HB 4265 Summary

• Replaces permit language with "certificate of appropriateness" and "notice to proceed" throughout the Local Historic Districts Act to clarify approval mechanisms for work affecting historic resources.

• Requires applicants to certify that properties have or will have fire alarm systems or smoke alarms complying with state construction code before commissions can issue certificates of appropriateness.

• Adds new definitions including "duly organized historic preservation organization," "demolition by neglect," and "notice to proceed" while clarifying existing terms like alteration, repair, and ordinary maintenance.

• Creates the state historic preservation trust fund to receive money for historic preservation purposes and allows civil fines collected (up to $50,000 for violations, $150,000 for demolitions) to be deposited into this fund.

• Increases enforcement penalties and allows courts to bar local units from receiving state funds at violation sites for up to 5 years, or prohibit building permits at demolition sites for up to 5 years if a historic resource was demolished in violation of the act.