Character-Defining Features

The term is defined at SPMC 2.59A in the Definitions section of Article IVH:

Three categories are explicitly named in the definition: visual aspects (overall shape and form); physical elements (materials, craftsmanship, decorative details); and interior and contextual elements (interior spaces and features, and aspects of the property’s site and environment).

The character-defining features standard is the analytical lens for nearly every operative provision in Article IVH. It appears throughout the ordinance:

• Alterations are defined at SPMC 2.59A as physical changes “which may have a significant adverse effect on character-defining features of a cultural resource.” A change that doesn’t affect a character-defining feature is not an “alteration” requiring a Certificate.
• Exemptions at SPMC 2.65(d) for landscaping, sprinkler-system work, and paving work apply only when the work “does not affect a character-defining feature.” Once it does, the work falls under the Certificate framework.
• The findings at SPMC 2.65(e)(10) repeatedly reference character-defining features as the reference point for compatibility, integrity, and protection of the historic property.

For a typical residential cultural resource in South Pasadena, character-defining features commonly include:

• Roof form and pitch — gable, hipped, gambrel, or flat configurations characteristic of the architectural style.
• Cladding — wood clapboard, wood shingle, stucco (with characteristic trowel finish), or brick.
• Window types and patterns — single-light double-hung, casement, multi-light double-hung, fixed picture with transom, bay windows.
• Door types — paneled wood, with or without glazing, sometimes arched depending on style.
• Porch configurations — partial-width, full-width, or wraparound; recessed or projecting; with or without low walls or railings.
• Decorative elements — exposed rafter tails and knee braces (Craftsman); bell-shaped parapets and clay tile (Mission Revival); steeply pitched roofs and ornamental detailing (Tudor Revival); columns and symmetrical massing (Neoclassical, Colonial Revival).
• Spatial relationships — relationship of the primary structure to setbacks, accessory structures, landscape features, and the streetscape.

The specific features for any given property depend on its architectural style and its individual physical record. The South Pasadena Inventory typically documents these features through the DPR 523 Series form prepared by an architectural historian.

The character-defining features definition lives at SPMC 2.59A in the Definitions section. SPMC 2.67 is a different section — it governs Enforcement and Penalties for unpermitted work (the misdemeanor designation, the 30-day cure window, the one-year reconstruction covenant, the five-year permit ban, and the failure-to-maintain provisions). Do not conflate the two.

Source: South Pasadena Municipal Code Chapter 2, Article IVH (Cultural Heritage Ordinance, Ord. No. 2315 § 2, 2017), §§ 2.59A, 2.65(d), 2.65(e)(10). City of South Pasadena, Design Guidelines for ADU Development on Historic Properties (Architectural Resources Group, November 2, 2021), Chapter 4 (Historic Architectural Styles).