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LOS ANGELES CONSERVANCY Preservation Report Card | 2014

Mills Act Incentive Program

The Mills Act Historic Property Contracts Program is the single most im-
portant economic incentive program in California for the restoration and
preservation of qualified historic buildings by private property owners. It
is a state law that allows local jurisdictions to enter into contracts with pri-
vate property owners to guarantee the preservation of designated historic
sites or structures.

Property owners who participate in the Mills Act
program make a contractual agreement with their
respective jurisdiction to adhere to a schedule of
maintenance repairs and upkeep on their historic
property for the duration of the contract, which
spans ten years and self-renews at the end of each
year. In exchange, the property owner is entitled
to an alternate evaluation of the property for tax
purposes, which usually results in a reduced property
tax bill.

Despite its clear and considerable value, the Mills
Act has been implemented by only twenty-five Los
Angeles County jurisdictions to date: Beverly Hills,
Bradbury, Burbank, Calabasas, Claremont, Glen-
dale, Glendora, Huntington Park, La Cañada
Flintridge, La Verne, Lawndale, Long Beach, Los
Angeles, Monrovia, Pasadena, Pomona, Redondo
Beach, San Dimas, San Gabriel, Santa Clarita,
Santa Monica, Sierra Madre, South Pasadena,
West Hollywood, and Whittier. The County of Los
Angeles is currently in the process of establishing
a Mills Act program.

Since the Mills Act is typically the only economic
incentive tool available to local jurisdictions, the
existence of a program at the local level is a good
indicator of a particular jurisdiction’s commitment
to historic preservation.

Top: The 1925 Aztec Hotel in Monrovia has a In most Los Angeles County jurisdictions that have implemented the Mills
Mills Act contract. Photo by Larry Myhre on Flickr.
Act program, properties eligible for participation must either be designated
Bottom: More than 700 properties have benefited from the City as a local landmark or be a contributor to a locally designated historic district.
of Los Angeles’ Mills Act program. Twenty-four communities Many more property owners will initiate or approve the designation of their
in L.A. County now offer this important preservation incentive.
Pictured: The Lydecker House (1939), Studio City. properties if they can reap tax savings through the Mills Act program.
Photo courtesy Lydecker House.

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