Preservation District and Ordinance

213 Main Street

The Hancock County Historical Society is pleased that efforts have been made to preserve the atmosphere and charm of the historic districts in Bay Saint Louis.

Historic districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places are federally designated and impose no restrictions on what owners may or may not do with a property located within. Local historic district designation on the other hand, offers the best protection for historic properties because the most affecting decisions - zoning, permits - are made at the local level.

In order to help preserve our architectural history, the Hancock County Historical Society has taken every effort to establish such a local historic district, and in April of 2007 got the Bay Saint Louis City Council to pass a "Historic Enabling Ordinance".

Click map to enlarge

In December of that year, residents of an area which was roughly that of the Beach Boulevard Historic District that had been established in 1980, voted with the approval of 80% of the property owners of the district to establish the Beach Boulevard Preservation District.

A Historic Preservation Commission is charged with assisting property owners in developing plans for houses compatible with the unique character of the district. The commission serves as an advisory commission to the City Council. A committee of nine members review all building permits applied for in the district.

For details, go to the Historic Preservation Commission's page on the website of the city of Bay Saint Louis.