Historic Resources map also shows whether your house is a contributing or noncontributing resource, which affects demolition rules but not, in most cases, exterior alteration review.
What counts as repair versus alteration?
Since the 2022 code update, repair and maintenance are defined and exempt from review. Patching a section of deteriorated siding with matching material is repair. Removing all the siding and installing a different material is an alteration that needs review. Removing later vinyl or aluminum to reveal original siding is restoration and is encouraged. Where a project sits on the line, ask the City before ordering material.
Do I need review to replace windows?
In a Historic District, replacing original wood windows is the alteration the City enforces most often, including cases where owners had to remove new vinyl windows. Replacing windows that are already non historic is exempt under the 2022 changes, and storm windows and basement windows are exempt. In a National Register District there is no design review for windows. In a Conservation District, most window work falls under the clear and objective standards.
What about a new roof?
Like for like roofing has generally been treated as repair and handled without review, and skylights, roof hatches and most solar installations on pitched roofs were exempted in 2022. Changing the roof form or material on a street facing elevation is an alteration. Confirm with the City for anything beyond a same material replacement.
Does the lead paint rule still apply?
Yes, separately. Almost every house in these districts predates 1978, so any work that disturbs paint requires an EPA Lead Safe certified contractor regardless of what the historic code requires.
Which cities does this cover?
Portland only. Lake Oswego, Oregon City, Milwaukie, Vancouver and others have their own historic landmark programs with different rules. Those may be added to this page later.
Exterior work on a historic Portland home?
VResh Construction restores and replaces siding, windows and trim on pre 1948 homes across Irvington, Ladd's Addition, Alphabet, Laurelhurst and Eastmoreland, prepares the material specifications the City asks for, and is EPA Lead Safe certified for every one of them.