The purpose of the Historic District Design Guidelines is to provide guidance for improvements to properties within the Historic Overlay Districts (primarily the Downtown and Old Town Districts) in Georgetown, Texas. The Guidelines are for property owners planning exterior alterations, additions to or the rehabilitation of existing buildings. They also apply to the design of new buildings.  While the Guidelines provide direction for specific design issues, some basic principles of preservation form the foundation for them.  The following preservation principles apply in Georgetown:

1. Respect the historic design character of the building.
2. Seek uses that are compatible with the historic character of the building.
3. Protect and maintain significant features and stylistic elements.
4. Preserve key, character-defining features of the property.
5. Repair deteriorated historic features, and replace only those elements that cannot be repaired.

City Council voted to approve the changes to the Design Guidelines in their meeting on July 27, 2021 with Ordinance 2021-53. The changes will go into effect on September 1, 2021. All applications submitted after September 1, 2021 will use the new Historic District Design Guidelines.

Historic District Design Guidelines Full Document

• Table of Contents
• Preface
• Introduction
• Downtown Map
• Old Town Map
• Historic Districts Map
• Downtown Area 1-Chapter 1 Part 1
• Downtown Area 1-Chapter 1 Part 2
• Downtown Area 2-Chapter 2 Part 1
• Downtown Area 2-Chapter 2 Part 2
• Old Town-Chapter 3 Part 1
• Old Town-Chapter 3 Part 2
• Demolitions & Relocation-Chapter 4
• Signs-Chapter 5
• Appendices

For questions about the Historic District Guidelines or how they might apply to your project, please contact the Downtown & Historic Planner at historic@georgetown.org or call (512) 930-3581.

Council adopted the prior Downtown & Old Town Design Guidelines on August 14, 2012 by Ordinance 2012-48. For reference purposes those prior Guidelines are listed below.

• Design Guidelines Cover and TOC
• Chapter 1 Purpose of Design Guidelines
• Chapter 2 Architectural Resources
• Chapter 3 Principles for Historic Preservation
• Chapter 4 Guidelines for Architectural Features
• Chapter 5 Guidelines for Historic Building Materials
• Chapter 6 Guidelines for Individual Building Elements
• Chapter 7 Guidelines for Adaptive Re-use, Additions and Alterations
• Chapter 8 Guidelines for Site Design_Part1
• Chapter 8 Guidelines for Site Design_Part2
• Chapter 9 Guidelines for Signs
• Chapter 10 Guidelines for Awnings and Canopies
• Chapter 11 Guidelines for Colors in the Overlay Districts
• Chapter 12 Guidelines for Infill Construction in Area 1
• Chapter 13 Guidelines for Infill Construction in Area 2
• Chapter 14 Guidelines for Infill Construction and Additions in Old Town Overlay
• Appendix A Glossary of Terms
• Appendix B Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation