The Montgomery County Planning Department, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, will hold the Historic Preservation Tax Credit Open House on Tuesday, March 5 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Department’s auditorium (8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD).

At this event, Planning staff will provide an overview of the county’s tax credit program for improving historic properties. Representatives from the Maryland Historical Trust will discuss similar state tax credits. A brief question-and-answer session will follow the presentations.

Montgomery Planning is currently accepting applications from county property owners who may be eligible for a one-time, 25 percent property tax credit for restoring the exteriors of their historic structures during 2018. The work must have been completed no later than December 31, 2018. To be eligible for the Montgomery County Historic Preservation Tax Credit, the property must be listed in the Montgomery County Master Plan for Historic Preservation. Search here to determine if your property is listed.

Owners must file an application, including documentation of the repairs that were done, with the historic preservation staff of the Planning Department by 5 p.m. on Monday, April 1, 2019. The Montgomery County Historic Preservation Commission will then evaluate the applications to determine whether the scope of the work meets the eligibility requirements for the program.

View a short video about the Historic Tax Credit program offered by the Historic Preservation Office. Download the tax credit application here.

Repairs, restoration or preservation of exterior features of designated structures are considered for the Montgomery County Historic Preservation Tax Credit. New additions and interior work are ineligible.

Examples of eligible exterior projects include, but are not limited to:

• Painting
• Repairing roofs or replacing them in-kind
• Repairing windows, architectural trim or ornament
• Uncovering and repairing original sidingRepointing brick or stone foundations or chimneys
• Restoring a documented feature, such as a dormer or porch that was previously altered or removed
• Repairing and maintaining outbuildings, such as barns and garages.

Background on Historic Preservation Tax Credit

The Montgomery County Council passed legislation in 1984 to create the historic preservation tax credit program for county-designated historic properties. Since 2013, owners of properties listed in the Montgomery County Master Plan for Historic Preservation are eligible to receive 25 percent of documented improvement costs for exterior maintenance, restoration or preservation work. The approved credit is applied to a property owner’s tax bill.

In 2018, the Historic Preservation Commission approved tax credits for 80 projects, representing more than $1.8 million of investment in historic properties.

For more information about filing a tax credit application, please contact Michael Kyne, Planner Coordinator of the Historic Preservation Office at the Montgomery County Department of Planning (telephone: 301-563-3403); email: Michael.Kyne@montgomeryplanning.org.