Brandon Strain / Grapevine Historic Districts

Grapevine Code of Ordinances — APPENDIX G: HISTORIC PRESERVATION

Source: Municode Library, City of Grapevine Code of Ordinances, Appendix G (nodeId PTIICOOR_APXGHIPR), retrieved 2026-08-17 via api.municode.com (jobId 488260 / Supplement 56, codified through Ord. No. 2025-085, enacted Dec. 2, 2025).

Editor's note — Ord. No. 91-73, §§ 1—13, adopted Oct. 15, 1991, has been included herein as Appendix G at the direction of the city. Cross reference — Historic landmark, App. D, § 39.

Sec. 1. - Title.

This ordinance shall be cited as the "Grapevine Historic Preservation Ordinance."

Sec. 2. - Purpose.

The city council hereby declares that as a matter of public policy, the protection, preservation and enhancement of districts and landmarks of architectural, archaeological, cultural and historic importance is necessary to promote the economic, cultural, educational and general welfare of the citizens of Grapevine. The unique identity of the City of Grapevine and the history of the area prior to its founding, which produced significant historic, architectural, archaeological and cultural resources, requires this ordinance to:

(a) Protect and enhance the districts and landmarks which represent distinctive elements of Grapevine's historic, architectural and cultural heritage;

(b) Foster civic pride in accomplishments of the past;

(c) Protect and enhance Grapevine's attractiveness to visitors and the support and stimulus to the economy thereby provided;

(d) Insure the orderly, efficient and appropriate growth and development of Grapevine;

(e) Promote economic stability and prosperity of the community by encouraging the most appropriate use of such significant property in Grapevine; and

(f) Stabilize and improve property values.

Sec. 3. - Grapevine Historic Preservation Commission; Creation, duties, responsibilities, powers.

(a) There hereby is created a historic preservation commission (the "commission") composed of seven members and one alternate member, to be appointed by the city council. All commission members shall have a demonstrated outstanding interest in the historic traditions of the city and experience in the preservation of the historic character of Grapevine. The city council shall endeavor, to the extent reasonably available, to appoint members from the following categories:

  • Architect, planner or design professional
  • Historian
  • Licensed real estate broker/appraiser
  • Attorney at law
  • Owner of or resident or tenant in a landmark property or property in a historic district
  • Member of the Grapevine Historical Society
  • Archaeologist or from a related discipline, or
  • Other specific background as desired.

(b) A member of the planning and zoning commission shall be appointed by the mayor to serve as a nonvoting liaison to the historic preservation commission.

(c) Commission members shall serve for a period of two years, their terms to be staggered (four members appointed one year and three members appointed the next year. Initial appointments shall be four for two-year terms and three for one-year terms. The alternate members shall serve for a period of one year beginning in June, 2009.

(d) The chair and vice-chair of the commission shall be elected by and from members of the commission.

(e) The director of community development, the director of the Grapevine Heritage Foundation ("foundation"), and the city attorney shall serve as ex-officio members of the commission.

(f) The powers of the commission shall include the authority to do the following:

  • Adopt rules and procedures
  • Adopt identification criteria and rules for delineation of historic district boundaries
  • Conduct and administer historic resource surveys
  • Recommend designation of districts and landmarks
  • Establish committees as needed
  • Produce and distribute minutes of meetings
  • Develop public outreach/education/awareness programs
  • Approve/disapprove certificates of appropriateness
  • Provide design and other reasonable forms of advice to owners and tenants of historic properties in the certificate of appropriateness review process, coordinated with such efforts provided by the foundation
  • Recommend acquisition of endangered historic resources to the city council when necessary
  • Recommend acceptance of donations of preservation easements
  • Submit an annual report to city council and the mayor on the status of preservation in the community and the work of the commission
  • Proposed tax or other financial incentives to encourage preservation of historic resources
  • Prepare and promote design guidelines for landmarks/districts

(g) The commission shall meet at least monthly, or more frequently if so required, to conduct business. The director of community development may, when necessary and with adequate notice, call special meetings of the commission. All meetings will be held in conformance with V.T.C.A., Government Code § 551.001 et seq.

(h) A quorum shall consist of four commission members. A positive vote of a majority of the quorum shall be required to take any official action.

(Ord. No. 97-80, § 1, 8-4-97; Ord. No. 2009-21, § 5, 6-2-09; Ord. No. 2011-28, § 2, 7-5-11)

Sec. 4. - Support staff and historic preservation officer.

(a) The director of community development shall administer this ordinance and the permitting and zoning functions thereof contained in this and other applicable ordinances.

(b) The executive director of the foundation shall serve as historic preservation officer, coordinating the commission's and city's preservation activities with the county, the state and federal agencies as appropriate and advising the commission on relevant issues.

Sec. 5. - Designation of landmarks and historic districts.

(a) The city council may designate sites, buildings, structures, landscapes and objects as landmarks and areas as historic districts, and the public rights-of-way in and surrounding them, by adopting zoning overlay subdistricts designated as "H" on the city's official zoning maps pursuant to procedures incorporated into the city's basic zoning ordinance by the city council.

(b) A historic overlay subdistrict may be established to preserve landmarks and areas of exemplary architectural, archaeological, cultural or historic value provided the property(ies) have one or more of the following characteristics:

  • Significance in history, architecture, archaeology or culture
  • Association with certain events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of local, regional, state or national history
  • Association with the lives of significant persons in our past
  • Embodying the distinctive characteristics of an architectural or engineering type, period or method of construction
  • Represents the work of a master designer, builder or craftsman
  • Represents an established and familiar visual feature of the community
  • Has archaeological value in that it has produced or can be expected to produce data affecting theories of historic or prehistoric interest.

(c) Design guidelines and other appropriate regulations concerning the exterior and site development or redevelopment of a historic overlay district, shall be adopted as part of the overlay subdistrict ordinance by the city council.

(d) Property owners of a proposed historic overlay subdistrict designation shall be notified prior to the commission's hearing on designation. Testimony and documentary evidence may be presented, which will become part of the public record, to comment on the historic, architectural or cultural importance of the proposed historic property.

(e) Upon receipt of written recommendation of the commission, the proposal shall be submitted to the planning and zoning commission for its review, public hearing and recommendation to the city council for adoption, as provided in the city's general zoning ordinance, Sec. 67, B. Changes and Amendments.

(f) Upon designation of a property or properties as a landmark or historic district by the city council, the designation shall be recorded by legal description on the city's official zoning maps, in the records of real property of Tarrant County, and with the tax appraisal office.

Sec. 6. - Ordinary maintenance.

Nothing in this ordinance should be construed to prevent ordinary maintenance or repair of any exterior architectural feature of a property designated as a landmark or within a historic overlay district. Ordinary maintenance shall be defined as any work that does not constitute a change in design, material, color or outward appearance, and include in-kind replacement or repair. The director of community development shall be the officer in charge of making the decisions as to what is "ordinary maintenance."

Sec. 7. - Certificates of appropriateness.

The commission shall follow the United States Secretary of the Interior's formal written Standards for the Rehabilitation of Historic Buildings in its consideration of all applications for certificates of appropriateness for property with an HL historic landmark subdistrict overlay. These standards shall be made available to owners and tenants of property designated as historic.

(a) A person shall not alter a property designated as historic or property within a historic district, or any portion of the exterior of a structure on the site, or designated adjacent right-of-way, or place, construct, maintain, expand or remove any structure on the site without first obtaining a certificate of appropriateness (CA) in accordance with this ordinance. A CA shall be obtained prior to the issuance of any building permit, although the CA review and building permit and other required permit review processes may be conducted simultaneously. A CA may also be required for work not otherwise requiring a building permit. The CA shall be required in addition to, and not in lieu of, any required building permit.

(b) A person shall not place, construct or expand any single family residential structure on property within the Historic Grapevine Township District without first obtaining a certificate of appropriateness (CA) in accordance with this ordinance. A CA shall be obtained prior to the issuance of any building permit, although the CA review and building permit review processes may be conducted simultaneously. For the purposes of this section, single family residential structure shall mean new single family residential construction, existing single family residences, and any structure that was originally constructed or occupied as a single family residence regardless of current use. CA review for properties within the township which do not have HL overlay shall be only for compliance with subsections (c), (d) and (e), and shall not include review for compliance with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Historic Preservation.

(c) Prior to commencement of any work, the owner shall file an application for a certificate of appropriateness with the director of development services. The application shall contain:

  • Name, address and telephone number of applicant, and address of affected property if different.
  • Detailed description of proposed work.
  • Current photographs of property (historic photos are also helpful).
  • Drawings of proposed changes or new construction, and samples of materials, when appropriate.
  • Other information deemed necessary by city staff for clarification of the project.

(d) Special provisions for single family residential structures with a historic landmark designation or within the Historic Grapevine Township District.

New single family residential construction, existing single family residences, and any structure that was originally constructed or occupied as a single family residence regardless of current use, any of which are within a historic district, have an individual historic subdistrict landmark, or are within the Historic Grapevine Township District shall comply with the following provisions:

(1) Submittal requirements. In addition to any other filing requirements, certificate of appropriateness applications for new single family residential structures, and additions to single family structures shall be accompanied by the following documents:

a. Current photographs of the existing property, showing the full width of the adjacent properties and structures on each side of the subject property. If the subject property is a corner lot, a photograph of the structure directly across the street of the subject property shall be included.

b. A drawing showing the street facing elevations of the proposed structure along with building elevations of structures on adjacent properties. If the subject lot is a corner lot, the drawing shall also include the structure(s) located directly across the street.

(2) Design requirements. In order to allow for more creative architectural designs for buildings within the Historic Grapevine Township, the City of Grapevine adopts the Grapevine Pattern Book dated May 22, 2025 (and same is incorporated herein by reference). Compliance with the Pattern Book is required for all residential properties within the Historic Grapevine Township. Any future revisions to the Pattern Book may be adopted by the action of the City Council. In addition to any applicable regulations required elsewhere, including but not limited to the Secretary of the Interior's Standards (applies only to properties with HL historic landmark subdistrict overlay), zoning ordinance and building code the following shall apply:

a. Under no circumstances shall any portion of a roof exceed 35 feet above grade.

b. Under no circumstances shall the living area of any single family residence be limited to less than 1,200 square feet.

c. With regard to subsections b. and c. above, one single story detached garage or carport (or combination thereof) not exceeding 500 square feet, and one single story detached storage building not exceeding 200 square feet shall not be considered as contributing to total floor area, provided all other provisions of all other city ordinances are met, including but not limited to lot coverage.

d. Maximum lot coverage for the combined building coverage occupied by all main and accessory buildings and structures shall not exceed 40 percent of the lot area.

e. Lots shall not be subdivided such that they are less than 50 feet in width.

f. Lots shall not be replatted such that the resulting lot width of any lot would exceed by more than 20 percent the average lot width of all single-family residential lots of which any portion is located within a 300-foot radius of the boundary of the property being replatted.

g. In the event of a conflict between any of these requirements and any other guidelines, rules or ordinances, the most restrictive requirement shall prevail.

h. Front entry garages are prohibited, unless placed on the rear one-half of the lot.

(e) Not withstanding other provisions of this section, the historic preservation commission, upon recommendation of the historic preservation officer, director of development services and executive director of the convention and visitors bureau may approve minor adjustments to the requirements of this section. However, under no circumstances may adjustments be made to 35-foot maximum building height, 3,400-square-foot maximum floor area, or 40 percent total lot coverage.

[Research note, not ordinance text] Subsection (d)(2)b. says living area shall not be "limited to less than 1,200 square feet" while (e) references a "3,400-square-foot maximum floor area" as unadjustable. The 3,400 sq ft cap is stated only in (e) in the current codification; earlier codifications had an explicit floor-area cap in (d). Verify against the Pattern Book and staff practice.

(f) The commission shall deny, approve, or approve with conditions any CA application within 60 days of receipt of a completed application, determining whether the proposed work is consistent with the regulations contained in this section, in all applicable ordinances, and in the zoning ordinance designating the historic landmark. Upon posted notice, and notification by regular mail at least five days in advance to the immediately adjacent property owners as that ownership appears on the last approved tax roll, the commission shall conduct a public hearing on the application, at which time an opportunity is provided for proponents and opponents of the application to present their views.

(g) All decisions of the commission shall be in writing, stating its approval or the specific reasons for denying or modifying any applications. A copy of the certificate shall be sent to the applicant (by certified mail with return receipt) and a copy filed with the director of development services.

(Ord. No. 97-80, § 2, 8-4-97; Ord. No. 2013-23, § 2, 6-4-13; Ord. No. 2020-012, § 2, 2-4-20; Ord. No. 2025-034, § 2, 6-17-25)

Sec. 8. - Minor exterior alterations.

(a) If the city staff determines that the applicant is seeking a certificate of appropriateness to authorize only minor exterior alterations, as defined in this section, the staff shall review the application to determine whether the proposed work complies with the regulations contained in this section and all applicable historic overlay district designation ordinances and approve or deny the application within five working days of its receipt.

(b) Any interested person may appeal the staff's decision by submitting to the staff a written request for appeal within 30 days of the staff's decision. The written request for appeal starts the standard certificate of appropriateness review procedure by the historic preservation commission.

(c) Minor exterior alteration is the installation of or alternation to awnings, fences, gutters and downspouts; incandescent lighting fixtures; landscaping and hardscaping comprising less than 25 percent of the front or side yard; restoration of original architectural features that constitute a change from existing conditions; painting of wood or other appropriate elements that constitutes a change in color from existing color; and additions and changes not visible from any street to the rear of the main structure or to an accessory structure.

Sec. 9. - Demolition permits and economic hardship.

(a) A demolition permit for a structure within a historic zoning overlay district, the Grapevine township district, or an individual landmark shall not be issued by the director of development services until review and issuance of a completed certificate of appropriateness application by the commission. The director of the committee shall not forward the application to the commission until it is complete; the following information must be supplied by the applicant before the application is considered complete:

  • Information describing the condition of the structure
  • Estimated cost of restoration or repair
  • Demonstration that the adaptive use or restoration of the structure has been seriously considered
  • Any available historic records of the building (drawings, photographs...)
  • Architectural drawings of any proposed new construction which is intended to replace the existing structure
  • Any conditions proposed to be voluntarily placed on new development that would mitigate the loss of the existing structure
  • Any other information that the staff finds appropriate for the commission to render a decision on the application

(b) The commission shall hold a public meeting on the application within 60 days of receipt of the completed application. A copy of the commission's decision shall be forwarded to the director of community development and to the applicant within ten days of its approval.

(c) An applicant whose demolition CA has been denied may apply for hardship relief. In order to prove the existence of hardship, the applicant shall have the burden to establish that:

  • The property is incapable of earning a reasonable return on the owner's investment
  • The property cannot be adapted for another use that can result in a reasonable return
  • No potential purchaser of the property with a reasonable offer who intends to preserve it can be identified

(d) The commission shall hold a public meeting on the hardship application at least 60 days following the original date of application for the demolition permit, at which time proponents and opponents of the application may present their views. The commission may seek expert assistance in the field(s) of real estate development, appraisal, financing and other related disciplines to review the hardship application.

(e) The applicant shall consult in good faith with the commission, interested local groups and individuals in a diligent effort to investigate alternatives that will result in preservation of the property.

(f) All decisions of the commission shall be in writing. Copies shall be sent to the applicant and a copy filed with the city secretary.

(Ord. No. 99-179, § 2, 12-21-99; Ord. No. 2020-012, § 2, 2-4-20)

Sec. 10. - Status quo retained during pendency of zoning case.

(a) The procedure for adopting an ordinance to establish or amend a historic overlay subdistrict may be initiated by the city council, the planning and zoning commission, the historic preservation commission, or by the owner(s) of property within the area of request. Upon initiation of the procedure, no application may be accepted for a permit to place, construct, alter, demolish or remove any structure on the property until the earliest of the following dates:

(1) If the proposed zoning change is approved, the effective date of the ordinance implementing the change.

(2) If the proposed zoning change is denied, the day after the city council makes its final decision regarding the change.

(3) The 90th day after the filing dates of a written request for hardship relief, if any, made in accordance with section 9.

(b) For purposes of this section, the procedure is considered to be initiated immediately when the city council or planning and zoning commission or historic preservation commission votes to authorize the filing of a zoning case, or in the case of owner(s) initiation, when the application is filed with the historic preservation commission.

Sec. 11. - Enforcement.

All work performed pursuant to a CA issued under this ordinance shall conform to all its requirements. It shall be the duty of the director of the community development to inspect periodically to assure such compliance.

Sec. 12. - Penalties.

Any person violating any of the provisions of this ordinance shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction thereof shall be fined in a sum not to exceed $2,000.00 and a separate offense shall be deemed committed upon each day during or on which a violation occurs or continues.

Sec. 13. - Appeals.

Any person aggrieved by a decision of the commission relating to hardship or issuance of certification of appropriateness, may within 30 calendar days of receipt of the written decision, file a written application with the city council through the office of the city secretary for review of the decision. The city council may consider hardships that would otherwise prohibit the applicant from enjoying the same benefits as other property owners with similar lots and similar uses. It shall be the responsibility of the applicant to present evidence why there is a unique hardship upon their property. A recommendation from the historic preservation commission as to whether the appeal should be approved or denied shall be presented by city staff at the public hearing. The city council shall hold public hearings to consider the appeal. A decision of the city council is final and not appealable.

(Ord. No. 2013-23, § 3, 6-4-13)